Algonquin Avenue Public School Native Language Choir takes home accolades at Lakehead Festival of Music and Arts
By Rick Garrick
THUNDER BAY — The Algonquin Avenue Public School Native Language Choir recently received a first place award and medal of distinction at the Lakehead Festival of Music and Arts on April 24. Led by Corine Bannon, Native language teacher at Algonquin Avenue Public School in Thunder Bay and Fort William citizen, the Native Language Choir performed two songs in Anishinaabemowin, O’ Canada and Calling in the Four Directions, during the Festival’s vocal competition, which was held from April 20-24.
“They’re amazing,” Bannon says. “Calling in the Four Directions is a song about calling in all our grandfathers from the east, west, south, and north to come and help and be with us and support us.”
Bannon says the choir, which includes 18 Grade 4 and 5 students, began preparing for the Festival in January during their Native language classes, which are held for 50 minutes a day, four times per week.
“We do a lot of singing in the classroom,” Bannon says. “It’s important to showcase language, culture, and tradition and to show how important language is.”
Bannon says the main components of the Native language class are speaking Anishinaabemowin, conversational Ojibwe, introductions in Anishinaabemowin, singing and learning cultural components such as pow wow etiquette and Jingle Dress and ribbon skirt teachings.
“Language is at the forefront of everything that we do,” Bannon says.
Rizzo Paypompee-Tom, a Grade 5 Algonquin Avenue Public School student, says he enjoyed participating with the choir in the Festival.
“I was nervous but then I managed to get through it,” Paypompee-Tom says. “I just like it as it’s my actual Native language.”
Karlina Tom, Rizzo’s mother, says her daughter Dalena Paypompee also performed with the choir.
“It was amazing, I was smiling and everything and I’m really happy they were up there singing,” Tom says. “This was their first time having the [Native] Language Choir up there — so it’s amazing, I love that.”
Tom says it is important for her children to learn Anishinaabemowin in the Native language class because she lost her language.
“I’m really happy that they’re starting to learn their language,” Tom says. “They know a lot more than I do.”
Kylee Buckley and Kevin Barnard enjoyed seeing their daughter Aaliyah Vollans-Buckley perform with the choir.
“[It was] emotional because she’s so amazing and she loves to sing,” Buckley says. “She loves [Anishinaabemowin] and learning it so it was amazing and emotional.”
“It’s awesome,” Barnard says. “I think it’s amazing that they’re bringing the language back. It’s a part of something that was taken away from us, I think it’s beautiful and amazing that we’re getting it back.”
Kiara Ambridge-Bell, a Confederation College Onajigawin Indigenous Services Program student who helped prepare the ribbon skirts for the choir, says the ribbon skirts were birthed earlier in the day with ceremony.
“We got [the students] involved today with the birthing of the ribbon skirts, so all of them got to be a part of holding their own ribbon skirt and being able to bring their ribbon skirts into ceremony,” Ambridge-Bell says. “The Onajigawin Indigenous Services Program is really great for those who are trying to get involved and create a shift, a change within the community, and just make a difference.”
Ambridge-Bell says the students did great during their performance.
“They’ve been practising so much so I just loved seeing them up there,” Ambridge-Bell says.
Videos of the choir’s performances are posted on the Algonquin Avenue Public School’s Facebook page.