Curtis Peeteetuce (second from right) after an event hosted by the Saskatchewan Library Association. (Jeanette Lynes/Facebook)

By Derek Craddock

STORYTELLING

Indigenous storyteller shares about finding identity through storytelling

Feb 22, 2023 | 12:00 PM

As Aboriginal Storytelling Month continues, those who have taken part in events throughout the province are sharing why the month is important to them.

For Curtis Peeteetuce, honouring Aboriginal Storytelling is so much more than what the month offers. It’s about the custom of Indigenous Storytelling and its importance.

Peeteetuce teaches the Cree bilingual program at St. Mary High School. He became fascinated by contemporary storytelling after he heard the story about his surname.

“I found out that my last name comes from the French expression that means bear paws,” he said. “It’s not a Cree expression or Cree word. That tells me that at some point in history, somebody who couldn’t express bear paws in Cree was probably from a francophone background and used their worldview to spell bear paws as best they could.”

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“It really opens up a lot of doors and really gives you a world view and validates the whole notion of identity.”

Through his experience of working and sharing stories with youth, Peeteetuce said it helps them find their voice and identity.

“I’m trying to utilize my position as a storyteller to share a story of our youth. I’d like to give a voice to young people, so this is an opportunity as well to give a voice to their story.”

So, what is it that makes storytelling so appealing to those like Peeteetuce? He believes storytelling is universal and we all have something to share.

“In that way, storytelling is universal and how we make it ours is we go back and relegate to our own culture, language, and history and that’s what gives it that unique storytelling medium, flavour, or genre like Indigenous storytelling,” he said, adding that storytelling connects us to each other and the rest of the world.

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Derek.craddock@pattisonmedia.com

Twitter: @PA_Craddock