Dancing an important part of Metis culture

John Whitford is paying it forward.  He remembers what it meant to him to learn to Red River jig and he is providing youngsters at the Kikino Metis Settlement with the same opportunity.

“I heard the fiddle the first time and that was it. I was ready to go after that,” said Whitford, who serves in the recreation department on the Metis settlement.

Whitford has no formal training in Metis dance but “years and years and years” of experience. He has been dancing for 30 having started when he was 15 years old. He was part of the original Kikino Northern Lights dancing group, which broke up when he got older. He also danced for five years with the Edmonton Metis Cultural Dancers.

For the past four years, Whitford has been using that experience to instruct the Kikino Northern Lights Juniors in Metis dance. He works with 25-30 youngsters between the ages of five to 16. While most dance groups have smaller numbers, around 10-12, Whitford firmly believes in providing an opportunity for all youngsters interested in learning.

“If I could fit more kids into that building, I would,” he said. “If you can go on stage and kick just one foot then you deserve to be on stage because being in front of people really takes guts.”

He is pleased with the numbers he has, although he would like to see more boys involved. But, as is often the case, as the boys get older, their interests and peer pressure turn them more toward sports.

Whitford takes his dancers through a number of moves, including the Red River jig, which is also referred to as the Metis national anthem, the reel of eight and the reel of four, the duck dance, the drops of brandy, and the right hand swing.

“It’s all in the foot work,” he said.  And that foot work
is impressive.

Along with performing locally at schools, community events and the extended care, the Kikino Northern Lights Juniors have travelled to Edmonton to perform at K-Days and further south to Cardston to take part in the Asihawak Festival. The group gets strong support from the Kikino Metis Settlement, says Whitford, and also charges a fee to help cover costs. They will be making a return trip to Cardston this summer. That travel and the performance is great exposure not only for the dancers, but for the public as well, he says.

Not all the dancers make the trips or perform at every event. Sometimes venues aren’t large enough to accommodate over two dozen dancers, says Whitford, and then he needs to select from the group.

“The kids are pretty cool if I need to take a smaller group. Nobody gets upset about it. I tell them we’re just sharing the responsibilities of dancing and if they don’t go this time, they’ll go next time,” he said.

It is important to Whitford that the children of Kikino Metis Settlement learn Metis dancing.

“It’s part of who we are as a Metis people. It’s our culture so we’re proud of it,” he said. “We always want to display our culture and who we are. It is very important for us to keep that tradition alive for our younger people.”

Photo caption: Members of the Kikino Northern Lights Juniors danced recently in Edmonton to help celebrate the official opening of Renaissance Tower: (Back row, from left) Tilly Jo Thompson, Brianna White, Chance Cardinal, Eagle Cardinal, Kennedy Whitford, Courtney Cardinal; (front row) Mackenzie Thompson, Emmie White, Carson McNamara, Macy
Tailfeathers, Shaylee Cardinal, and Gage Thompson.