Storytellers from a variety of backgrounds and genres relayed messages that made the audience think, laugh and reflect upon the importance of culture at the New Sun Gathering held at Blue Quills on May 26.
The gathering was very successful, said Sherri Chisan, programs coordinator for the Indigenous Artists program at Blue Quills First Nations College.
“It was so wonderful to see so many young people in the audience,” said Chisan.
Interpreting the stories from the past, written in native petroglyphs, Willie Blake said ancestors predicted events that have come true. In First Nations cultures, the phrase “red road” means walking the path of spirituality. Interpretations of the rock pictures predict people will be lead away from the red road by problems with alcohol and drugs. The petroglyphs, explained Blake, show women branching away and leading First Nations people back to the path of the red road.
His personal observations that the elder women are often the last ones to leave ceremonies support the message written in the rock, said Blake.
Then Louise Profeit-Leblanc, a story keeper for a northern community, told a story passed down to her from her aunty Angela. She explained Angela was an elder in the community who had the ability to love everyone.
“Every person that met her felt they had a special relationship with her,” recalled Profeit-Leblanc.
In dramatic style that captivated the audience, Profeit-Leblanc relayed a story warning of the dangers of jealousy.
Drew Hayden-Taylor, a contemporary storyteller, has more then 20 published plays, articles and stories. He related the humourous story of his life.
“I am half Ojibwa and half Caucasian so that makes me an Occasion,” said Hayden Taylor. The world is full of stories and he just writes what happens, he said.
“Basically I just plagiarized the creator,” Hayden-Taylor told an audience of youth and adults.
One important piece of advice Hayden Taylor passed on was to “never trust your Grade 11 English teacher.” When he was in school, he asked his teacher if a person could make a living by writing and without even looking up his teacher responded “no.”
On the more serious side, he advised the youth if they want to learn to write, they should read and to live interesting lives.
“It’s hard to find something to write about if you spend your life in the basement playing computer games,” said Hayden-Taylor.
In the afternoon, Bert Crowfoot shared the audience a series of photographs and video clips recording First Nations stories, language and culture. There were two main themes to his work said Chisan in an interview after the gathering. The first was about recording and photographing ceremony in a respectful way by working with elders and the second was the mystery of photography. When the photographer looks at a picture later, new features often become visible that may change the message of the picture.
Geraldine Manossa showed a video of an interpretive dance she choreographed as an interpretation of the work of Louise Halfe.
“We almost had a spontaneous outbreak of dancing in the room,” said Chisan recalling the atmosphere in the room after Manossa’s presentation.
Chisan said she is inspired by the gathering and has many ideas that she hopes to put into action for Alberta Arts Days later this summer.
