For the past two decades, Robert Spade has dedicated his career to community building. He spent several years valiantly working as a firefighter, a child and youth worker, and as a cultural advisor for many institutions and organizations. In addition to these already numerous hats, he also enjoys painting, beading, songwriting and describes himself as a “sun dancer, traditional dancer, and drum keeper”.
A teacher at heart, he’s eager to share his passion and knowledge with those hoping to learn. He is now teaching his first undergraduate course at the Schulich School of Music, titled Ojibwe Song and Drum.
In this Q&A, Robert discusses his passion for teaching, Ojibwe traditions, cultural appreciation, and the role of music in truth and reconciliation.
Your devotion to teaching, educating, and training threads throughout your career. What is it about sharing your knowledge with others that makes you so passionate?
Well, I was born and raised in northern Ontario. My formative years were spent with my immediate family, and I learned from my Elders including my parents, choomish John Spade, my aunty Josie Kwandibens and many others whose worldview and way of life was informed completely by our Ojibwe language and relationship with the land. These are the people that ensured I was gifted with things key to who I am today, including my clan. I was raised as sturgeon clan (namay nindoodem) and according to our ways, sturgeons are the educators. Within Ojibwe culture, education is about both individual and collective growth. We believe that an individual is born brilliant…with all the tools and abilities to live a good life. It’s not the educator’s job to deposit information in order to make a person more “learned”; instead, it’s about facilitating relationships to all kinds of knowledges in the hopes that the learner is able to develop their own, strong relationship to that knowledge. What makes me passionate is my ability to share what I know in a way that honours my relatives and those who came before me… in a way that both “speaks back” to many incorrect things that have been documented about Ojibwe people and speaks forward to a community of people that is more informed and respectful of our knowledges.
In its final report issued nearly ten years ago, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada called on all Canadian institutions and citizens to “honour the past and reconcile the future.” How do you think that music can contribute to this never-ending effort?
There is no reconciliation without truth and when it comes to learning about the legacy of Indian education in Canada…and about the many injustices Indigenous Peoples here have and continue to endure…music is a way to share truths that are hard to hear and process for people. I think when histories are delivered through music, it is a very effective way to reach not only a person’s mind, but also their heart and spirit. This is important because this helps remind a person that they are not just a student number…they are a human being. I have watched people get overwhelmed and resist the difficult truths that Indigenous Peoples share many times, but when there is music or art, they are reminded of their own humanity. This goes for Indigenous Peoples too. Sometimes our truths are too hard to speak and the only way we can share things is through our songs.
There can be a thin line between cultural appropriation and appreciation. As an Indigenous cultural advisor, what advises do you have for students looking to learn more about indigenous studies in a way that is culturally sensitive?
My dad always said that as Ojibwe people, we retain and share our culture so that others may remember they have their own. This is always in the back of my mind as an educator. I always tell my students; I am here teaching what I know. I am not the absolute authority on anything. I am not here teaching Ojibwe knowledge so that they can turn around and appropriate or replicate this knowledge for their own pursuits. What I want them to understand is the role and value of Ojibwe music in all aspects of Ojibwe life so that it inspires them to look at their own lives…their own family histories…their own cultures…and think more about how music connects them to their kin, community, and the land. The way to honour Indigenous Peoples is to be open and honest about their own histories, including the histories of the people who got them to where they are today.
You have recently joined the Schulich School of Music as an Assistant Professor. Can you tell us more about the course that you are teaching this semester?
This term I am teaching Ojibwe Song and Drum. It is a course that introduces students to the role and meaning of drum and song within Ojibwe society. It supports students in understanding the interconnected relationship between song and story across themes including creation, land, language and spirit.
What excites you the most about working with Schulich students and faculty?
As a newcomer, I am looking forward to getting to know more students and faculty. What I enjoy about working with students in Schulich, is getting to know them including what inspired them to pursue music, where they are from, what and who grounds them. As an Objiwe Anishinaabe educator, relationships are at the core of who we are and how we learn.
What musical works do you consider “essential listening” for music lovers, regardless of genre? And who are some Indigenous musicians everyone should check out?
My parents were musicians. We lived in the far north, with no road access. This made music even more important because it brought people together and was the key form of entertainment. They would play CCR, country music, gospel music…everything. They listened to and played all genres of music. To this day I enjoy all music. I would encourage people to check out the film, “Rumble: The Indians Who Rocked the World” because it really opens your eyes to how Indigenous Peoples across Turtle Island have shaped popular music today. You will learn, for example, how Tony Bennett’s style was completely informed by Mildred Bailey (Coeur D’Alene Tribe) and the traditional style of singing that she brought to jazz music.
