Saskatchewan Indians Were Dancing Analysis

60s pulled us from starvation into government jobs

antiquated Indians in Saskatchewan danced for rain

Manitoba Indian doings were hidden for a jealous me

all I had was a 50s rock’n’roll step to copy from

not shy you danced for strangers from deep defiance

full regalia hid other dangerous rope dancing kicks

Crees got out of line on the scaffold teaching Cree

readiness to enter the earth at the exact spot left

following a song trail maybe even a we want a chant

chant after teasing hey boy you first boy first one

dancing in the air show them how to teach us lesson

a public display of rationed revenge serves nothing

show example to culture clashed passive politicians

Crees hit them notes higher boys cover up ear drums

let other drums beat out natural powwow exhibitions

boys in the pen idle for a time listen up flag song

Cree hit parade will release some traditional lives

dancing not allowed behind bars then songs bring us

back to good times Saskatchewan Indians danced free

- See more at: http://www.poetryinvoice.com/poems/saskatchewan-indians-were-dancing#sthash.tBoQbK30.dpuf
 
"Saskatchewan Indians Were Dancing," was written by Marie Annharte Baker, an aboriginal poet, originally from Manitoba.  This poem represents the beginning of the transition period for the first peoples in Saskatchewan, from the days where they were separate and isolated on their reserves to the 1960's, where the government of Saskatchewan decided that the aboriginals needed to be put to work, to make more money for themselves and the government  and the struggle to their traditional dancing identity in a modern world. Mrs. Baker uses lots of imagery in a poem where defiance and the traditional aboriginal life are recurring themes. 
 
The poem consists of one stanza, which is 19 lines long.  There is no rhyme scheme or traditional poetry style that it follows.  I believe that this decision shows the author's defiance to conformity, as she does not want to write in a way similar to other peoples.  Mrs. Baker wants to stand out in a crowd, as aboriginals do in Canada.  The author begins with the 1960's, where the aboriginal peoples in Saskatchewan were forced, in mass to take government jobs.  Keep in mind that this decade was right in the middle of one of the most challenging eras for the first peoples.  After thousands of years of freedom, it was revoked and not only were these peoples forced to conform, these peoples were forced to send their children to the dreaded Residential Schools.  If that wasn't bad enough, Saskatchewan had a large drought for much of the decade, causing crop failures, and therefore, many first nations had to depend on the government for food and water.  These peoples tremendously opposed this new way of life, so they held rain dances in hope of becoming independent once again.  I believe that this would have been an excruciatingly difficult transition for anyone, especially for these first peoples.  Imagine, being forced out of your home and away from your family as a child, just because of your race.  Racism is another theme that is highly evident in this poem, one which I, as a Canadian am not proud of.  
 
The author then talks about Manitoba, where there was no drought and the Indians, as Mrs. Baker describes them, were still free, for the most part.  There were still residential schools, but the author finds herself jealous of the better quality of life in Manitoba, the province she was raised in.  I believe that the author wanted to return to Manitoba, however, she stayed strong, displaying pride for her people while they devised a solution.  Defiance, these peoples decided, would be necessary to defeat the higher powers: the government and the white people.  Escape and refuge are common words used by the aboriginals to describe their traditional dances, with which Mrs. Baker agrees.  The author describes aboriginal dance, using an effective metaphor: "following a song trail maybe even a we want a chant."  A beautiful, deep metaphor describes aboriginal dance as an art that not many can come to understand. The author describes the first peoples as being entwined with the music, the beat of the song leading them to the next steps, the music  entrancing them. This traditional, soothing music allows these troubled aboriginals to enter a different state of mind, one much happier and more hopeful, allowing them to forget their problems, if for a second.
 
Another important value/theme communicated by the author through this poem (and aboriginal peoples in years past) is composure, with the best example deriving from the following: "a public display of rationed revenge serves nothing."  As an individual, or even as a people, one or even a small group could not have fought the government during the 1960's successfully.  Therefore, the Saskatchewan Indians began to craft a plan to start a period of change, one of reconstruction.  Perhaps, if crafted in the correct way, this plan could  help rebuild the relationship between the first peoples and the government to a level where aboriginals and non-aboriginals could be equal in societal life.  Also, if substantial time and effort were dedicated to this plan, the first peoples could manipulate the system to get more benefits for their band and perhaps surrounding ones.  For example, since the closing of the last residential school in 1996, thousands of first nations have been able to get compensation, some fair, most over-the-top, consisting of billions of dollars in land and money.  Horrific stories of rape and racism have driven this movement to become an enormous national issue, one that can make or break elections municipally, provincially, and federally. 
 
 
Lastly, Mrs. Baker helps us realize that the aboriginal population has been able to get back to its traditional roots with the powerful closing lines: "

Cree hit parade will release some traditional lives/dancing not allowed behind bars then songs bring us back to good times Saskatchewan Indians danced free." The author helps the reader realize that the first peoples were able to get their old lives back, while transitioning into modernity.  Obviously, this transition was far from painless, and took decades to accomplish. 
I think that Mrs. Baker has an interesting writing style, as some of the lines in this poem are not quite grammatically correct, however, she is still able to get across the main message and themes-a message of reconstruction, and themes including defiance, what constitutes a traditional aboriginal life, and racism.     I believe that some naysayer would consider this poem to be pro-aboriginal propaganda, and that it should not be available to be viewed publicly.  This may be a fair point, however, it is ijmportant that we, as Canadians realize that these peoples are a huge part of our history, with some nations having been in Canada for 10000 years.  We must not ignore past failures, which are but learning experiences on the road to reconstruction.