A local man has taken to social media with a musical approach to sustain traditional culture.
Mansil Fiddler is learning how to speak his Cree language gradually, through song and repetition.
He’s challenging other people with Indigenous roots to connect to their culture by doing the same.
"You can say coffee in Cree - pikataywapoy - and then sing it,” Fiddler said. "Then you know pickataywapoy is coffee."
He kicked off the ‘First Nations Song Challenge’ on Youtube and Facebook, six months ago.
"The challenge is to help you learn your language one word at a time," Fiddler said. "It’s their choice if they want to be represented from where they are where they're from or wherever they're from in the city."
Eight people from as far as Delaware have submitted their original songs.
"Algonquins have 5 songs, 2 from Cree and one from Navajo," Fiddler said.
He said that the idea for the challenge came to him when he realized other countries speak their native languages regularly.
"I hear the elders cry, learn your language. I hear them at round dances and powwows, it hits my heart,” Fiddler said. “When I started speaking cree to them I just felt their emotions, like nimeaninatskon, like mansil nitaseekasoon."
Depending how many submission he gets, Fiddler choose a winner each month. He tries to work with their community to reward their efforts.
Jonathan Neher is the digital media specialist at the Regina Public Library, and supports Fiddlers efforts as he utilizes their digital media studio.
“The digital media studio is open to everyone, and this is just one of the examples of the great projects people can do here,” Neher said. “The great thing about digital technology is that there is so many opportunities and we are happy to facilitate them.”
Fiddler hopes more people will submit their original songs, and hopes to eventually have a champion speaker from every First nation around North America.
Based on a report by Creeson Agecoutay.
