Midwinter gathering highlights authentic Mi'kmaw songs and dance

During the coldest month of winter, the Mi'kmaq honour Apuknajit, the February full moon, with a Midwinter feast and ceremony. 

At a recent Midwinter ceremony in Millbrook First Nation, about 80 kilometres north of Halifax, Michael R Denny debuted three new ko'jua songs to add to his personal repertoire of the traditional Mi'kmaw song genre.

"I want to make sure that those songs are handed down in my family just the way it was done before," said Denny, who is from Eskasoni First Nation on Cape Breton Island.

Midwinter ceremony and celebrations are something that Denny, who helped to organize the event, holds near to his heart. 

"It has always been an important gathering for my people to celebrate that winter spirit Apuknajit," he said.

Historically the harshest month for hunting and survival, it was a time when Mi'kmaq left food offerings for the spirit of Apuknajit, to appease him in order to make it through the remainder of winter with plentiful food and favourable weather.

The Midwinter celebration is built around this offering by involving community with time to gather, share a feast, reflect on the challenges of winter and celebrate their continued tenacity. 

Denny organized the event through his work with Mi'kmaw Kina'matnewey, a Mi'kmaw educational authority in Nova Scotia.

This year's event reflected traditional midwinter activities, featuring dice games, wapnaqn and waltes, a pipe ceremony, community feast, and ending with a ko'jua tournament that went on till nearly 11 p.m.

The emphasis on ko'jua, a traditional Mi'kmaw dance accompanied by songs played on a ji'kmaqn, or split ash instrument, is important for Denny, who feels a responsibility to maintain this practice at the gatherings he organizes. 

"Everybody practiced [ko'jua] from Gespe'gewa'gik (Quebec and northern New Brunswick) all the way to Unama'kik (Cape Breton), and everywhere in between," he said.

Denny said an important part of keeping the ancient songs alive is recognizing their origins and remembering the people who carried them.

"If you don't have the story that goes along with it, you're only singing half the story and you're only honouring half that story," he said.

Evan Googoo, a ko'jua singer and dancer from Wagmatcook First Nation, both shared songs and won the adult men's ko'jua dance competition.

"Ko'jua, for me, it's just a way of connecting to our people, our ancestors. When I dance, I picture my grandfather there dancing with me," said Googoo.

"It's not just a dance. It's a symbol of our resilience as Mi'kmaw people."

He said it brings him pride to see his kids and family dancing.

Googoo's daughter Karala Googoo, 15, said she looks forward to midwinter for the opportunity to dance.

"I love to dance, it's one of my favorite things," she said.

"I dance women's traditional also, but I most enjoy doing ko'jua."

The family walked away with two victories, with Karala placing second in the women's ko'jua competition. 

She is passionate about sharing the dance and along with her father has begun teaching it through workshops and lessons across the country. 

"It's important to keep dancing ko'jua, so we can pass it down, so it doesn't die off," she said.