Powwow helps family connect to something deeper
Jacob Faithful wasn’t offended his wife of 10 years, Candace Gadwa, didn’t adopt his surname.
It’s not because he’s a particularly modern man or sees himself as a feminist — it’s because Faithful is not his real name. In fact, Gadwa isn’t hers, either.
“We don’t feel any connection to those names,” the Frog Lake Cree Nation drummer said during a break at the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations (FSIN) powwow at Credit Union Centre Sunday afternoon.
His family is part of the Thunderbird clan, which had an elaborate single naming system.
With the arrival of European settlers, his grandfather was placed in the Blue Quills, Alta., residential school. He and other students were given a book full of European surnames and told to choose one.
“That’s how we became Faithfuls,” he said.
The schools and society shamed his grandparents and parents. Faithful grew up in a home devoid of Cree language and culture.
As he grew up and gained confidence, Faithful returned to his family’s powwow traditions. For nearly 20 years, he’s been one of the top drummers and singers in North America. His group, Young Spirit, won the world drum championships this year in Albuquerque, N.M.
Now, he prefers his “real” name, Okisiko kamo, which means “person that sings in the sky.” His wife, a teacher’s aid working toward her Cree language degree, is an eagle clan member and fancy dancer. She’s named Osamekwan kehew sko, or “golden eagle feather woman.”
Together, often with their five children who all sing or dance, they travel the powwow circuit across North America.
Their black Dodge Caravan is only a couple of years old, but has already logged well over 200,000 kilometres.
“It’s hard on the vehicle. It’s expensive, but when you arrive, it’s like you’re with family,” she said.
They said the powwow is a fun social event, not to mention good exercise, but it’s also a way to connect to something deeper.
“We sing for our ancestors, for old people who are sick and for those that are hurting,” he said.
“When I hit that drum and when I sing with intensity, it is overwhelming.”
The best part, he said, is that his grandparents all saw him reviving their family culture before they died.
“They saw I was bringing it back. That meant a lot to them, and to me.”