A year ago, David Brass was on his usual daily excursion through Regina’s downtown library branch when he heard powwow drums reverberating through the hallways.
He followed the sounds, which led him to the community common area, where the Regina Public Library’s Culture Connect: Indigenous Teachings program co-ordinator extended a warm welcome.
Since then, Brass and his daughter have been attending the weekly drop-in sessions, where they discovered a compassionate and welcoming community that makes them feel accepted. Brass said his daughter is thriving in the program.
“She loves it — the dancing, the drums. She sees her little friends here; she has friends now,” he said. “She’s here every week now, and they’ve gotten real close.”
Brass said he’s also seen how the program has helped many others, including those who come by just to watch.
“I’ve seen people come in and they’ve healed and they leave differently. They seem like they leave more full,” he said. “They come in empty, bent over looking sad, but they leave full, chest up, you know, so it’s all good.”
Brass said it’s a wonderful program.
“There’s healing, there’s connection, there’s a revitalization of tradition, culture. People get to learn about the roots of it in a comfortable, laid-back area.”
Four years ago, Phyllis Littletent and her mother created the culture connect program. It was originally started in the North Central community to help bring healing.
When her mother became ill and was no longer able to assist with the program, Littletent continued to run it. She recognized the program’s healing power and its positive impact on many individuals.
“I met a lot of people who took something from this program,” said Littletent. “Either it was life changing for them, or you know, it kind of gave them back a sense of who they are.”
The weekly drop-in program offers an inclusive environment for anyone to learn about Indigenous cultural dances and songs without judgment.
A monthly mini-powwow is held to honour children, who are invited to dance with or without their regalia. This promotes inclusion and respects all children, regardless of their background.
Littletent said the program’s goal is to promote healing through song and dance.
Various Indigenous dances have been showcased, emphasizing the rich diversity of Indigenous cultural expressions through movement. Powwow drums, hand drums and even a water drum have been introduced to provide further teachings about the different types of drums used by Indigenous people.
Since it began two years ago, the program has expanded significantly. To accommodate more participants and foster community engagement, it is now hosted weekly at the downtown central library branch.
“We’re very fortunate to have a beautiful place like this, Regina Public Library, for allowing us to, you know, give us a space to heal,” said Littletent. “Every week we leave a blessing here. You know, as our elders would say, where you take those drums, where you do that healing, you bless the area as well.”
Taylor Soderberg, a Métis citizen and the Regina Public Library’s safe and welcoming specialist, said it’s incredible to see this type of programming being hosted in their accessible downtown space.
“We’re all about decolonizing our spaces, but also building community in whatever way we can,” she said. “We’re happy to have a space that can foster community and foster safety.”
Soderberg said many people who attend have a very positive experience and it’s open to the public to come and enjoy.
“We see so many success stories come out of this program and we have a lot of people that are regulars within the library that will come in here and are maybe just having a really bad day due to a number of things happening,” she said. “But they come in here, and it’s just a really safe space for a lot of people and a good source of healing.”
The program is open to the public and runs every Wednesday from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. CST. It is held downtown in the community commons area of the central library branch.
