Paulatuk Moonlight Drummers & Dancers

On the silty, mineral-rich grounds that inspire its name – ‘Paulatuuq’ or ‘place of coal’ – the Paulatuk Moonlight Drummers and Dancers celebrate a cultural tradition that was nearly lost.

For many years in the second half of last century, drum dancing was scarce in the community, as the impact of residential school and rapid cultural change forced priorities to shift.

But in the 1990s, a concerted effort to bring the tradition back inspired many locals. Michael Green, who now leads the Paulatuk Moonlight Drummers and Dancers, remembers his introduction to the art at the opening ceremony for the establishment of Tuktut Nogait National Park in 1996. He then began a group with a few friends in 1998, using anything they could find as material – cardboard boxes for drums, pencils and rulers for sticks.

Elizabeth Kuptana, his Inuvialuktun teacher at the time, loaned Michael a videotape of drum dancing so he could learn from it. His aunt Irene Ruben and uncle Pat Ruben welcomed the group into their home to have a space to practise. They also gave the group drums and a songbook.

Only one year after that, the Paulatuk Moonlight Drummers and Dancers were on the road, thanks to Irene, for their first international performance in Barrow, Alaska. Since then, they’ve been around the world showcasing their tradition. Today, they mostly perform at cultural celebrations like Inuvialuit Final Agreement Day.

On a cold spring Paulatuk evening, they danced under the glow of the setting sun and talked about why the tradition is so important to them.

Michael Green

There were maybe 30 to 40 people from Tuktoyaktuk, Inuvik and Aklavik who came to our community for the opening of the Tuktut Nogait National Park. When these drummers and dancers performed, it was the first time I’d ever seen it. From there, I became interested and began the group with a few friends of mine.

When I sing and drum and dance, I forget everything. Once I get into the drum dancing, everything is gone from my mind. Drumming, dancing, making people dance, making peoplewho watch us happy, not only them but myself – my spirit lifts up when I sing and drum with all the dancers. Makes you feel alive.

My uncle Marcus Ruben Sr. loaned me a cassette tape that had his father singing a few songs in Inuvialuktun. When I heard that tape a few years ago, I recognized a couple of the songs that my great-grandfather Angik Ruben sang and I sing today. This recording was done in 1955. It’s pretty awesome.

Our group has 10 to 20 people at any given time. Because of working, going out on the land and everything we have to do to survive, drum dancing slowed down for a few years, but now we’re trying to pick it back up and revive it.

All of our groups share the same songs, right across from Alaska. They are universal. But each group has a different way of dancing and singing. The way we do our motions is a little bit different from Aklavik, but we’re pretty close with Tuktoyaktuk and Inuvik.

Drum dancing has been passed down to us, and now that we’re getting into the middle-aged group, it’s our turn to pass it onto the next generation.

Lottie Cora Thrasher

When I used to live in Inuvik with my parents, we would practise drum dancing every night at the school. But from about 1966 on, we didn’t carry it on for many years.

I only learned one special dance. I dance it here once in a while. For other people, it’s about pulling boat, but for me, it’s going to pick up wood.

Drum dancing is our culture. That’s why it’s special to me. We have to keep it alive for the future kids. They need to know our traditional activities: drum dancing, hunting, fishing and sharing.

Rebecca Ruben

The school would hire drum dancers to come in and teach us so that we could perform at Christmas or the welcoming of the sun, and from there I stuck with it.

I felt like I connected with our language and our culture more. Drum dancing is the closest I feel I can get to our language now. I don’t speak Inuvialuktun, so drum dancing is what’s keeping me close to it.

Jermaine Green

I was introduced to drum dancing from my brother, the leader of the dance group here, Michael Green. I might have been nine or 10.

It’s our tradition. It’s very important. I want to keep it going for the younger generation.

Shari Ruben

When I was younger, I used to drum dance with the group with Irene and Pat Ruben.

I stopped for a while but picked it back up when the group was teaching at school and my class was in the gym with them.

To me, I love the way it makes me feel, just dancing and singing, especially being a part of a group for our culture. The dances are our way of life. It just makes me feel happy when I drum and dance and sing.

Nicole Green

Drumming, dancing and singing makes you feel different. It keep you away from all your thoughts and brings you to somewhere else.

It’s very important to pass it on to the next generation, because if we don’t, then they’ll forget it and they’ll forget how our ancestors, our grandparents and our parents were living.

We want to keep it going, teaching them how to sing and dance the proper way.