The first few times Devon Clifton performed with a First Nations dance group were nerve-wracking, but Clifton loved holding a drum. It wouldn’t take long to lose himself in the dance, singing with everyone as their individual voices became a chorus.
“The other time I was nervous — everyone was nervous then — was when I was one of the lucky few to go to the 2010 Olympics to dance with 300 people from all the native nations of Canada. We did the grand opening to bring in all the athletes,” Clifton said.
He’d gone from quitting his first dance group at the age of seven, when his asthma wouldn’t let him keep up, to dancing in front of the world.
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When he talks about the 2010 opening ceremonies, Clifton talks mostly about meeting with elders, who told him and the other dancers stories of growing up, and how some of them were sent to residential schools. That’s what Clifton was thinking about in his performance on the world stage.
During a dance, Clifton will often think about how the group is “still doing a culture that was banned not long ago. It was banned and nowadays it’s a lot stronger and getting stronger every year. I am always proud of that.”
2010 was a big year for Clifton. He’d joined the Sm’Haalyt Dancers in Prince Rupert only two years before, but by 2010 Clifton helped form a new group. First, he was a drummer, then he began leading the drumming and starting the songs, which helped him break out of his shyness.
Sometimes when the regular leaders couldn’t make it to practice, those who showed up would look at Clifton, ready to follow his lead. Eventually most of the original members of the group stopped coming as work and family obligations took over. By then, the group was mostly kids and young adults from all different nations, so Clifton decided to take charge.
He started by asking Millie Leask, an elder in Hartley Bay where the Tsimshian side of Clifton’s family is from, to name the new group. That’s how they came to be Wii Gisigwilgwelk, also known as the Big Northern Lights Dancers.
“We chose ‘big’ for strong, because even though we’re a small group, we have such a loud voice for all these little kids,” Clifton said. “I think of when we perform as like when you’re in a black starry night or just a black void and then as we start singing, the sky lights up with everyone’s voice. It’s to give out the energy to everyone and lift up any spirits out there.”
Many of the lifted spirits are the ones performing. Their dancers are all ages and as young as nine months old, when they’re carried in a bundle strapped to their mothers. Some of the kids have grown up in Big Northern Lights.
“It’s crazy to watch the kids grow up to be strong individuals and some taking on the roles to start the songs. We’ve had some kids who cried and just sat in the corner, didn’t want to do anything. They didn’t want to drum, didn’t want to sing,” Clifton said with a smile. “We just let them be, and over time talk to them. We just let them sit and watch while we perform. There’s usually one or two songs that gets to them and they slowly join. After a few practices, they get hooked.”
He uses the same trick to get the kids’ parents involved. “We love when we get the parents to be active with their kids. We’ve had some parents watching from the side and we could see them starting to sing and keep the beat, tapping their foot.”
Getting the whole family to dance is especially important to Clifton.
“We like having everyone working together to raise all these kids to see what the future will hold for them,” he said.
Every year, the Big Northern Lights Dancers perform during Salmonfest and try to make it to Gitsegukla at least every second year.
“It’s a wonderful opportunity for the kids to see other dances they’ve never seen, or to participate in their own culture if they can’t get that here,” he said.
Slowly, he helps grow the kids’ confidence by asking them to start the songs in practice. Then, depending on the audience, he’ll ask them to begin a performance.
“I always love the big events to let the kids soak up the superstar feeling,” Clifton said.
Of all the songs they perform, Clifton said one of his favourites is called “Just a happy dance”. They choose one person, who stands in the middle of a dance circle. Throughout the song, the rest of the dancers follow whatever moves the chosen dancer makes.
“It can be the silliest dance to just traditional crest form dancing,” he said. “It’s always fun to watch because it always gets the kids amped up. The next practice, they’ll want to be the lead.”
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