Unity stressed in story and song

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A story of a man who was taken away to residential school as a child, who was beaten down but later rose up and overcame, is related in the song Far from Home. A similar theme summed up the proud celebration of National Aboriginal Day that was held at the University of Alberta June 22.

As the song goes, "Someone came and took him far away, threw away his clothes, cut his hair . . . 10 long years he never once felt loved, only pain . . . he survived the humiliation, and he survived the shame."

The song was written by Julie Robertson of CreeAtive Harmony. She and Dawn Ferguson are a Metis duo from the Paddle Prairie Metis Settlement in northern Alberta.

Robertson said her parents both spent their childhood in residential schools. Her mother was lucky-she was allowed to visit home on weekends.

The struggle and survival of Aboriginal peoples were also honored and praised by Joe Pots Senior from the Dakota tribe.

He remembered being told as a child, "In the future, if you do not stand together and work together, you're going to starve scratching the white man's door." He said social services and welfare represent the notion of "scratching the white man's door."

"You must learn the rules of a dominant society . . . you must learn technologies. In order for you to succeed and for your children to eat, you have to continue, no matter how tough the struggle may be," said Pots.

Trevor Gladue, the Slave Lake Metis local president, encouraged young Aboriginal people to continue their education. "It's so important that we start looking at being doctors, entrepreneurs, school teachers, and not only for our own people, but for all the people, because we are part of the society," he said.

He also stressed respect for the Elders: "Listen to the stories of Elders, because some day we will be old as well, and life will be spinning by us, and we'll be wishing that there were someone to sit there and listen to us."

Gladue said he was very proud to be a Metis and part of the Aboriginal community.

The celebration included light lunch-bannock, stew and hotdogs. The sharing of food at ceremonies is an important cultural component for Aboriginal peoples, said Heather Poitras, the National Aboriginal Day chairperson. The overall act of offering food is the expression of appreciation of life, giving thanks to the Creator. The circle then becomes whole and the cycle of life continues.