From when he was a little boy, Robert McArthur of the White Bear First Nation has been drawn to the cultural side of his family’s heritage and having always been told where he comes from, he has had his feet grounded in identity.
“That grounding in the beginning helped me to never forget it along the way,” he elaborated as he described raising triplet daughters with his wife and seeing them on to success and growth in their life.
It was recently announced that McArthur would receive an SK Arts Grant for a new album of lullabies that he has written.
Laughing about the stories he hears from his now adult children that he never knew about at the time, he was grateful that they raised their daughters to experience life’s ups and downs knowing their identities as well.
McArthur’s mother was a Nakota Cree woman and his father was from the Dakota Cree First Nation, and he gave a deep history lesson about the distinctions, divisions and dialects that determine the identity they embrace. Although we learn about our First Nation history in our schools, McArthur said cultural connectedness is a topic he speaks on and would like all First Nation and white people to truly understand as it is beautiful, and the young people need to know.
Taught about the importance of native songs and that they have songs for everything from his grandfather, McArthur was intrigued by lullabies and the very beginning of language presented to children from the mother in the womb. His Lakota Uncle from South Dakota, one of his greatest mentors, has shared the wisdom about how lullabies connect you to your language, your mother and your identity, which is the actual energy you are born with.
“Being a mover and connecting with people in deep sharing and learning conversations is what I love,” McArthur explained. “When we connect with people like that we call it ‘making relatives’ and when I slow down and am patient to listen, people are willing to share knowledge. From the Blackfoot people, the Arapaho people, the Lakota people, the Dakota and Nakota tribe to all the Cree people I have been able to pose the simple question: ‘Have you heard lullabies, where did they come from and what did they mean to you?’”
Unfortunately, McArthur said there are not a lot of people who have kept them alive and passed them on to their children, “They fell asleep,” he said “but I have met a few people that had kept one alive and they shared them with me.”
He spoke of a recent elder family member passing on where he had an opportunity to talk with a young nephew who is expecting a baby. Excitement rose in his voice as he explained how he got to congratulate this young man and share the idea of lullabies, encouraging him to share this with the baby in utero. The young man’s eye were wide as he had never heard this before. McArthur shared a lullaby that would connect with the baby and calm them down to give the mother rest as she carries the precious child.
“You are born with two energies,” he explained. “The first one is from the beginning of being inside of your mother and the second comes closer to delivery. That is the one you are born with. Some people call it the soul, we call it your spirit and you will live with it your whole life.”
He explained how the mother takes care of that spirit to begin with and then hands it over to others to train, learn and grow.
The SK Arts grant awarded will be essential in helping McArthur to finish the recording and marketing of his album of lullabies to the world. As COVID will not allow him to travel to where he records in studio and trying to do it virtually just did not work well at all, he is still planning on how to finish the entire project and can hardly wait until things open back up. He has created 30 lullabies so far and has 15 recorded.
“The Nakota language has so much sound to it,” McArthur explains, “and it gives our young people a head start to their identity.” He seemed a little sad that some young people really don’t care but he realizes some are starting to seek their identity in these ways.
The $16,000 grant will allow McArthur to build on his existing work of creating lullabies, recording them, as well as designing a book and presentation series.
Presently McArthur teaches language at Pheasant Rump First Nation Middle School. His gratitude for the ability to continue this work was so strong and he is excited to share his creation with the world. Not only did he let me listen to a lullaby during our interview which stated, “I will see you have your language”, he sent a picture of the possible cover of the album and emailed a lullaby that is almost finished named “This Child is a Gift.”
McArthur has an idea to sing with an orchestra to have the instruments connect with the sounds but when you hear his voice, the sounds and rhythm, you will agree it is calming and empowering at the same time.
Watch here for details of the release date for lullabies created by White Bear’s own Robert McArthur.
