Robert Fisher
Staff Reporter
PIKWÀKANAGÀN – Six boys, aged nine and 10, are the Pàpàse drummers at the Algonquins of Pikwàkanagàn. Five have been together since last autumn. The sixth, Kael Leroux, joined more recently. The other five are Keon Sarazin, Colby Nerlich, Leilyn Kingsbury-Luloff, Xavier Stirzaker and Forest Two-Axe.
Sonny Robbins is one of the teachers and works as a cultural program and language co-ordinator with the Nigig Nibi Ki-Win, an agency at Pikwàkanagàn that is grounded in stewardship of the land and works with community youth to help prepare them for leadership roles in the future. Erika Prud’homme is a wellness worker with Nigig Nibi Ki-Wan and works to schedule practices and organize performances for the group. Another of the boys’ teachers, Kevin Larmer, wasn’t able to be at practice on the day we visited. Brian Sarazin and Elijah Pemmican have recently come on board to help with instruction for the group, as well.
The agency works with a, “focus on ensuring that every Pikwàkanagàn child has: a name and connection to their family, access to cultural practices and language, safety, belonging and a voice, a connection to the land, access to education and the protection and safety of Pikwàkanagàn.”
Pàpàse is the name of the group and the name of the drum they play. It means woodpecker. Kael explained that when a woodpecker is pecking on a tree, “it’s getting all of the bugs out of the tree, to help the tree.” It’s also taking bad medicine out of the tree.
Robbins explained that there are many teachings that are associated with the drum. “The significance, in general, is it was brought here to keep the peace between the men.” The drummers sit in a circle around the large drum and the drumming is a process of forming circles to form a bond and find common ground.
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