31 - The Drum

At the center that I attend each week, the drum holds a place of honor. It is draped in a blanket with beaters close by. It has an area specifically designated for it and we gather around it each week to sing songs of healing, mourning, and honor, to name a few. All have significance.

When a drum comes to a group, it comes in a ceremony and is officially named. It often has a "keeper" who looks after it and takes it from place to place if it is moved for an event such as a powwow. We make offerings to the drum of tobacco before we sing. It is powerful and respected. Before events that we attend or powwows coming up, the drums are always announced. They hold a place of honor and anticipation for the music that we will hear. In most cases, we will know the drummers, the songs and the people and friends who sing with them.

The drum has great power because of it's connection to mother earth. It is the heartbeat of mother earth. The creator gives everything life, but mother earth sustains it. The drummers are the warriors and are male. Adult females, like myself, do not drum on the large drum because of our close connection to mother earth and this feminine power. We stand in the outer circle as a circle of protection around the warriors and we sing and keep time with our rattles.  We approach the drum only for offerings and in skirts out of respect for this feminine power. These are traditions I have learned and respect.

As someone learning these traditions, these concepts were completely foreign to me. The place that the drum holds and the place of music in this culture is very different from anything I have known. I have grown up in a culture that loves music, but if I am honest, it is for entertainment mostly and we are self-conscious about it. If one doesn't have a nice voice or play something perfectly they are embarrassed to be heard. Perhaps closer to it is singing hymns at church or singing the national anthem, but even these are not the same. There are very few moments that I have experienced that come close to  being a part of the singing and drumming in this culture. The experience here is something much more vital and communal. I would call it something closer to prayer. When people are in need of help, we sing. When they are sick, we sing. When we wish to honor someone, we sing. When someone has passed, we sing. When we wish to celebrate, we sing. Connecting all of it is the drum and no voices are held back.

Last month, I had the opportunity to make my own hand drum. The experience was exciting for me and I couldn't help but notice as I touched and worked with the wet deer skin, how alive it felt. I was aware of it each time I touched it. One friend who had made many of her own drums gave me the advice to "own it" and work it to the way I needed it to go. It was my drum after all and I had to make it my own. All the time there was the awareness that this skin once belonged to something alive, something else made by the creator and given to me for the songs I would sing. I was grateful and have used it daily in the days since. 

These hand drums are played by both men and women and are sometimes painted if the owner feels the spiritual need to paint it. Knowing I would be making my own, I was at a loss for what I should paint on something so meaningful as my first drum. I had almost decided I  was not going to paint it until Roland, my teacher, came up  to me and said, "Why not paint your children's hands on it?" As they are the most important force in my life I thought it was perfect. In children, I also see hope for the future and I am hopeful that these traditions will carry on to the next generation in my family. So, that's exactly what I did. I included some double curves and a "V" symbol (Mi'kmaq) that represents Cape Breton, the home of my Mi'kmaq ancestors. I chose to use the four sacred colors of black, white, yellow and red, which hold so much meaning to all native people.

As my journey continues, I am looking forward to singing my first lead line in a song in January (in public that is). So far it has only been in the safety of our group and usually not alone. Roland let the women know that they would be singing the bear song with our hand drums at an upcoming event. It is funny to me that after all the singing I have done in my life, this makes me so nervous.  Perhaps it is because of its meaning. I think I am in good company as other women seem to be a bit nervous as well. Roland's announcement created a great conversation about how the drummers communicate to know who is doing the lead and when. Some of the signals I had seen, but no one had ever explained them. I like the idea of the women singing songs together. I hope we can do more of it. I am grateful to all of them, women and men, for teaching me so much.

My finished drum with my children's hand prints. The symbols
on the drum are Mi'kmaq. 

30 - Muin (The Bear)

As I write this post, I am sitting in my bed nursing a broken ankle. It is appropriate that I am writing this now as it centers around the figure of the Bear in Mi'kmaq culture.  I have often wondered about the various totems and symbols which are common to see at events. One that I often see is the symbol for the bear (Muin). This symbol, usually represented by a bear paw, is one of great power and strong medicine. It is a healing symbol. Recently, I participated in my first Mi'kmaq pipe ceremony which centered around this strong and powerful animal. It is known as the Bear Feast.

This ceremony is usually a full day event in Mi'kmaq tradition which begins with a sunrise ceremony and includes a sweat lodge, pipe ceremony and culminates in a feast to honor Muin. The version I participated in was a slightly modified one, without a sweat lodge, but powerful none the less. It is celebrated in both the fall and the spring to honor the bear before his journey to the spirit world to gather medicines and upon his return to celebrate the medicines he brings back. In both ceremonies, a woman of the bear clan prepares the feast and a song is sung to honor Muin. 

This feast is based on a traditional story which tells of Muin and his journey to the spirit world after hearing songs of the people honoring him and asking for medicine to help them. Muin knew that he must go on a spirit journey to bring medicines to the people and he prepared himself for his long journey which would last many moons. Upon his return, he visited a woman who he named Muiniskw (Bear Woman) who was praying in a sweat lodge. He asked her to prepare a feast to replenish him after his journey. Four days after he visited her, a feast was prepared, they gathered in a circle and the sacred pipe was shared. The people were grateful to Muin for bringing back the medicines to help them.

The Feast prepared for the bear. It includes foods
he would have eaten to prepare for his journey.

At our ceremony, strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, cranberries and salmon were laid out and smudged while we gathered in a circle. Each person came forward and made a tobacco offering before the pipe ceremony began. These offerings of tobacco are always done before we sing each week and are given as an offering to the Great Spirit or the Creator.  In addition to the prayers, this sacred plant invites the ancestors to gather with us.

After the smudging and reading, we gathered in a circle outside for the pipe ceremony. The sacred pipe is usually carried by one person who has received this calling after a long fast and a sweat lodge ceremony. The person who carries this pipe holds an important position as this pipe will be shared with the community. Only the pipe carrier is allowed to carry the pipe. In our case, we did not have a carrier with us, so our chief led us with his personal pipe that he allowed us to share with him.

UNACC member reading the story of The Bear

 The pipe was filled with tobacco, lit, and passed from person to person. Each one offered a silent prayer to the creator and took the pipe. The pipe was passed among us four times to represent the four sacred directions and the last time, prayers were said for those who were sick. It concluded with a prayer, hugs and greetings among those of us who shared the pipe together. It was very moving and incredibly powerful.

While some of us took the pipe, others stayed inside and told stories of bear encounters. Afterwards, the food was passed around from person to person. We sang the Mi'kmaq honor song facing each of the four directions and shared the feast. Afterwards, we sang the Bear song and our ceremony concluded with a potluck. A great afternoon. I will look forward to the spring ceremony when we wake the bear up.

For now however, I will be singing a healing song and thinking of Muin and his healing power.

The following is a link to the entire story in greater detail and is the source for my summary of the story. This story was read at our feast. http://www.muiniskw.org/pgCulture3d.htm

28 - Community

If you search long enough, sometimes you find exactly what you are looking for. Fortunately for me, this was the case earlier this spring.  I have been actively searching for someone to teach me the Mi'kmaq language. Last summer, when I met with an elder in the Pictou Landing Band in Nova Scotia, I expressed interest in learning some Mi'kmaq songs. She encouraged me to begin to learn the language and to go from there.

 Not sure exactly where to begin, I asked around in Millbrook when I visited the Glooscap Center last year and a very nice woman encouraged me to find a cultural center in Boston. "There are lots of Mi'kmaq in Boston," she said. In fact, Boston boasts the largest Mi'kmaq community outside of Canada, so I thought I would be certain to find someone to help me. After a long search, I had absolutely no luck.

One afternoon this winter, while I was waiting for my children to finish Sunday School, someone who knew that I was writing this blog casually mentioned that he sometimes attended a Powwow each spring in Devon, MA. He said, "There is a cultural center there, why don't you ask them?" Since starting this blog I often stumble upon information this way. These casual comments or bits of information lead me in the right direction if I take the time to follow up.  I found the group on facebook and they were holding Mi'kmaq classes!

This organization is called UNACC (United Native American Cultural Center) and is an inter tribal group. I arrived one Sunday afternoon, a bit nervous about coming to a strange place, but I was warmly welcomed. I immediately felt right at home and everyone there was down to earth and incredibly kind to me as a stranger. Even better was the fact that the classes were being taught through songs. I had actually found a center where the leader was Mi'kmaq and he was a drummer with an active drum group! So, I began to learn my first song in Mi'kmaq. A big, big, day for me in my journey.

After I had been there a few times, the "Chief" as we call him, whose name is Roland, took some time to talk to me about where he came from and explained a bit to me about what was happening with the drum group. I was thrilled for this because I had lots of questions. For those of you who may be reading this blog for the first time, I have only recently discovered that I am of Mi'kmaq descent through my grandmother. It is part of my heritage and sadly I know little of it. My ancestors hid their Mi'kmaq identity and with that hiding, came a disconnect with the culture. This is not an unusual story for many of First Nation descent.  I am learning all of it for the first time. I eagerly listen to and absorb everything that anyone tells me about Mi'kmaq culture or any native culture to which they belong.

Some members of UNACC practicing at a weekly meeting.
Roland is seated above in red. 

 Roland hails from Quebec on the Gespe'gewa'gi reserve. He is a fluent speaker of the Mi'kmaq language. He showed me some of the artifacts in their center from his reserve and Mi'kmaq culture. We also spoke about connections that he had in Nova Scotia.

As for the singing and drumming, he told me that only the men did the drumming traditionally. I had often wondered why this was. He explained that the men or the warriors were the keepers of the drum. Traditionally, in times of war, the grandmothers would keep the drums when the men were away because they did not menstruate.  It was believed that women who are "in their moon time" take power from the drum. Females must wear skirts when they are near the drum and I was welcome to sing along and use a rattle when I sing. If I was not wearing a skirt, I could not approach the drum. Roland explained to me that this was tradition and rooted in spirituality. It was not meant to to be disrespectful to women in any way.

The women and other men who do not drum will stand around the inner group of drummers forming a circle of protection around the drum. Roland is doing a great thing with this group because he is taking the time to teach these songs to the members who sing and drum. He takes great care that they are done well. I am lucky to have him as a teacher and I hope to learn everything that I can from him. My hope is that when I know some more songs I will be able to sing with them at powwows.

My ji'kmaqn, a gift from my cousin Cheryl.

As for my rattle, I asked him about using a Ji'kmaqn, a traditional Mi'kmaq percussion instrument.  I had been given one as a gift from my cousin Cheryl when we met at the Ma'wiomi Powwow last summer in Halifax. It was made by a Mi'kmaq basket maker and I treasure it because of the connection made that day to my history and to my new friend and cousin. (She is the granddaughter of my grandmother's sister.) Just last week, I used my Ji'kmaqn at the drum circle for the first time.

 I have since joined the UNACC organization and feel as if I have a new cultural home and community.  I will help with their powwow in May and some other events later this spring.  I am truly excited about this connection that I have found, the new friends I have made, and what I will learn about native communities as times go on. UNACC also has a connection to the Arostook Mi'kmaq Band in Maine and collects food and donations for elders in that community. Check them out on Facebook under UNACC.

This link was added as a comment to this post and I want to make sure people find it. It's a great resource site on Mi'kmaq culture for those of you who use Facebook. Here is the link: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Mikmaq-Culture/426006544126591
Thank you to the kind reader who directed me to it!

29 - Regalia

This past week-end I had the opportunity to participate in a Native American cultural demonstration presented by UNACC (United Native American Cultural Center) here in Massachusetts. This organization regularly performs at events and does workshops to bring awareness to Native American cultures. There are between 15 and 16 separate nations represented in this organization including the Mi'kmaq.

My new leggings and moccasins.
A UNACC member beaded the moccasins
and she showed me the technique so I could
do the leggings myself. 

This is not the first event that I have attended with UNACC, but this one held special meaning for me. This is the first time I wore my own hand made regalia, sang and danced at an event. For some of you, this may not seem such a feat, but to me it is. When I was just beginning this journey a few years ago, I had the opportunity to meet with an elder who told me I would have to start thinking about my own regalia. At the time I felt she was testing me, and I did not say much as a response. I remember thinking that this was not something I was likely to do. These thoughts occurred because at that point I had an incredible feeling of isolation and no connection to a community.

I am happy to say this has changed largely due to the new friends I have made. It was not long after I started attending Mi'kmaq classes and weekly meetings at UNACC that many of the women began asking me about my regalia. I think they sensed that I was learning and to their credit they helped me along. It was not long before they were helping me to make a dance shawl, showing me beading, talking to me about the advantages to hide or cloth clothing, and I was on my way. One woman brought me cloth for the shawl, one showed me how to fringe it and another showed me beading for my moccasins and leggings. I have worked on this first outfit all summer and this week-end I wore it.


In addition to the lessons I was learning about regalia, Roland and the drummers have kept me singing and learning traditions. I learned about making a tobacco offering before I sing each week and I am memorizing my songs daily. So, this week-end, I went happily to the event excited that this time I could sing and wear my regalia. I should also mention that I have made some friends on face book. Some of these people are singers and dancers who come from the Eskazoni reserve and they have encouraged me to sing and learn the songs but to do it first and foremost from my heart. This is where it all comes from for me, so that's no problem.

Here in the east, you see regalia that is a bit more subdued than in other parts of the country. No less beautiful, but the traditions are different. Often, when people think of traditional regalia, it is the Plains nations that come to mind. Take the large feathered war bonnets as an example. You will not usually see these in the east although they are worn by some chiefs at ceremonies. They are not traditional to this area. The Mi'kmaq traditions range from painted or beaded buckskin (pre-European contact) to ribbon applique skirts, piqued caps and beautiful bead and quill work on red, dark blue or black felt. I have been pouring over books doing research and they are simply beautiful.

My regalia is not incredibly elaborate. I have kept my first one simple and I do plan to make more. I will say that it is definitely special because I made it myself. No small feat for a girl who has not done much more sewing than was taught in an eighth grade home economics class. I included some traditional Mi'kmaq beading patterns on the leggings, dress and shawl to give it more meaning.  I chose to add a traditional curve motif. It is believed that this motif had great spiritual meaning, but it has been lost to time. The motif appears in petroglyphs and on other items that have been preserved and it is a main feature of bead work throughout the 18th and 19th century. The other patterns on my dress and shawl are taken from 19th century ribbon work dresses.

 I do not have a spirit animal as of yet, so I have not included any of these powerful symbols, which are common on regalia. It is my understanding that this is something an elder can bring to you or it can reveal itself at a sweat lodge, in a dream or another meaningful way. I am the equivalent to a toddler in this journey, so I will wait until it reveals itself to me. I chose shades of turquoise because this color has always had special meaning to me and I have always been drawn to it for some unknown reason.

So, now that I have one outfit, I need to make a few more  to keep up with the events I hope to attend! Thanks to the wonderful women at UNACC, I have also begun making shawls as gifts to women close to me or that have influenced my life in some important way. These shawls are given to honor someone and I have to admit to finding great joy in making them. I am currently working on one for my grandmother, who I am happy to say is anxious to wear it.

27 - Kwe!

Kwe! (Hello) I hope that you are all still out there and that this very short post will let you all know that I am still here and on the trail. I am looking forward to another great year discovering Mi'kmaq culture. The Powwow lists are out and I can't wait to learn more.

This winter was relatively quiet, but I did take in some great museum displays, did a lot of reading, and managed to find a cultural group where I am starting to learn a bit of the Mi'kmaq language and songs. It pays to be persistent. It took me eight months to find them, but I did! I will write about all of it and fill you in with coming posts.

Tonight's post is short, but last summer I heard a short story that I want to share. It came from my father's first cousin, who is a Campbell from Pictou Landing. It was passed to him many years ago by Raymond Francis, who was the former chief of the Pictou Landing band and a friend to my father and his brothers growing up.

Each year when I go home in the summer, I love to hear the stories that this cousin tells about this small community. He usually leaves us in a state with our bellies sore from laughing and our faces stiff from smiling so much. It's wonderful. Every so often, one story gets in among them that makes us all pause and breathe for a few minutes. This small story was one of them and one that I had never heard.

Kate Campbell (far left) in Pictou Landing on the homestead.

He told us that day that my great great grandmother, Kate Campbell once had a job with Indian Affairs. The reservation at Pictou Landing is relatively small and Kate's job was to distribute rations of food to the local Mi'kmaq according to agreements between the Mi'kmaq and the government. Butter and eggs were mentioned, but there may have been other provisions as well.

One summer, there were larger than normal numbers of babies born on the reservation. Kate saw that the families didn't have enough to eat, so she provided more of the rations than she was supposed to give. Raymond Francis told my father's cousin that the people she helped never forgot her kindness to them and spoke of it for years to come. Kate Campbell was fired from her job with Indian affairs for this very act. Sadly, I was not surprised.

I found two pictures of Kate while searching through some old family photos.  Stay tuned for more adventures!

Neil Campbell, Kate Campbell (holding child).