- 注册
- 2002-10-07
- 消息
- 402,255
- 荣誉分数
- 76
- 声望点数
- 0
With few Indigenous traditions at Algonquin College, students created their own on Monday by constructing a large traditional drum to use in ceremonies and gatherings.
The drum was made as part of a college project that saw one crafted at each of its three campuses, as a way to instil Indigenous traditions into the college’s culture and reinforce its commitment to truth and reconciliation. The college’s satellite campus in Perth has already made its drum and the Pembroke campus is set to build its own on Thursday.
André O’Bonsawin, manager of Indigenous initiatives at the college, said traditions are lacking in the school community and the drums are meant to bridge different cultures and the three campuses together.
Dave Hookimaw, 51, would know. A Cree drumkeeper, he’s made more than 100 drums and was on hand to open the construction event on Monday. He said the near-universality of drums in music of almost all types, Indigenous or not, make them ideal for bringing people together. The beating of a drum is akin to the beating of a human heart, Hookimaw said.
“We hear that in our mother’s wombs: boom, boom, boom, boom,” he said. “(The drum) touches so many people, it doesn’t matter what race you are.”
Around a dozen students gathered around a table in the college’s Mamidosewin Centre to assemble the drum under the guidance of Pinock, an Algonquin artist from Maniwaki, Que. who specializes in these types of projects. They began by cutting two circles out of buffalo hide to serve as drum tops, as well as a long string to tie them together.
The students were a mix of Indigenous and non-Indigenous, such as Kate Greenland, a cabinet-making and furniture technician student whose class was involved in the project.
Greenland, who helped with the drum’s construction, described it as the “heartbeat of the campus” because of the central purpose it will soon have at college events, such as annual convocation.
“I just think it’s always good when you can bridge two communities together,” she said. “And the idea that this (drum) is going to be used forever was really special.”
Hookimaw said he was happy to see non-Indigenous students participating. They don’t often have the opportunity to be exposed to that culture, he said, because schools don’t teach it.
“That’s part of sharing your culture.”
Drums hold a special place for Hookimaw. In the 1970s, Hookimaw said he was molested at a residential school and later picked up his first drum at 14 in 1979 while in North Bay. He said it helped by giving him an outlet to express himself. In combination with drumming, therapy and the use of sweat lodges, he said he was able to get better.
In the aftermath of the truth and reconciliation commission, Hookimaw said there has been a resurgence of interest in traditional drums among both Indigenous and non-Indigenous groups. He said it’s important for him to share his knowledge on drums because it can help others discover Indigenous identity.
“It’s a tool that we use for healing,” he said. “Because of the residential schools, we lost a lot of our identity … (now) we’re reclaiming it.”
Because they are made of animal hide, drums are seen as living entities and must be treated with respect, he said. As a drumkeeper, he’s part of a generations-old vocation centred around caring for drums to ensure their longevity.
“You can’t just leave a drum alone by itself, because it’s a spirit,” he said. “You have to treat it like you would your grandfather … with respect, with love, with kindness, because that’s the way he treats you.”
The relationship between a maker and their drum is so deep that the finished drum can reflect the mood the maker was in while working on it, he said.
“The drum is a reflection of how you live your life.”
查看原文...
The drum was made as part of a college project that saw one crafted at each of its three campuses, as a way to instil Indigenous traditions into the college’s culture and reinforce its commitment to truth and reconciliation. The college’s satellite campus in Perth has already made its drum and the Pembroke campus is set to build its own on Thursday.
André O’Bonsawin, manager of Indigenous initiatives at the college, said traditions are lacking in the school community and the drums are meant to bridge different cultures and the three campuses together.
Dave Hookimaw, 51, would know. A Cree drumkeeper, he’s made more than 100 drums and was on hand to open the construction event on Monday. He said the near-universality of drums in music of almost all types, Indigenous or not, make them ideal for bringing people together. The beating of a drum is akin to the beating of a human heart, Hookimaw said.
“We hear that in our mother’s wombs: boom, boom, boom, boom,” he said. “(The drum) touches so many people, it doesn’t matter what race you are.”
Around a dozen students gathered around a table in the college’s Mamidosewin Centre to assemble the drum under the guidance of Pinock, an Algonquin artist from Maniwaki, Que. who specializes in these types of projects. They began by cutting two circles out of buffalo hide to serve as drum tops, as well as a long string to tie them together.
The students were a mix of Indigenous and non-Indigenous, such as Kate Greenland, a cabinet-making and furniture technician student whose class was involved in the project.
Greenland, who helped with the drum’s construction, described it as the “heartbeat of the campus” because of the central purpose it will soon have at college events, such as annual convocation.
“I just think it’s always good when you can bridge two communities together,” she said. “And the idea that this (drum) is going to be used forever was really special.”
Hookimaw said he was happy to see non-Indigenous students participating. They don’t often have the opportunity to be exposed to that culture, he said, because schools don’t teach it.
“That’s part of sharing your culture.”
Drums hold a special place for Hookimaw. In the 1970s, Hookimaw said he was molested at a residential school and later picked up his first drum at 14 in 1979 while in North Bay. He said it helped by giving him an outlet to express himself. In combination with drumming, therapy and the use of sweat lodges, he said he was able to get better.
In the aftermath of the truth and reconciliation commission, Hookimaw said there has been a resurgence of interest in traditional drums among both Indigenous and non-Indigenous groups. He said it’s important for him to share his knowledge on drums because it can help others discover Indigenous identity.
“It’s a tool that we use for healing,” he said. “Because of the residential schools, we lost a lot of our identity … (now) we’re reclaiming it.”
Because they are made of animal hide, drums are seen as living entities and must be treated with respect, he said. As a drumkeeper, he’s part of a generations-old vocation centred around caring for drums to ensure their longevity.
“You can’t just leave a drum alone by itself, because it’s a spirit,” he said. “You have to treat it like you would your grandfather … with respect, with love, with kindness, because that’s the way he treats you.”
The relationship between a maker and their drum is so deep that the finished drum can reflect the mood the maker was in while working on it, he said.
“The drum is a reflection of how you live your life.”
查看原文...
