{"id":96372,"date":"2026-07-27T10:16:07","date_gmt":"2026-07-27T13:16:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/service.codeus.ca\/index.php\/2026\/07\/27\/the-spirit-of-the-drum-the-redcrow-familys-journey-of-love-culture-and-belonging\/"},"modified":"2026-07-27T10:16:07","modified_gmt":"2026-07-27T13:16:07","slug":"the-spirit-of-the-drum-the-redcrow-familys-journey-of-love-culture-and-belonging","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/service.codeus.ca\/index.php\/2026\/07\/27\/the-spirit-of-the-drum-the-redcrow-familys-journey-of-love-culture-and-belonging\/","title":{"rendered":"The Spirit of the Drum: The Redcrow Familys Journey of Love, Culture and Belonging"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<p>LaDawn Redcrow and Waseskwan at a powwow.   By Chevi Rabbit, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter (ANNews) \u2013 For the Redcrow family, the drum is more than music. It is a heartbeat, a connection to culture, and a source of belonging. Neil and LaDawn Redcrow\u2019s journey into the powwow circle began through their children. What started as a family attending powwows together became a way of life and one that has brought them closer to culture, community, and each other. At the heart of their story is their youngest child, Waseskwan, whose connection to the drum has touched people throughout the powwow community. LaDawn, whose family is from Buffalo Narrows, Saskatchewan, and who now lives in Edmonton, said their family\u2019s powwow journey began about 13 years ago when their daughter inspired them to attend their first gatherings. Waseskwan Redcrow in his powwow regalia. Photo by Curtis Cameron Photography. \u201cWe knew nothing really about powwows or anything,\u201d LaDawn said. \u201cWe just started bringing her around the powwow circle and kind of just going to powwows all summer.\u201d Over time, powwow became more than a family activity. It became part of their identity. Their three children, two daughters and their son, have grown up knowing the powwow circle as a place of culture, family, and connection. Neil Redcrow, who is from Saddle Lake Cree Nation, had attended powwows throughout his life but did not begin dancing until his daughter became interested. \u201cI\u2019ve always gone to powwows my whole life, but I never really danced all that much until my daughter was born,\u201d Neil said. He began dancing in 2015, and as LaDawn learned to make regalia, the family became more involved. Their daughters now dance powwow, with their oldest daughter Kiana having held princess titles, including Tiny Tot Princess and Junior Princess. \u201cOur children grew up with it,\u201d Neil said. \u201cOur son too likes dancing and singing. Everybody knows him at powwow.\u201d For the Redcrow family, everything comes back to the drum. \u201cTo us, it\u2019s the drum,\u201d LaDawn said. \u201cThe drum is the spirit. It\u2019s the ceremony. It\u2019s everything that a powwow is.\u201d She said dancers are not simply performing, they are responding to the spirit and heartbeat of the drum. That connection became especially meaningful when Waseskwan took his first steps. LaDawn remembers attending a powwow in Cold Lake when an intertribal song began. At the time, Waseskwan, who has Down syndrome, had not yet started walking. \u201cThat was the first time an intertribal song came on, and that was the first time he ever walked,\u201d she said. \u201cI believe it was the spirit of that drum.\u201d Neil said he witnessed the same connection. At about 18 months old, Waseskwan was only able to take a few steps. During a powwow, he connected with a drum group and began dancing. \u201cBefore he could even fully walk, he was just dancing,\u201d Neil said. \u201cHe just never stopped since then.\u201d Today, Waseskwan is known across the powwow community. He goes from drum to drum, singing with groups and being welcomed into the circle. \u201cHe just jumps in there and starts singing with people, and they just allow him,\u201d Neil said. \u201cThrough him, I know people all over Indian Country.\u201d Neil said his son has introduced him to people he may never have met otherwise. \u201cWe\u2019ll go to powwows and people I don\u2019t even know are like, \u2018Hey, it\u2019s Wasey\u2019,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m like, \u2018Wow, my son knows everybody\u2019.\u201d For Neil, powwow also carries teachings about responsibility. \u201cYou\u2019re supposed to be protectors [of children]andprotectors of the women,\u201d he said. \u201cI have two daughters, so it\u2019s a big role to fulfill, keeping your children close.\u201d He believes the positive impact of powwow is what matters most. \u201cI always look for the positives in powwow,\u201d Neil said. \u201cThere could be negatives anywhere you look, but I always just try to follow the positives \u2013 what good it\u2019s done for my children.\u201d The family knows the powwow lifestyle requires commitment. There are late nights preparing regalia, early mornings getting ready, and long days travelling. \u201cIt\u2019s a lot of work, but it\u2019s enjoyable at the end of the day,\u201d Neil said. For him, the drum remains the centre of everything. \u201cThe drum is very powerful,\u201d he said. \u201cThat\u2019s really what makes the powwow happen.\u201d The Redcrow family believes powwow also plays an important role in healing Indigenous communities. Neil said cultural gatherings provide opportunities to grieve, but also to celebrate life. \u201cOur Indigenous communities overall need a lot of healing and they need something to celebrate,\u201d he said. Through powwows, ceremonies, and gatherings, he believes communities can reconnect and create moments of joy for future generations. For Neil and LaDawn, Waseskwan\u2019s journey is a reminder that culture belongs to everyone. When they learned their son had Down syndrome, Neil wondered whether he would be accepted within the Indigenous community. Over time, he saw a growing acceptance and recognition of people with disabilities within powwow spaces. \u201cThe most amazing part for me is just how he\u2019s accepted and known all over,\u201d Neil said. Through the drum, dance, and the powwow circle, Waseskwan has shown people the power of love, inclusion, and belonging. \u201cIt\u2019s such a beautiful way of life,\u201d LaDawn said. \u201cThrough this little boy, you get to see that.\u201d <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>LaDawn Redcrow and Waseskwan at a powwow. By Chevi Rabbit, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter (ANNews) \u2013 For the Redcrow family, the drum is more than music. It is a heartbeat, a connection to culture, and a source of belonging. Neil and LaDawn Redcrow\u2019s journey into the powwow circle began through their children. What started as [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":137,"featured_media":96373,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2075,118,1],"tags":[2074,116],"class_list":["post-96372","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-alberta","category-indigenous","category-uncategorized","tag-alberta","tag-indigenous"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/service.codeus.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96372","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/service.codeus.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/service.codeus.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/service.codeus.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/137"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/service.codeus.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=96372"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/service.codeus.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96372\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/service.codeus.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/96373"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/service.codeus.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=96372"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/service.codeus.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=96372"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/service.codeus.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=96372"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}