Listen to the earth and the music will come

Page 18

When Cree Elder Walter Bonaise was a child growing up at Cutknife in Saskatchewan he had two dreams-to fly in a plane and to be a teacher.

Since then there have been many plane rides and the man who describes himself as "self-taught" has educated many people. He has lectured and performed, sharing his Cree music and spirituality with community groups and schools in five provinces.

A highlight of Bonaise's teaching career is the six years spent at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg as a sessional lecturer and co-ordinator of Native music. He assisted with both research and instruction of Native music to third year students in the music degree program. He also produced the first sheet of Cree music.

"I taught them how to sing, and how to hit the drum. I made them understand how to use their voices as instruments. I taught them about how their voice hits the sky and returns to Mother Earth so that the Creator and the spirits will understand them and will know what it is they are thinking. This is how my father taught me to understand singing and drumming. I want today's young people to understand what powwow singing is all about," said Bonaise in his 2003 documentary film, Wandering Spirit: Plains Cree Spirituality, Legends, and History as Reflected in their Music. The 48-minute film is in Cree with English sub-titles.

Now Bonaise, who is the great-grandson of Chief Poundmaker, is editing his book, Poundmaker's People, which records the legends and stories learned from his father, Alex Bonaise.

The centuries-old Cree powwow songs that the elder Bonaise taught his son are reproduced by Walter on Northern Lights, a CD that he recorded in 2000 with funds from the Canada Council for the Arts. Bonaise uses the liner notes to educate listeners.

"Within the songs lies the spiritual centre of Indian culture ...one sings open like the wind ... Our Elders believed that singing is a way to talk to and honor the spirits ... A powwow singer is not just another musician/songwriter working for his daily bread; he is one of the mystical connections the soul of the Indian culture has with its people."

Now a grandfather in his early sixties, a time when many people slow down, Bonaise remains active and dedicated. Preserving his culture for his immediate family was his first goal but his vision has expanded.

"My purpose in life is to share the traditions of the Cree people of North America with everyone in the world, both Native and non-Native," he said. Recently his Northern Lights CD was sent to some people in Australia and New Zealand. The response was positive.

However, reaching young people at home is important and rewarding for Bonaise.

In addition to his tangible legacy of books, films and recorded music, he connects with Aboriginal youth at colleges in Edmonton where he and Doris, his wife, now live.

At the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology, Bonaise serves as Aboriginal student advisor.

"I sit with them, walk with them, talk with them," he said. "When I work with the students at the colleges I feel that I am making a difference. We talk about believing in who you are, trying to understand what education is, how they can have pride in themselves, their lives, their goals. They come to shake hands with me," said Bonaise.

"Shaking hands" was something that Walter and Doris were invited to do at the Governor General's residence in Ottawa in 1997, this time with the Queen. She was particularly interested in meeting Walter because his great-grandfather, Chief Poundmaker, had signed Treaty 6 with a representative of her great-grandmother, Queen Victoria, in 1876.

Being called to Ottawa is not unusual for Bonaise who has served as a consultant for Indian and Northern Affairs and Health Canada. He works to create better understanding of Native culture and spirituality.

But advising government officials, teaching young people and performing traditional drumming and singing isn't onaise's only job experience. He has done a variety of work including being a farm laborer, a truck driver, a heavy equipment operator, and a security guard. Whatever the work, he tried to remain true to his roots and to share his spirituality and culture.

Bonaise recalls his grandmother taking him into the bush to listen to the sounds of creation when he was a child.

"It was so hard to stay still and be quiet. We would sit there maybe two or three hours, then she would say, 'One day you're going to hear music. It is the music of the earth. In that sound you will know what is going on around the whole of our Mother Earth.' Grandmother was teaching me to meditate and develop my mind to go to a deeper level. At that level you can hear the songs of water and grass and trees ... You connect with the song and you connect with your spiritual life. When you sing you are chanting that emotional connection. There are no words," said Bonaise.