What a delight to hear Wilfred Buck take his night sky stories to an outdoor crowd of thousands in this beautiful Canada Day Drone Show at The Forks in Winnipeg, in Treaty One territory. In this fabulous alternative to the usual Colonial fireworks, Wilfred worked with Jade Harper to produce a show that clearly put traditional Cree perspective front and centre. The show instilled pride for many, and inspired awe all around. The video here was created by the Doloricon Family, and shared publicly on their YouTube channel (we send them our thanks!)
Tourism Winnipeg provided their own description of the show:
Finding our North Star
Canada Day festivities at The Forks concluded with a drone show finale that paired ancestral celestial teachings with cutting-edge drone technology never before seen in Winnipeg.The drone show entitled Acakos (ah-cha-kos), meaning “star” in Cree, has been curated around the teachings of Elder Wilfred Buck, a member of Opaskwayak Cree Nation. Buck is an internationally known star Knowledge Keeper.
Acakos [SRO: acâhkos] told the story of the North Star, traditionally known as Kiwatin [SRO: kîwêtin), meaning “the going-home star,” and Ikakacit [SRO: acâhkos êkâ kâ-âhcît], meaning “standing still,” as it’s the only star in the Northern Hemisphere that does not move.
2 Responses
It’s really cool to see Wilfred Buck telling his stories about the night sky to a big outdoor crowd during the Canada Day Drone Show at The Forks in Winnipeg. It’s great to see events like this that celebrate Indigenous culture and teach us new things.
My name is Rebecca Shipp. I am trying to find my dad’s “brother” Billy Buck. Billy was apart of 60’s scoop and my grandmother took him in as a foster child and his brother. I know this seems like she was bad but she took many foster children before for scoop. My Dad has always called him his brother and mourns that he was “adopted” by a American family. We have been trying to find him with no results. My family wants to bring him back to his family the Buck family. I have a picture my grandmother took of him and my dad. If your family knows or is related to him please email me back. My family would love to reunite him with his family and also with my dad. If your family recalls him let me know and I will send you a picture with him and my dad.
With all my heart,
Rebecca Shipp.