Round Dance in Current Events

I was so proud of my boys. It didn’t look like it was going to happen but we came through at the last second and showcased our song at the Round Dance.

It was an amazing turnout. This was our first time hosting one. It felt like the whole city came. I was so proud of Wayne. His program is the one that put it together. They hosted it. The rest of our programs helped work it. I was proud to see his participants lead the ceremonies. I just felt proud of the organization I work for in general. We bring everyone together.

The nonprofit I work for offers a lot of programs. We are divided between multiple locations until June. Our new building is almost done being built. My office has all the youth programs. I have a crush on Wayne’s program. We are working on a bromance between our programs. My program is for Indigenous male youth ages 8-12 who are in conflict with the law or at risk of coming in contact with the law. Wayne’s program is coed and is for ages 16-21. His kids come from reservations and come to the city to finish high school. Most reservations don’t teach past grade 9. They don’t know how to live in a city so his program teaches them that. From learning how to take a bus to learning about gang awareness, etc. His program is where they can stay connected to culture. It is always so awe-inspiring to see them when they run their program. Just watching them make our office their second home warms my heart. They practice their drums, sing their songs, their ceremonies, and play guitar and board games together.

We have another program that my coordinator used to be a mentor in. It is for youth ages 18-24 who aged out of being in Child Family Services. Imagine turning 18 and being tossed into the world with no life skills at no fault of your own. This program helps them transition out of CFS and into the real world. This is the program I interviewed for. They felt I was a better fit for the program I am in now. They help them with employment, and housing, teach them how to budget, help them finish school, and whatever else.

Then there is the female version of my program. These are not young ladies who are in conflict with the law, however. My program is justice restoration. The little ladies from that program have fun with me whenever we cross paths.

The other programs at the other locations… they’re definitely not youth programs.

The Round Dance overstimulated me so if I didn’t get to work the booth at the entrance, I was hiding in the empty lobby upstairs. It was beautiful to see the community come together. For once, the theme wasn’t about how broken we are. It was just about fun. The drummers/singers that Wayne hired, a chunk of them were from The Pas, and the other mentor on my team knew them. It was nice to see him happy about that little reunion.

Ok, I must confess. I was spiraling about showcasing our song. I did not want to do it. I was in the empty lobby fighting off a panic attack. Only one of our participants was there so it didn’t look like it was going to happen. Once I thought the coast was clear, I made my way back down. We must be out of the woods. My coordinator and the other mentor were at the entrance looking for me. Come on! It’s showtime! They said. I thought they were pulling my leg. The other mentor is a Leo, he was looking forward to this. I saw the other participants in our program behind them. The layout of the room was changed. Tables were removed and everyone was sitting in a circle waiting for us. We fumbled to get it together but then we pulled through. We all had to take turns singing the lead. I had stage fright from the moment I woke up. I do not sound sacred lol. I couldn’t show our boys how scared I was, of course. Everyone cheered very loudly. It is exciting to see youth learn.

When it comes to the learning curve with my culture, I roll with it. I did not know what a round dance was but I had an idea. Holding my coordinator’s hand was not on my bingo card. We all hold hands in a circle and dance. Round Dance. The drummers and singers sit in the middle with one elder who does the lead. The other elders sit together just outside the circle. Our job was to grab everything for them. We who were working the event kept having to go up to be blessed and thanked and celebrated. It was just a nice evening. I was dreading it all week.

Now, I just have to say… two-spirited people have a place in my culture. The other mentor on my team lives and breathes our ways. He is old-fashioned. He treats me like a woman, in a lot of ways. He won’t let me carry anything. He pulls out my chair for me sometimes. I didn’t notice until he insisted that he walk me to my car at the end of the night. He carried all of my things and loaded them in my car. I like this treatment. However, at some lodges and ceremonies, depending on their customs, they would make me wear a skirt and sit with the women. That, I don’t want to do lol.

Eventually, I’ll write about how the mainstream political landscape is hurting my community. We are trying to pick up the pieces. We are trying to restore our ways and unite. Critical race theory, critical gender theory, and this new-age feminism, etc are tearing us apart.

Now, I get to have a 4-day weekend. I need to recover from my burnout. My coordinator had his episode, as we know. He was at 20% so I operated at 180% for us. Today is a rest day. I am doing fuck all.