Standup is a continuation of Indigenous culture, Saskatchewan comedian says

Cheyenna Sapp says she uses learning from Indigenous studies classes at USask to educate her audiences about culture and issues. 'Standup comedy is a form of storytelling.'

Cheyenna Sapp, actress and comedian from Little Pine First Nation, Sask., said comedy and humour are an important part of Indigenous culture.

“Growing up, I knew I was funny, but I come from a community where everybody is funny so I didn’t feel like humour stood out,” Sapp said. “We grew up with our families teasing us, teasing each other, and it’s basically like a comedy roast every time you are at a family dinner.”

After moving to Saskatoon to study Indigenous Studies at the University of Saskatchewan, Sapp started watching local open mic performances around the city.

She said she watched for about a year before she saw three Indigenous comedians walk onto a stage – it was the inspiration for what she does now.

“I was just blown away by that. These are Indigenous people doing what I love and successfully and I was inspired by that,” Sapp said. “I saw people who looked like me and were from the same communities as me doing standup comedy.”

The only Indigenous comedian she said she grew up watching was Don Burnstick.

“I started to write my own jokes down,” said Sapp. “I wrote a three-minute set and I was so scared to perform. The first time I did it was at Buds on Broadway and I remember being so scared that my legs would buckle because they were shaking so bad.”

She said she had to sit down during her first set in 2019.