November 7, 2004: Interview with Derrick Bressette
Interviewer: Franziska von Rosen (FvR)
Interviewee: Derrick Bressette, Morningstar River Singers
Location: Toronto, Ontario
Filmed by: Pinegrove Productions, Lanark, ON
Derrick:
My name is Derrick Bressette. I’m from the Ojibwe Nation. I come from a beautiful reserve called Kettle and Stoney Point. I have lived in Toronto for the last 20 years and am a singer, dancer, storyteller and very happy to be here, thank you.
FvR:
What goes through your mind when you are sitting at the drum?
Derrick:
First of all, there are so many stories and so many things that go with that drum. All of the sacrifices that went with it, the peace offerings that went with that drum. And when they bring that medicine around it is like all of those ceremonies and all of those things are still in their original form. So all of these things are carried through generation to generation. When we sit there and use that medicine we are with the Creator. Once that medicine is lit, once that drum is smudged, when we sound it the first time, that is the direct communication to the spirits to let them know that something beautiful is going to begin.
FvR:
Would you talk about your experiences as a singer?
Derrick:
When I first started singing I loved it because of the power of the stories and the sound of the drum. When you are listening to it, you are drawn to it and automatically you want to start to learn those songs. You might be sitting around a drum tapping your foot and someone will give you the teaching around that drum. And soon you are humming these songs that you have heard before. You know that they are powerful. And soon you are going to a practice. Soon you are going to a powwow and you are doing all these things and learning and learning and growing and growing. And you know the more and more that you practise and learn about those teachings the better you become as a singer. It just takes a lot of time, it takes a lot of practice; it takes a lot of energy on your part. You want to be doing those things right, so if someone comes to you while you are sitting at the drum, asking about drumming, you can give them that story of why the singers are sounding that drum that way, or why they are singing in that way, that high pitch. There are all kinds of stories about why they use that hide; why the stitching is a certain way; why the drum is off of the ground; why there is a stand. Some of them have four direction drums that they use. There are all different kinds of drums, so you have to know all those things, so you want to learn those things sitting around the drum.
FvR:
What does being a singer mean to you?
Derrick:
There are responsibilities that you have to your community, to your family, to the teachings that are there. Some of our First Nations brothers or sisters when they first come in contact with the drum and the songs they want to ask us questions because they think we have been doing this for years and years. Actually we have but we are still little babies in this whole process and we are still learning and growing each day.
But being a singer is one of the highest honours; sitting around that drum learning those songs and teaching them to the young ones is an honour. We are keeping that cycle going all the time.
FvR:
I have heard many different stories about the symbolism of different drums. Would you talk about that?
Derrick:
The drum is circular; Mother Earth is circular and that’s what that drum represents. It represents Mother Earth. When the singers sound the drum that is the heartbeat of Mother Earth and we give thanks for everything that she gives us. She has been taking care of us from the beginning of time, taking care of us with food, water, medicine, everything. She has never turned her back on us. So when the singers are sounding that drum and the dancers are coming around that drum they are dancing in time with that drum to show that connection to her. While they are dancing they are thinking about those things that Mother Earth provides for us, but as well they are thinking about all their friends and family that have helped them along the way in their life. Everyone of us has been through trying times and we needed our relatives for support. We need our friends for support and they’ve been there for us no matter how down we have been; they have been there for us. So we need to acknowledge and remember all those people because that drum there represents life, represents all of the seasons, represents all of those things – like the medicine wheel teachings on that drum.
And the story of the big drum, is this. It came from a peace agreement many, many years ago. The drum was given to the Ojibwe people by the Sioux people as a peace agreement many, many years ago. It’s a long story but, when the Sioux people gave the drum to the Ojibwe people they gave it with songs, with instructions, with teachings. The Ojibwe people in turn were to give this drum to another Nation. And then that Nation was given the instructions, the same instructions that were originally given. So around that time the people that heard that beautiful drum were attracted to it. They wanted one.. And so they gave them the teachings, they gave them the songs they told them everything that was needed for that drum. This is the celebration of life. Those are the things that the Creator has given to us..
FvR:
What do the honour beats signify to you?
Derrick:
Well the honour beats have changed over the years. Many, many years ago when they had the first drum, which was a grass dance drum, the grass dancers that were around there would tell stories of hunts and battles. Those grass dancers were role models in our communities. And while they brought out that drum to sing those songs they would put hard, hard beats into that song. And what those hard beats represented at that time was gunfire. Because many years ago when that drum came about they were in turmoil, they were at war with other nations and at war with governments. So they would have to tell the story of that time. So while the hard beats came in those dancers that were out there, those grass dancers would duck down to avoid that gunfire. They were always trying to tell a story in their dance, so those hard beats would represent that gunfire in that battle scene.
And as years went on dancers evolved from those grass dancers to those traditional dancers, fancy dancers and all of the women categories; each one of them have their own style in mimicking those honour beats. Today for me when I hear the honour beat, when it’s a traditional dancer that I am seeing out there, I will see them ducking and still remembering those old stories, honouring those old stories, those warriors that passed on before us. When I see the women raise their fans in the air sweeping those beautiful prayers to the creator, that has another meaning to it. So there are different meanings. For some they are honouring the four directions, honouring the four seasons, the four races of man, the four sacred spirits that sit in those directions. When I think about some of the contemporary drums, they flare up the honour beats and do them really fancy. So those honour beats are there to represent just the second body of the song.
FvR:
Is there anything else you would like to say?
Derrick:
I guess the one thing I would like to say is that there are a lot of big drum societies in North America that still follow the old teachings. And those are some of the teachings that we carry on with today. When many of us started singing twelve to fifteen years ago, some of those old people taught us that they don’t want those teachings changed. “We want them to stay in their original form.”
The drum that we used today is what we call a warriors drum and the stitching on it is a warrior stitch and that drum there has to be cared for like a person. When we go to a powwow we don’t put our drum in the trunk of a car in the same way you would not put your grandparent in the trunk of a car. Usually in our house there is a special place for the drum where it is fed or spoken to. People can make offerings to that drum. Many of the singers around that drum offer tobacco. Usually when we start off, there will be a director who will come by and give the drum tobacco as a gift in honouring that drum for coming to their event. So the lead singer will take that tobacco and offer that tobacco right away. And that’s the most sacred medicine that we have and that usually starts off the powwow in a good way. So I just wanted to say that much. I am very happy to share this information about our beautiful culture.
