Hoop Dancing Inspires Northern Youth

Photo courtesy of Kelleen Blouin.

The fourth year of the Cameco Creative Kids Northern Cultural Fund included a new strategic partnership with SaskCulture that increased the funds available to northern communities. We are excited to share with you the story of the Nemihitowok Hoop dancers, which received funding through this important grant in 2017.

Hoop Dancing teaches kids much more than traditional dance – it teaches children about having pride in who they are.

Kelleen Blouin is the president and teacher of the Nemihitowok Hoop Dance Troupe that is based out of Creighton. Her dance troupe, in which everyone is welcomed to participate, received funding from the Cameco Creative Kids Northern Fund in 2017 to teach local children at Creighton School the hoop dance.

Blouin taught groups of 13 youth the dance. She started with teaching the story of the hoop dance, which included its history and how it was brought to Canada. She also uses puppets so the kids can have a visual learning experience. Teachings are done on the hoop/animal formation and the young dancers are taught what each dance formation is about and why they’re performing it.

She explains, “As an instructor I base my teachings off the Seven Teachings. For example, the eagle stands for love and when we dance the eagle formation, we hold our arms out with our hoops held high and show love like the eagle.”

Growing up Métis, Blouin didn’t initially embrace her heritage. As a girl she attended her family’s fishing camp and it was there her grandmother instilled and celebrated her love for her Métis culture. This feeling that Blouin developed ceased until the next summer when she would visit the camp again. Along with her grandmother, who is a proud Indigenous woman, and her children, Blouin says she was called to the drum. Her daughter Tenille has also embraced her heritage and also teaches hoop dancing.

“Kids have to have an understanding of the beautiful culture they come from,” she says. “I want to instill pride and knowledge – in who they are and who they can be if they want it.”

Blouin goes on to say that this understanding is changing for the better one child at a time. Kids are approaching her to say how excited and happy they are to learn about hoop dancing and they are also proud to be Métis.

Every dance Blouin teaches the children is about life. One exercise involves the kids throwing down their hoops as to represent that sometimes the world feels like it’s falling apart and things are not going your way. Blouin then has the kids pick up their hoops and do the movements again. “Hoop dancing is about determination,” she adds.

The funds the Nemihitowok Hoop Dance Troupe received through the Cameco Creative Kids Northern Cultural Fund is still paying it forward. The grant money allowed Blouin to purchase hoops and other equipment so she can continue passing her knowledge and pride in her culture to younger generations.

“I believe the success of the project is that the children know if they want to belong in the Troupe they must be kind to one another, work hard at practice, have fun through the dance, but also, know that we are dancing to continue a culture that may be forgotten if we don’t keep it going,” she explains. “At this time I would like to say a huge thank you to organizations like Cameco and SaskCulture, for making this assistance possible.”