professor from the state of Washington , Leroy of the Yakama tribe , and a colleague , Tim of the Umatilla tribe , introduced him to the drum : " From there ," Naytowhow says , " I went into powwow , into the Sundance , into all the other ceremonies connected through a drum . The drum moved me into the sacred music and songs , and that totally made sense for me to do ."
My soul was calling out , was being called out , to the elders and ceremonies ; that was where I was supposed to be ; that was supposed to happen , and I absolutely totally trusted that intuitively .
Naytowhow explains : " My soul was calling out , was being called out , to the elders and ceremonies ; that was where I was supposed to be ; that was supposed to happen , and I absolutely totally trusted that intuitively ."
" The gifts of music and song and stories that I got from the elders , those were the most critical and most important [ awards ] that I needed to keep this being alive on this planet . Cause when you ’ ve gone through residential school , you ’ ve
got extreme trauma that you have to deal with and it ' s always going to be there . Even to this day I still experience pockets of anger and depression and just dark holes that I can ’ t make sense of , but those stories , or ceremonies , or laughter , anything to do with that , I just had to be there , I had to go there ."
The wisdom of age and experience has given Naytowhow the understanding that " what went wrong , when I went into the colonization culture , was that I tried to be a part of it 100 %. I just had to be in and out of it . Had to find short term work and depend on that . That ' s probably why I became more a musician and storyteller , became an artist . It was far more flexible and fulfilling as a singer , as someone fascinated by story and fascinated by culture , and I slowly got into acting . For me , I could live there ."
The first time Naytowhow began to consider himself a practicing artist was when he started a residency in Meadow Lake as a storyteller , between 1995 and 2000 . He then thought , " Ok , now I can make a living being an artist , being a musician , putting out an album now and then , travelling to storytelling festivals , to music festivals ." His healing journey became the source , he says ,
" whereby my art practice would flourish and my cultural and spiritual practice . Healing was more a spiritual and cultural journey , more that part , and the art kind of came out of it as a result ." The Saskatchewan Arts Board Award came with $ 6000 , which is something Naytowhow really appreciates because it allows him to focus on his art : " As an artist , I just need to do the art . But I can ’ t do it when I ’ m doing presentations in different areas and being pulled all over . What I need is just some financial support to pay bills and pay my rent . And then I can do songwriting ... the things that I do anyway , but I ’ ve never really been focused as an artist ."
Naytowhow ' s healing journey , reconnecting with Indigenous culture and ceremony , and expressed through the arts and education , keeps him connected to both worlds . His presentations begin with Cree concepts , and he relies on the wisdom of the old people to guide him as he educates students . The balance and harmony he has found reflects his Indigenous name , which means " guided by the spirit of the day ." �
By Shuana Niessen
INDIGENOUS VOICES / VOIX AUTOCHTONES FORUM
Dr . Anna-Leah King and emerging Elder Joseph Naytowhow
Dr . Jérôme Melançon and Dr . Heather Phipps along with students from French Education and La Cité Indigenous Studies organized the Indigenous Voices / Voix Autochtones Forum , held October 25 , 2018 . Elders , knowledge keepers , artists , storytellers , and community members presented in the forum that included songs , medicine , and language lessons by Dr . Anna Leah King and emerging Elder Joseph Naytowhow , drumming by Wooden Face , poetry by Randy Lundy , a film presentation by Janine Windolph , and a presentation on Michif Language by Alexander Pelletier . This event was supported by a SSHRC Connections Grant , held by Drs . Jérôme Melançon , Heather Phipps , and Fadila Boutouchent . �
Dr . Heather Phipps emceed the event
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