Hummingbird Ministries

@ hummingbird: Pow Wow Dance Workshop – Saturday April 3, April 10, and April 17

bigal85 — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 18:28:25 +0000

Want to be an amateur theatrical performer or playwright? Learn pow wow dancing and tell stories of peace in creative ways through dance and song. Perform for an Arts Festival in October 2010.

Dancers of every culture and every age (experienced or beginners) are welcome to be part of this Aboriginal People’s outreach for peace and reconciliation through the arts.

Every gathering begins with shared food and a community circle.

When? 12 – 4 pm, Saturdays, April 3, 10, 17, 2010

Where? Room129, 7420 – 121A Street, Surrey, BC

(The Kikino Native Housing Complex)

Our Choreographers are William Visser and Leslee Picton of Surrey.

This project is part of Hummingbird Ministries’ Peace Through the Arts Program. For further information on this and other Peace Arts Projects, please call Mary at: (604) 612 5577

Or email: hummingbird.ministries@shaw.ca

www.hummingbirdministries.ca

Symphony of Sounds: Choral + Vocal Singers

bigal85 — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 18:11:21 +0000

In April we are calling Solo and Choral singers from all nations, cultures and backgrounds to join our “Symphony of Sounds” Drum and Vocal Rehearsals

We will sing The Lord’s Prayer in various languages, accompanied by a symphony of rhythms and ambient vocals.

Every gathering begins with shared food and a community circle.

When and Where?

6-8:30 pm, Fri April 2, St. Paul’s Catholic Church Hall,

(Squamish Nation), 426 W. Esplanade St., N. Vancouver, BC

Contact: Rennie Nahanee, Email: rnahanee@rcav.org

6-8:30 pm, Fri April 9, Tsawwassen First Nation (TFN) Rec. Hall,

1929 Tsawwassen Dr., Tsawwassen, BC

6-8:30 pm, Fri April 16, TFN Recreation Hall

12 noon- 3:00 pm, Sun April 18, TFN Recreation Hall

The project is led by Vancouver composer Marcia Meyer www.marciameyermusic.com

Why and Who?

This is part an Aboriginal People’s Outreach for Peace and Reconciliation Through the Arts Program, directed and sponsored by Hummingbird Ministries. For further information on this and other Peace Arts projects call Mary at (604) 612-5577,

Email: hummingbird.ministries@shaw.ca,

Website: www.hummingbirdministries.ca

Drum Making Workshop – Saturday March 20, 2010: 12pm – 4pm

bigal85 — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 16:16:45 +0000

Want to make your own hand drum? Want to know the Coast Salish teachings of the drum? To ensure a spot, be one of the first 10 people to register as this is a limited class. To register

Call 604 612 5577 or email hummingbird.ministries@yahoo.ca

Our instructor is Darren Charlie of the Chehalis First Nation. The 14” octagonal frame drum kit will cost $50 and will be either elk or deer hide. Preferred payment is by cash (exact amount please) on the day of the workshop.

Bring food to share as every gathering begins with a shared meal and a community circle.

When and Where?

12 pm – 4:00 pm, Saturday, March 20, 2010, Tsawwassen First Nation Recreation Hall, 1929 Tsawwassen Dr., Tsawwassen, BC

Why and Who?

This is project is part of an Aboriginal People’s Outreach for Peace and Reconciliation Through the Arts Program, directed and sponsored by Hummingbird Ministries. For further information on this and other Peace Arts projects call Mary at (604) 612-5577,

Email: hummingbird.ministries@shaw.ca,

Website: www.hummingbirdministries.ca

March 2010: Pow Wow

bigal85 — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 22:56:29 +0000

Are you a dancer? Would you like to learn pow wow dancing for the purposes of a theatrical performance in the fall? Come and join us as we learn to express our stories through dance and song.

Dancers of every culture and every age (experienced or beginners) are welcome to be part of this Aboriginal People’s outreach for peace and reconciliation through the arts.

Every gathering begins with shared food and a community circle.

Our Pow Wow Choreographers are William Visser and Leslee Picton of Surrey. The dance sessions are held most Saturdays from 12 to 4 pm. Next month the dates are March 6, 13 & 27,

At the Kikino Native Housing Complex

Room129, 7420 – 121A Street, Surrey, BC

This project is part of Hummingbird Ministries’ Peace Through the Arts Program. For further information on this and other Peace Arts Projects, please call Mary at: (604) 612 5577

Or email: hummingbird.ministries@shaw.ca

www.hummingbirdministries.ca

Symphony of Sounds

bigal85 — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 22:54:15 +0000

Calling drummers and singers from all nations, cultures and backgrounds to join our “Symphony of Sounds”

Drum and Vocal Workshop

Bring your hand drum (or pot & spoon) and join in the fun to practice and learn new rhythms and ambient vocals to Cheryl Bear’s versions of “The Lord’s Prayer”. This project is led by Vancouver composer Marcia Meyer. (For Marcia’s info, go to www.marciameyermusic.com)

Every gathering begins with shared food and a community circle.

When and Where?

6-8:30 pm, Fri Feb 26, Tsawwassen First Nation (TFN) Rec. Hall,

1929 Tsawwassen Dr., Tsawwassen, BC

6-8:30 pm, Fri Mar 12, St. Paul’s Catholic Church Hall, (Squamish

Nation), 426 W. Esplanade St., N. Vancouver, BC

Contact: Rennie Nahanee, Email: rnahanee@rcav.org

6-8:30 pm, Fri Mar 19, TFN Recreation Hall

12 noon- 3:00 pm, Sun Mar 21, TFN Recreation Hall

Why and Who?

Email: hummingbird.ministries@shaw.ca,

Website: www.hummingbirdministries.ca

Music Workshop: Saturday, January 16, 2010

bigal85 — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 18:26:34 +0000

As part of Hummingbird’s healing and reconciliation work with First Nations, we are inviting Church people as well as people of other faiths and cultures to participate in a music project.

12 noon to 4 pm, SATURDAY, JANUARY 16, 2010, Tsawwassen First Nation Recreation Hall

Potluck Lunch, Peace Circle, Project Explanation, Practice, (have fun and make new friends)

Bring your Drums and Percussion Instruments and become part of an ongoing project, an eight-part SYMPHONY OF SOUNDS to be performed at the Arts Festival being planned for the Fall of 2010

We Aim: To create a new symphony of sounds to replace the instrumentals which accompany Cheryl Bear’s version of The Lord’s Prayer. With Cheryl’s permission Marcia Meyer has created an eight-part symphony of sounds including drums, human voices and percussions instruments from various cultures. This new version of Cheryl’s song may be presented at the Arts Festival in the Fall of 2010. Cheryl Bear is an award-winning Aboriginal singer from the Carriere First Nation in Northern BC.

Project Facilitator: Marcia Meyer (Musician)

Marcia Meyer holds a Bachelor of Arts (Music) degree in piano from the University of Western Ontario. Her work history includes: private piano teacher, performer and composer, arranger and conductor. Marcia is currently working with The Grace Notes , on a Christmas album for 2010. She is also working on an album with Salt Spring singer, songwriter and guitarist, Paul Marcano.

The workshop is hosted by Ruth Adams leader/elder of the TFN Hummingbird Circle and is sponsored by Hummingbird Ministries. This Arts project is part of Hummingbird’s “Peace through the Arts Program”.

Dance Workshop – Saturday, January 23, 2010.

bigal85 — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 17:42:14 +0000

Youth, Children, Adults, Elders! Everyone is welcome to come and learn what POW WOW Dances mean and to learn a few of the dances.

Learn about both Male and Female Pow Wow DANCES and some basic info about the regalia that goes with each type of dance.

12 Noon to 4 pm, SATURDAY, JANUARY 23, 2010

Tsawwassen First Nation Recreation Hall

*Potluck Lunch, Peace Circle, Workshop & Dance

Purpose: To help close the cultural gap between First Nations and others by educating those who would like to learn about First Nations Arts and Pow Wow Dancing in particular. And to provide an opportunity for anyone considering pow wow dance lessons and how to make pow wow regalia.

The Choreographers are Leslee Picton and Will Visser.

Leslee Jane Picton (aka Dancing Water) was born in New Westminster but her Cree-Metis family is from Sask. She is adopted Ojibwe. She learned pow wow dancing from Curtis Joe and has been dancing for 12 years. She teaches dancing for a youth program in Langley and gives performances. She co-taught for the Langley School District with Will Visser (aka White Buffalo). Leslee works at Spirit Bear Center, where she teaches the girls to drum, sing, dance and make regalia. Leslee loves dancing and teaching and the community of2friendships that grow from it. She has witnessed how Dancing and the Big Drum bring healing for people. She looks forward to Pow Wow Seasons and she asks “Is there any place else one can go on a weekend and be part of a community of all ages, socialize, exercise, relax and pray in a clean and sober environment?

”William Visser (aka White Buffalo) is Cree from Saddle Lake, Alberta. He grew up in Edmonton where he was part of the White Braid Society Dance Troupe. Will knows his culture and has been dancing for thirty years, starting when he was two years old. He knows all the dances including traditional, grass, chicken and fancy dances. He knows their history and their origin and makes his own regalia. He has been a dance instructor in the lower mainland for Singing Frog Preschool, Awasuk Preschool, Betty Huff Elementary School, Timm’s Youth Center and Kla-how-eya Center. He has done dance performances at the Surrey Arts Center, Pacific Treatment Center in Abbotsford, various prisons, for parades and Aboriginal communities. And has already been booked to dance at the 2010 Winter Olympics. Will has been an extra for several movies and choreographed a dance part in the movie “Pathfinder”. He is a well respected dancer and teacher in the lower mainland and his references applaud him for his respect for others and for his generosity when he has volunteered dance instruction with children.

This Pow Wow Dance workshop is hosted by TFN Elder Ruth Adams, leader of the TFN Hummingbird Circle.This workshop is sponsored by Hummingbird Ministries and is part of our Peace through the Arts Program. For further information, email the director at hummingbird.ministries@shaw.ca.

“About Life” The Director’s Reflection

bigal85 — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 15:39:50 +0000

Christmas is supposed to be a happy time but for some people it is not. It is my hope that this reflection and the “Cherokee Legend” (below) will encourage someone out there who may be feeling alone and in fear of being unloved during this Christmas season.

First of all my response to the “Cherokee Legend” (forwarded by a good friend) is that it is not a legend in that legends imply myth not truth or fact. Various coming of age rites of passage like this one were likely a part of North American First Nations life in pre-colonial times. Fasting and praying in the forest alone is actually still a practice among prairie First Nations. I know Cree men who still go into the woods alone to pray and fast for four days and nights. A Blackfoot friend told me this practice is part of the preparation for their Sundance. Lakota and others do this in search of a vision quest or a spirit helper. Whatever the reason, it is always a test of courage and absolute trust. Therein lies the core of my reflection.

In difficult times life can be like being alone and blindfolded in a dark forest. In times of family illness or death or family breakups or conflicts, we can become especially vulnerable to negative self knowledge that robs us of our ‘joy’ and inner ‘peace’. A Mexican author teaches that our minds are full of knowledge that we accumulate in our minds since birth. Some of this knowledge is “lies” that have been passed on from generation to generation in our families. The kind that does the most damage to our lives is the knowledge that tells us we are not worthy for some reason or other. This can lead to believing that we are not worthy of love and I have connected this teaching to what I have learned in life, that love is the antidote of fear.

Recently, when I was injured by a family member, I let my heart do the work instead of my mind. I rested my heart in God’s love rather than rest my problem on human knowledge. This exercise brought tears, softened my heart, and compelled forgiveness and love towards the one who had injured my heart. Most of all, it reunited me to my Creator and I realized that the harsh words did not have the power to rob me of my inner peace and joy. Through prayer I received the message that the words were said in anger and motivated by that person’s negative “knowledge” which could have fed into my own negative “knowledge”. But God said don’t go there. Don’t let the angry words rob you of the peace I have given you. Don’t let it ruin your day. When I said ‘okay Lord’, love and joy filled my heart and my day went well. May my heart’s meditation and the sharing of my experience bring healing and encouragement to others this Christmas Season.

Cherokee Legend

Do you know the legend of the Cherokee Indian youth’s rite of Passage?

His father takes him into the forest, blindfolds him and leaves him alone. He is required to sit on a stump the whole night and not remove the blindfold until the rays of the morning sun shine through it. He cannot cry out for help to anyone.

Once he survives the night, he is a MAN. He cannot tell the other boys of this experience, because each lad must come into manhood on his own.

The boy is naturally terrified. He can hear all kinds of noises Wild beasts must surely be all around him. Maybe even some human might do him harm. The wind blew the grass and earth and shook his stump, but he sat stoically, never removing the blindfold. It would be the only way he could become a man! Finally, after a horrific night the sun appeared and he removed his blindfold. It was then that he discovered his father sitting on the stump next to him. He had been at watch the entire night,
protecting his son from harm.

We, too, are never alone. Even when we don’t know it, God is watching over us, sitting on the stump beside us.

When trouble comes all we have to do is reach out to Him.

COME TO TSAWWASSEN FIRST NATION HUMMINGBIRD’S ANNUAL CHRISTMAS CIRCLE

bigal85 — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 19:19:43 +0000

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6 to 10 pm, FRIDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2009,

Tsawwassen First Nation RECREATION HALL

1929 Tsawwassen Drive, Tsawwassen, BC, V4M 4Gt

A) Tsawwassen First Nation West Coast Welcome

B) Potluck Supper (we provide the turkey and ham), you bring the trimmings. (Santa and Elf Hats are also welcome to help with the spirit of fun.)

C) The Circle – The Christmas story, sharing what’s new since last Christmas, sharing on theme of Peace, what is that to you?

D) Dorothy Visser (Surrey), Rennie Nahanee (Squamish), and other volunteers entertain & lead in Christmas carols.

E) Alice Gus sings Silent Night in Coast Salish language.

F) Marcia Meyer, (N. Vancouver), HM’s volunteer musician teaches some of her sing along songs. Others are invited to sing a favorite Christmas carol, a sacred song or a drum song.

G)Dancing – Alice Gus sings Squamish drum song for West Coast hospitality dancing. Jigging (if fiddler can come).

H) Gifts – Usually we have enough for everyone but if you wish, bring a gift ($10 value). (Gift certificates, chocolates, Mandarin oranges, socks, children’s books are good ideas).

Christmas Blessings to you and your family

from the Hummingbird Ministries Council

Music Workshop

bigal85 — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 18:12:34 +0000

EVERYONE IS INVITED TO COME HAVE FUN, MAKE NEW FRIENDS WITH FIRST NATIONS AND OTHERS.

Bring your Drums (whatever your culture) and Percussion Instruments to an INTEGRATED MUSIC WORKSHOP

To sing, to drum and to be part of an eight-part SYMPHONY OF SOUNDS

6 to 10 pm, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2009,

Tsawwassen First Nation Recreation Hall

Agenda: Potluck Supper, Peace Circle, Workshop & Practice the Parts

Arts Project Aim: To create a new symphony of sounds to replace the instrumentals which accompany Cheryl Bear’s version of The Lord’s Prayer.

The sounds will be created by an eight-part symphony of drums, human voices and percussions instruments from various cultures. With Cheryl’s permission, the new version of her song may be presented at the Arts Festival being planned for the Fall of 2010. Cheryl Bear is an award-winning Aboriginal singer from the Carrierre First Nation.

Workshop Facilitators: Colin Head & Ernie Cardinal (First Nations Drummers) and Marcia Meyer (Musician)

Marcia Meyer holds a Bachelor of Arts (Music) degree in piano from the University of Western Ontario. Her work history includes: private piano teacher, performer and composer, arranger and conductor. Marcia is currently working with The Grace Notes , on a Christmas album for 2010. She is also working on an album with Salt Spring singer, songwriter and guitarist, Paul Marcano.

Colin Head (pictured here) is a Lakota drummer and has followed the Lakota ways for about 15 years. He is Cree from Mistawasis, Sask. and is an Aboriginal Youth Worker with the Kla-how-eya Center in Surrey.

Ernie Cardinal is a Cree drummer and will be assisting Colin in the workshop. Ernie is from Sucker Creek, Alberta and is a family and youth worker. He has followed the cultural and spiritual ways of the Cree most of his life.

(Directions to the hall: From Vancouver, follow Hwy 99 through Massey Tunnel. Take Hwy 17 Exit towards the Tsawwassen Ferries. Continue on to ferries, take right at last lights before ferry terminal (Tsawwassen Drive). Follow Tsawwassen Drive until you see the first buildings on the left – the Youth Center and the Band Administration Office. Across from these buildings is a building that is set in from the road with a parking lot in front of it, this is the Recreation Hall. Lots of parking available.)