
'It's a part of my healing too': Dene drummers reflect on performing during Pope's pilgrimage
CBC
Ernest Tonka of Fort Simpson, N.W.T., was invited to drum for Pope Francis after the ceremony at the Sacred Heart Catholic Church of the First Peoples in Edmonton on Monday.
He said it was one of the best moments of his life.
"He blessed my rosary, and he blessed me and he blessed my drum," Tonka said.
Tonka sang a prayer for the Pope that comes from Délı̨nę.
"I told the Holy Father that song is when you're calling out to heaven, you're calling out to God," Tonka said of the prayer.
"I sang it for everybody, throughout Canada and throughout the world," he said.
Being at the church for the ceremony on was emotional for Tonka.
"The tears couldn't stop and just kept going, and going and going," he said.
Tonka attended residential and day schools and struggled with the pain and hurt that came from it, until he spoke with an elder.
"I have all this pain that I carried for years," he said.
The elder told Tonka he needed to release the hurt and pain from his soul and let it go.
He said drumming and hearing the apology helped him.
"It's a part of my healing too," Tonka said.
He wants to share that same message he heard from the elder.