Youth at Mother Teresa gain more opportunities to learn drumming

Youth at Mother Teresa Middle School in inner-city Regina will have more opportunities to learn drumming through a MusiCounts equipment donation. The lone powwow drum used by the Buffalo Boys cultural music program recently broke, leaving students unable to participate in events. The school was approved for funding through MusiCounts, and its new equipment includes four traditional powwow drums, 24 powwow drum sticks, one buffalo hand drum, 10 deer hand drums, and 20 deer hand drum kits. The equipment will enable more students to enter the program and create a deeper awareness of Indigenous culture. Whitestar said that cultural programming efforts are part of the regular school curriculum and that they are designed to ensure that the culture survives and thrives. “We actually don’t have too many ceremonies where a drum isn’t present,” said the school’s cultural program founder Evan Whitestar. “What happens around the drum is not just singing. It shows you how to be a better person … and how to be there for your community.”