Child inspires man to follow his heart

Page 3

Sometimes it only takes 30 seconds for your life to change.

When Travis Youngchief, 31, attended a powwow almost three years ago in Frog Lake he had no idea his life would take on a new direction.

As he watched a young boy about seven years-old named Sundance Wapass celebrate his Aboriginal culture by dancing, Youngchief felt a spark inside his own spirit.

"I only caught him dancing for about 30 seconds," said Youngchief, adding it was all he needed. "He inspired me."

Growing up in Kehewin, Youngchief was always interested in music and dance, but he studied square dancing, the fiddle and guitar instead of his own traditions.

"I didn't feel right about myself, I never felt accomplished," he said about his upbringing.

Since Youngchief's awakening in 1999 he has begun a new journey into his own spirit.

"The last few years of my life have been totally beautiful," he said. "I have no other way to explain it."

In 1996, Youngchief had a dream about a wolf. The wolf appeared again as he explored his new-found interest in his culture.

After seeing Wapass dance, Youngchief decided he too wanted to begin powwow dancing.

As he started to research the costs and who could make him powwow regalia, he found that he had more knowledge than he realized.

Not able to find anyone who could make regalia he could afford, he started to explore how he could do it himself.

All the items he needed seemed to fall into place in relation to his outfit. "What I needed I found."

However, he couldn't find instructions on how to actually make items such as feather bustles, tail fans, wing fans or traditional breast plates.

But even without this direction, Youngchief was able to produce all these items-it just came naturally to him.

"It's a gift I didn't know I had," he said.

When his regalia was complete it was an exact duplication of the wolf he had seen in his dream years before.

Youngchief knew this gift may have never been discovered if it wasn't for young Wapass' own dedication and love for his culture.

This is why on March 14, when Youngchief officially launched his book Wolf Creations, How to Make a Traditional Native Feather Bustle, he did so in Thunderchild, Sask. where Wapass was from.

Unfortunately, Youngchief had to make the presentation of the original feather bustle described in his book to Sundance's younger brother, Montana.

Sundance died in a motor-vehicle accident before Youngchief could share with him how much the boy had inspired him to pursue his culture.

"I was looking forward to looking at him grow over the years because he was so into his culture," said Youngchief about the sorrow he felt after the boy's death.

Youngchief did, however, name his newborn son after Sundance, the day after he gave the bustle to Montana.

"I did it to show Thunderchild that these two little boys inspired me just by the love and effort they put into their culture," said Youngchief about his presentation to the young man.

Youngchief's book is the first of a three-part series he will be writing on how to make a variety of regalia including the tail fan, wing fan, men's and ladies' traditional breast plates, feather hat, war bonnet and porcupine head-roach. Each book will have step-by-step instructions including photographs.

After spending numerous hours researching his heritage and making this book, Youngchief said he feels at peace with himself.

"I feel whole," he said. "Proud of who I am and proud to be Native."

To contact Youngchief for ordering information phone (780) 826-7729 or e-mail him at travis_youngchief@hotmail.com.