Adisokan Festival Celebrates Native Arts

From Arts in Guelph - September/October, 2005

by Anna Contini

The word "adisokan" is an Ojibwa term that refers to the traditional storytellers who travelled between native communities. This oral tradition will continue as Guelph hosts the Third Annual Adisokan Festival on Saturday, September 17, 7-10 p.m. at the Guelph Youth Music Centre. The event will feature Guelph's burgeoning community of Aboriginal art, storytelling, poetry and music.

At the helm of the Adisokan Festival is Rene Meshake, Ojibwa storyteller, poet, artist, musician and founder of the event. He was inspired to organize the Festival as a memorial to his bother who died three years ago, as a way of celebrating his life. The brothers were taken from their Ojibwa home and sent to a Catholic residential school where they suffered abuse and cultural genocide. This in turn led to years of alcohol and drug abuse. Rene hit rock bottom, living under the Bathurst Street Bridge in Toronto, drinking Chinese wine and contemplating suicide. "It was the turn-around point for me," says Rene "and the time to begin a long journey of self-healing."

Rene moved to Guelph in 1991 and began a new life, as a husband, father and native artist. "Art, writing and music have been my therapy," says Rene who divides his time among a bevy of pursuits. He is a filmmaker, singer-songwriter, painter and poet who draws heavily upon his Ojibwa heritage. After becoming involved in a number of local events such as the Hillside Festival and Eden Mills Writers' Festival which featured native arts, Rene became convinced of the need to "have our own festivals rather than just piggybacking onto others." Recognizing the multitude of native artists in Guelph, he decided to organize the first Adisokan Festival in 2003. Here he noticed a newborn baby and was struck by the strong symbolism and parallel between the infant and the birth of the festival.

Like the infant, the Adisokan Festival has grown each year. Not only does the event raise awareness of native issues, but it also focuses on self-esteem building, healing and spiritual awareness. This year the festival will feature traditional hand drummer and singer John Somosi, storyteller Kim Anderson, jazz percussionist Jesse Stewart and the Valerey Lavergne Jazz Trio. Once again, Rene will emcee the event in addition to sharing his poetry, stories and paintings which will be on display in the lobby of the Guelph Youth Music Centre. All of the featured performers have native roots and live in Guelph.

Rene has come a long way since living on the streets of Toronto under the grip of drug and alcohol addiction. "I want to tell the whole world, if I can do it, so can you," he says. Today he continues to rediscover his creative self and Ojibwa roots. The Adisokan Festival is, among other things, a celebration of life and a testimony to the fact that the potential for rebirth exists within us all.