The Round Dance
FRIDAY, JANUARY 29
5:30PM PIPE CEREMONY COMMENCES
FEAST AND ROUND DANCE TO FOLLOW WITH SURPRISE INTERNATIONAL DRUMMING CIRCLE
DINWOODIE LOUNGE, 2ND FLOOR STUDENTS’ UNION BUILDING
ABORIGINAL STUDENT SERVICES CENTRE’S ANNUAL ROUND DANCE
Everyone is welcome to join the circle!
The Round Dance ceremony illustrates the Cree philosophy of death and the relationship between us and Spirits. The Northern Lights are said to be our relations that have passed on. The Elders say that the people that have passed on come to dance with us at the Round Dance; in that respect our relatives are always here with us. The Round Dance was a healing ceremony that became a social dance for our people and a dance that is held in the winter season. From the first tuning of the hand drums (by way of fire), to the fun of meeting old friends and making new ones, a Round Dance is for everyone: children, friends, families, youth and Elders.
In this dance people move like the Northern Lights, in an up and down motion as they dance around the drum. We join hands in a circle and dance clockwise with the drum and singers sitting in the middle. The beat of the drum is like the heartbeat of the community and all members move as one. This is also a time to swap stories, catch up on the latest news, break bannock and share some tea. And even better, to hear both the old and new songs sung by your favorite singers. It's a time to honour traditions and memories of our ancestors dancing around their starry campfires, flickering against the dark blanket of the night sky.
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Aboriginal Student Services Centre (ASSC) helps the University of Alberta provide an environment that encourages full access, participation and success for Aboriginal students. Our vision statement recognizes our commitment to the Aboriginal community on campus and to providing services that reflect this responsibility: ASSC honours the Indigenous worldview of education as a continuous ceremony of learning by respecting and supporting the voices and spirit of our community at the University of Alberta.
Aboriginal Student Services Centre
2-400 Students' Union Building
University of Alberta
www.uofaweb.ualberta.ca/aboriginalservices
Phone: (780) 492-5677
Email: assc.reception@ualberta.ca