Drums deliver message of universal brotherhood

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Another Aboriginal tradition returned to the ancestral homelands of the Chippewas of Nawash at the end of June, when storytelling became part of the Return of Drums Powwow at Owen Sound's Kelso Beach.

With the steady beat of the drums in the background, Priscilla Yellowhead Tobey enthralled children and adults with her stories about her Ojibway family who once lived on Christian Island near Midland.

She also told stories with a message, including one about a flock of turkeys that still walked home although an eagle had just taught them to fly.

"When you learn something, put it into practice to be the best you can be," Yellowhead Tobey said.

Yellowhead Tobey lives in Utah now, but is spending the summer travelling to powwows across Ontario to share the experience and legends of her Native culture.

"Most of all, I hope to influence the kids,'' said Yellowhead Tobey, 57, who became a storyteller just four years ago after receiving a message in a dream "to do the things you are supposed to do," she said.

The dozen or so spectators sitting under a tree listening to Yellowhead Tobey talk were most interested in her family background.

"Tell us about your great grandfather," one Ojibway girl aged about 12 called out.

She sat enthralled as Yellowhead Tobey told a story about her great grandfather's ability to speak numerous languages and five dialects of his own Native language.

The Return of the Drums marked the third year that a powwow has been held at Kelso Beach, which was the site of an Ojibway village before the community was relocated more than a century ago to the Cape Croker reserve, about 40 kilometres to the north on the Bruce Peninsula.

The event was initiated to build understanding between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people, said Leanne Eamer, executive director of the M'Wikwedong Native Cultural Centre in Owen Sound where the group Spirit Singers trained for their powwow appearance.

The 30-member group was among half-a-dozen different performers at the powwow including Cape Croker drummers, Inuit throat singers, a Metis fiddler and Aztec dancers and drummers.

At the invitation of the M'Wikwedong centre, a non-Aboriginal group called Tribal Thunder also appeared at the powwow.

"We're trying to bring people together through the drum," said Oscar De Los Santos, one of the group's members.

Initially, the group Tribal Thunder met with some resistance.

"We were accused of stealing someone else's culture, but the drum is universal, it's not about one race or colour," said De Los Santos.

On the first day of the powwow, Tribal Thunder's performance was met with silence, but on the third day after De Los Santos revealed he was a member of a Native tribe in his homeland of Uruguay, things changed.

De Los Santos appealed for audience members to join in, and Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal children came forward and joined in the drum beating with enthusiasm.

"It's always the children," he said.