How Indigenous communities are using social media to stay connected

(Source: Tania Black Plume / Facebook)

WINNIPEG — Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, Indigenous people from across Canada have been sharing healing dances and songs on social media.

One of the biggest calls to action was for women jingle dress dancers to post videos. In an interview with CTV News, Pine Creek Ojibway Elder Barbra Nepinak said the dance came from the wisest elders, and the original jingle dress dancer was a woman named Maggie White from White Fish Bay, Ont.

"The jingle dress is known as a healing dance and it came through a vision and that lady that had that vision shared it," Nepinak said.

Nepinak said an adult dress should have 365 cones to represent each day of the year.

“You’re supposed to hold your head up. You’re supposed to look forward like in life you look forward in life, right. What you are doing is art,” she said. "If we all, us jingle dress dancers, if we all stood and prayed and danced for our people, people will get better.”

She said cultural sharing is a way for people to take care of each other.

Tania Black Plume is a member of Kainai First Nation in southern Alberta and has been dancing at pow-wows all her life. She said she looks forward to pow-wow season every year. When she watches the little children dance she said it lifts her spirits and makes her happy.

But with the COVID-19 pandemic limiting group gatherings, pow-wows have been postponed or cancelled. The Manito Ahbee Pow-wow in Winnipeg was postponed. Which means Black Plume's family can’t get together or travel with friends for the dance. She posted on Facebook she would be holding a special dance for her daughter who started dancing last year.

"With all the self-isolation and everything that’s going on, I wanted to do something to bring families and kids together,” said Black Plume.

She got 50 entries from across Canada; with some coming from the U.S. Black Plume said she had only been expecting between 10 and 20 kids to join.

“Some of their outfits were amazing,” said Black Plume.

Black plume said this time of isolation is an opportunity to spend time showing children traditional Indigenous ways, such as the jingle dress dance.

“We’ve lost so many of our traditions already and I think it’s really important for us to try and keep them alive. And the only way we can keep them alive is by teaching out young ones,” said Black Plume.

That’s a belief awarding winning Cree/Salish singer Fawn Wood, from Saddle Lake, Alta., echoes.

“It goes with that generational teaching and that generational knowledge - that genetic knowledge that we all carry. It’s something that withstood time and memorial and has also withstood everything that us as Indigenous people have faced,” said Wood.

Wood and her husband Dallas Washkahat started hosting online singing opportunities in March. She said it’s been amazing to watch people come together through social media.

“People share amazing stories about how their families look forward to this every weekend," she said. "It also promotes self-isolation, and that’s what we are trying to encourage and entertain people while they are at home.”

They have had 18 evenings of round dances so far and have had people tune in from all over the world including New Zealand, Hawaii and Germany. Wood added the virtual round-dance page has also allowed graphic artists and video editors to get involved and use their own skills.

She said their friend Tito Gomez is editing every episode for those who couldn’t tune and put them on the Songs for the Nation YouTube page. Wood said it also involves special guests from around the world, including Canadian actress Jennifer Podemski and Taboo from the Black Eyed Peas.

“It’s really beautiful because everyone is volunteering their time just for the cause of connecting everybody and uplifting everybody," she said, adding she believes it’s important the sound of the drum, dance and songs be heard around the world.

“It’s been medicine for us to be able to practice it and see it, not just us as an Indigenous people, but as a whole human race," Wood said. "We’re being strong and resilient for everybody. ”

In addition to the virtual round dance session, they also hosted singing contests. Wood said she wanted to honour female singers and called it the “Song Bird Special” and receive 75 submissions.

"Over 75 ladies from all over shared their voices like that," she said. “It makes me feel good to know we are contributing to others to help them feel good in a time like this."

From singing contests, to other dance specials like Black Plume’s, or those posting prayers, the indigenous community has used social media to connect to each other and others to share the love of their diverse culture.