Hot times at Tsuu T'ina

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The 18th annual Tsuu T'ina Nation Rodeo was a scorcher and not just because of mid-day temperatures around 30 C and clear skies. For four days at the end of July, Canada's largest Aboriginal rodeo hosted cowboys from places as far away as Arizona and the competition was as hot as the weather.

Away from the dusty rodeo ground, in the shade of the main arbor was a four-day powwow which, like the rodeo, drew participants from a wide area, and turned the Redwood Fair Grounds into a vast campground and a sea of color.

The dancers at the powwow were not as focused on the competition as their rodeo counterparts. "I'm not in it for the competition," said Jason

Twoyoungmen, a 27-year-old traditional dancer from the Stoney Reserve. "For me, it is about the spirituality and the different scenery I guess."

Dion Tootoosis was also enjoying the new surroundings at the same time as renewing some old acquaintances.

"I've got relatives here that I haven't seen in years and old friends that I haven't seen in a really long time," he said. The 27-year-old Cree Nakota drove from Saskatoon with his younger brother who was also dancing in the competition.

For Tootoosis, passing on traditions to a younger generation is what the powwow is all about.

"One of my main reasons for being here is to educate my younger brother and to perpetuate these kinds of celebrations by passing them on to the youth. When I'm dancing, I'm aware that younger people are watching. It's almost like being a role model. There is nothing like the feeling of helping a younger person follow a path that will take them away from things that will harm them."

It is a path that Tootoosis found with his father's help and which he still values. He has been dancing "since I could walk," and he never tires of the feeling it gives him.

"The competition is a bonus," he said. "The real attraction is not the money. It's the feeling that arises between the spectators, the dancer and the singer. This vibe is created and suddenly I'm in a different world."

It is a world that owes a lot to the past for Tootoosis.

"I'm not a contemporary dancer. I'm not flashy," he said. "It is important to reinvigorate the old styles and traditions through dance. When I dance, it is a positive thing. I'm not dissing any other form of dance because this is what will save us in the end, these drums and this circle."

The attractions of the powwow even allowed Tootoosis to forget about the hassles he endured trying to get to the fair grounds. His van broke down just outside of Calgary and he had to phone some friends to come and pick him up. He arrived just in time for the grand entry on Thursday evening and only when that was over, did he drive back to where he had left his van at the side of the road and make the necessary repairs.

Some of the rodeo participants also had unforeseen difficulties to contend with. A miscommunication between organizers and saddle bronc rider Cody Black Rabbit nearly cost him his ride. The scheduling confusion was eventually sorted out and Black Rabbit was allowed to compete.

The 26-year-old from Cardston, Alta. is a veteran of the Tsuu T'ina rodeo and got his start at the event as a 13-year-old steer rider. He has been riding saddle bronc since he was 15 and maintains a busy schedule traveling to rodeos in Alberta, British Columbia and Montana throughout the summer. For all his experience, Black Rabbit still looks forward to the Tsuu T'ina Rodeo.

"This is one of the biggest I compete in. The crowd is good for me because having all those people watching makes me dig a little deeper."