Children's drum and song teachings mark National Day for Truth and Reconciliation in Renfrew County
At the Waba Cottage and Museum in White Lake, Jessica Tapp and her family of five marked this National Day for Truth and Reconciliation with a music lesson.
"Oh we love drumming," said Tapp. "We have lots of fun with the drumming and the singing and the community, bringing people together."
- The information you need to know, sent directly to you: Download the CTV News App
- Sign up now for our nightly CTV News Ottawa newsletter
Indigenous educators from BIAK Early On hosted a drum and song ceremony Saturday with the goal of educating about Indigenous culture before diving in directly on the tragedy of the residential school system.
"I find people are very hesitant to want to actually talk about the residential school part itself," explained Jessica Levesque, a childhood educator with BIAK Early On and a Pikwakanagan First Nation member.
"But they don't know the difference between reconciling if they don't know what they're reconciling for."
Saturday's ceremony was geared towards children and young families, offering a different approach to a difficult subject.
"Because our audience is mostly younger children, we try to show them what was taken from us so that they could see and enjoy it instead of focusing on the stories of the survivors," added Levesque.
"The families that are non-Indigenous are really interested in hearing about our stories and our lives previously, and what the drumming means to us," said Nancy Ward, also with BIAK Early On, and of Bonnechere Algonquin First Nation.
The ceremony included education on individual songs, as well as the drums, what they represent, when which drum is played, the hide the drum was made from, and the images depicted on the hides.
Nancy Ward leading a drum circle. (Dylan Dyson/CTV News Ottawa)
"They represent Mother Earth and when we play them, they are Mother Earth's heartbeat," says Levesque.
"We teach them all the different beats like the single beat, the double beat, the triple beat."
"As Canadians we celebrate cultures, and in general we are accepting of all cultures but I find that we have sort of forgotten the Indigenous culture," said Arnprior resident Amber Kennedy, who is of Métis background and in attendance with her family.
"It's nice to be immersed in a little bit of the Indigenous culture because I didn't get that growing up unfortunately."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories

'No one else has done this on the planet': Guilbeault insists emissions cap delay is due to novelty
Environment and Climate Change Minister Steven Guilbeault says the delay in announcing details of his government’s proposed oil and gas sector emissions cap is due to its uniqueness and to wanting to get it right.
Canada has a secretive history of adoption, and some want it brought to light
In a theatre in St. John's, N.L., a murmur spreads through the audience as people timidly raise their hands. They have been asked if they saw their own stories reflected in the film they just watched -- 'A Quiet Girl.'
Minnesota grocery store clerk dies after customer impales him with a golf club, police say
A Minneapolis store clerk died after a customer beat him and impaled him with a golf club, police said. The 66-year-old clerk was attacked Friday at the Oak Grove Grocery, a small neighborhood store in a residential area near downtown Minneapolis. A 44-year-old suspect is jailed on suspicion of murder.
Tennessee residents clean up after severe weekend storms killed 6 people and damaged neighbourhoods
Central Tennessee residents and emergency workers cleaned up Sunday from severe weekend storms and tornadoes that killed six people and sent more to the hospital while damaging buildings, turning over vehicles and knocking out power to tens of thousands.
A gigantic new ICBM will take U.S. nuclear missiles out of the Cold War-era but add 21st-century risks
The $96 billion Sentinel overhaul involves 450 silos across five states, their control centres, three nuclear missile bases and several other testing facilities. The project is so ambitious it has raised questions as to whether the Air Force can get it all done at once.
'People are confused': Survey suggests Canadians need education on Charter rights
While one-third of Canadians say they have read the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, many fail to distinguish between its text and that of the U.S. Declaration of Independence, a new survey suggests.
Elon Musk restores X account of conspiracy theorist Alex Jones
Elon Musk has restored the X account of conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, pointing to a poll on the social media platform formerly known as Twitter that came out in favour of the Infowars host who repeatedly called the 2012 Sandy Hook school shooting a hoax.
Marathon Conservative carbon tax filibuster ends after nearly 30 consecutive hours of House votes
The Conservative-prompted filibuster in the House of Commons ended Friday night, after MPs spent nearly 30 hours voting non-stop on the government's spending plans.
Woman charged with manslaughter after 2 sets of young twins killed in 2021 U.K. fire
A woman has been charged with four counts of manslaughter after two sets of young twins were killed in a fire that ripped through a London home in 2021.