Drumming flash mob visits district schools

June 19, 2018

Indigenous First People’s Day is this Thursday, and the celebrations have already begun around the district. On Monday, June 18, Sheila Jack’s drumming circle students, the Red Hawk Drummers, visited several schools, including the School Board Office, around the district with a drumming “flash mob” where the drummers would drum a prayer at each location.

Following the visits, the students returned to DW Poppy for lunch and a special guest.

Dennis Leon, from the Kwantlen First Nation, visited to teach the students about drumming in a pow wow, using a large pow wow drum. Dennis Leon’s traditional name is TsaTsomTun. It is a name he shares with his Grandfather, the late Robert Thomas. He has been pow wow drumming for 26 years. Students sat in a circle and joined in drumming, and learned many new songs, as well as the histories and ceremonial purposes of each song. Students also had the opportunity for dancing.

Afterwards Dennis taught them the traditional game of Sla-Hal. It is played with several sticks decorated with stripes of two colours, representing two teams. The sticks are won by guessing the correct location of another pair of sticks in an opponents hands.