Sewell memorial upbeat affair

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"A humorous song cannot compromise serious songs. They both stand on their own merit," wrote Cathy Sewell in one of her many University of Alberta papers.

It was humor that was centre stage at the University of Alberta's Myer Horowitz Theatre on Sept. 22, as friends and family gathered to publicly celebrate their memories of Sewell.

Sewell (April 5, 1962 to Aug. 23, 2001) was a gifted musician, journalist, leader, educator, speaker, warrior and woman who died from cancer.

Calgary's Heebee Jeebees acted as master of ceremonies for the memorial evening called A Song of Celebration, and their off-the-cuff antics and outstanding vocal work set the tone.

The a cappella foursome were Sewell's favorites, and her own Aboriginal vocal ensemble, ASANI, shared the stage with them many times.

Sewell co-founded ASANI in 1997 and performed with them around the world, from South Africa to Hawaii to New York City's Carnegie Hall.

The three remaining members, Debbie Houle, Sarah Pocklington and Sherryl Sewepagaham, took the stage early in the program with a song written for Sewell entitled "Ode to a Warrior."

The melody was written before Sewell fell sick, but the words only came the day after her funeral. Amid the jocularity, the impassioned farewell song indeed stood on its own merit.

Sewell graduated from U of A with a degree in Native studies and a minor in linguistics in 1996. She returned two years later to pursue a master's degree in international intercultural education.

"She touched a lot of people at a lot of different levels. She was multi-faceted," said Lewis Cardinal, director of the Native Student Services at the university.

Aboriginal rapper Bannock recalled just how diverse and daring an individual she was. When his back-up vocalist wasn't able to make a show where he was ASANI's opening act, he asked Sewell if she would kindly fill in.

Sewell not only accepted, but gave Bannock complete artistic control of her wardrobe for the performance.

"She was not bound by social expectations," said the rapper, who studied in Sewell's contemporary music course last spring.

Articulate and well-spoken, Sewell made it her duty to deconstruct stereotypes -- especially those surrounding Canada's Native people.

Throughout the ceremony, Angela Wolfe and Don Sewell read excerpts from Sewell's "Top Ten Challenges of being a Native Student at the U of A."

They included:

Having to memorize the Bering Strait theory for your anthropology exam when you know we've been here all along.

Reading eight books and writing two 10-page papers for your Oral Traditions course.

People saying they're surprised to find out you're Native because you don't talk with an accent and you're not an alcoholic and you got the highest mark in the course.

Contributions were accepted throughout the evening to set up the Cathy Sewell Scholarship for the Indigenous Arts.

The ceremony was followed by an open mic time, giving those present an opportunity to share their memories of Sewell. The majority who spoke remembered her as a dynamic, sharing individual who gave a lot of support to her community.

The Northern Harmony Canadian A Cappella Competition will be held at the Myer Horowitz Theatre in Sewell's honour Oct. 13 at 8 p.m.

It is clear Sewell will be missed - with a smile.