Drum group promotes and prides itself on sobriety
- Jeanelle Mandes | October 19, 2016
A young drum group from all areas of Saskatchewan are drumming their way to make a difference. The singers, who call themselves Young Express, base their group foundation on sobriety—something that each member holds proudly.
“I myself have never touched alcohol or drugs. I tell the other drummers in my group [to refrain] from drugs and alcohol otherwise we won’t be travelling,” says lead singer, Emery Taypotat, who formed the drum group.
Related: Creating a culture of sobriety
The 16-year-old singer mentors his drummers ever since they were first initiated into the pow-wow circle over a year ago in his home community, Kahkewistahaw First Nation. Since then, the singers have travelled to compete in over 100 local and distant pow-wows.
“The furthest we travelled was to Kainai, Alberta and to Manito Ahbee pow-wow in Winnipeg,” says Logan Thomas, 17, who sang his whole life with his family’s drum group called Big River Cree. “I like travelling to far places with my bros and meeting new people.”
The Young Express drum group ranges from the youngest who is 16-years-old to the oldest who is 27-years-old. The group has inspired many listeners, including Cody Burns, the oldest singer in the group.
“I believe in these guys and I like the way they present themselves,” says Burns, who is an Alberta oil-field worker, but is taking a break to sing with Young Express. “I met them last year’s pow-wow trail and in January, they invited me to sing with them.”
The drum group, who travels near and far to compete in pow-wows, owe it to Taypotat’s mother, Aliza, who is proud of her son for forming an inspirational drum group.
“I’m proud of him because people out there are in gang life and are into drugs and alcohol. I’m so proud of him that he doesn’t do any of that. I try my best to take him where he wants to go,” she says. “I don’t take one car, I take three or four cars…I pretty much look after them.”
She adds that mostly all the singers in Young Express call her ‘mom’ and handles any conflict in the drum group. “I put them all together and tell them they are drum brothers and them they are role models. Everything calms down from there,” she adds.
Aliza says the challenges she faces on the pow-wow trail as a drum group mother ranges from a vehicle breakdown to a drum breaking.
“At Dakota Dunes pow-wow, our last drum ripped. But thanks to Buffalo Lodge [drum group] for giving us a drum to finish the pow-wow because we packed up and we were ready to go home. And [the Buffalo Lodge singers] came up to us and said they wanted to see us finish the pow-wow,” she says. “It’s actually a nice feeling when these big drum groups that they look up that come up and approach them to tell them ‘keep it up boys, you guys are doing a good.’ I like that. It pushes me more to take these boys to where they want to go,” says Aliza, who also has two kids who dance pow-wow.
Taypotat, who is currently in Grade 11, looks up to Battling Bear, an original style drum group and also Bear Creek, a contemporary style drum group from Ontario. Singing for five years, Taypotat’s advice to the youth who want to sing in pow-wows is to get out there and give it a try.
“As a lead singer of a drum group, I would like see other drum groups out there singing and not giving up and to keep going,” he adds. “Singing has been a dream come true.”
After graduating high school, Young Express singers such as Taypotat and Thomas wish to pursue post-secondary educations and continue singing on the pow-wow trail promoting sobriety and pride in their culture.
“Look out for Young Express, they’re up and coming,” says Burns.