Cree-ways a unique radio program promotes culture.

NORTH BATTLEFORD 

It is funny, educational and can be heard once a week. The Cree-ways radio program, a broadcast heard every Sunday morning in the Battleford and Meadow Lake areas is where listeners can tune into 1050 CJNB and 102.3 CJNS to hear announcer Roger Fox speak the Cree language.

"One of the great things about this radio program is that we try to keep it very jovial and very humorous, a lot of humor into it and it keeps people waking up to it. That's what they tell me anyways, that it's nice to wake up to the program," explains Fox, a veteran in broadcasting and originally from the Sweetgrass First Nation.

For a full hour from 10 am, Fox talks about Aboriginal entertainment, news, music and the weather all broadcast in Cree.

He also has regular discussions with Cree Elders and chiefs on topics relating to Aboriginal people. He talks with organizers of round dances and powwows about the coming event, and hears from experts on drug and alcohol abuse issues. As well, he relays his own knowledge of spiritual and historical teachings to listeners.

Fox started the Cree radio program in April 1995 with the help of radio manager David Dekker, after he returned to Saskatchewan from Lac La Biche where he worked for The Native Perspective doing a similar program.

"When I came back home I had a little dream that basically told me the importance of language within our culture. And somehow I came down and approached the radio station and thinking that our voices should be heard here because there's, I think nine different Native communities around here," said Fox.

At the time, he talked to Dekker about his idea and Dekker agreed to air the program in a half hour segment on CJNB.

"Roger came to me twelve, almost thirteen years ago, and said 'I have this vision, I would like to do this'," recalls Dekker. "We hit it off right from the beginning and we've become good friends over these years and we're both very proud of the work that he's done on the program and the response from various communities."

Fox chose to do the program live because he wanted to give his fellow First Nations and other people a chance to phone in to the radio.

"We've opened up a segment of our program basically to just do birthday greetings and also to come up with any of their happenings within the community," Fox said. "And from that half hour we gradually moved up to an hour, which was a wonderful thing because we have quite an audience here now."

Dekker said he listens to the program and hears Fox talk about the philosophy and values of the Cree way of life and of his joy at just being alive every day. Fox also demonstrates pride in his Aboriginal heritage, he adds.

One year ago, Fox contacted teachers at local schools and invited First Nations students into the station.

"Their kids came on the radio. We taped them doing poems and they did some singing, they did some storytelling, and it was very powerful," Dekker explained.

The student's use of the Cree language was cut into segments and every now and then during the program it is added, and it was this idea that contributed to the win of a national award.

Cree-ways was presented an award in November 2007 by the Canadian Association of Broadcasters at their annual convention after Dekker submitted it for the Best Aboriginal Radio Program category. Out of entries from all across Canada it was chosen as a finalist and at the awards banquet was announced the winner.

"We're very proud because its been judged the best Aboriginal radio program in the country," Dekker expressed. "It's very rare and we're one of the few there are great Aboriginal broadcasters, like the ones in Alberta, and Missinnipi (that) do provide language programming--but for commercial radio, for that to happen very few commercial radio stations that have First Nations language specific programming. Roger has a great following here," noted.

Dekker recalls a phone call Fox received a few weeks ago on the radio from a man in Seattle, Washington who was listening to the program through the Internet.

"He's from this area and just found it great that he was able to kind of keep up on what's going on and in his Native language," Dekker said.

Fox is not only open to the different regions of his listeners, but also to the cultural diversity. He explains that one of his goals is to build bridges between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people in his community.

"When I walk down the street non-Aboriginal people can come up to me and say 'tansi!' and that means 'hello' in Cree and they picked that up from the radio. So it tells you that there's non-Aboriginal people listening," he said.

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Dekker added when Fox is on the radio there's no question where he's broadcasting from, "everyone knows, if you want to know what's happening in Sweetgrass on any given week, if you tune in to Roger, you'll find out," he stated. "Same with Mosquito and Saulteaux and all the First Nations."

Fox gives credit to the supporters of the program such as the local First Nations, Battleford Indian Child and Family Services, Whiterock Gas and Confectionary, and the non-Aboriginal establishments in the area like Sobeys, Co-op, and Guy's Furniture.

"And other people who come on here to support this program, that's how we keep it up. The support we get from the local Battleford's Agency Tribal Council chiefs, the local health centre, they've come on board too. And we just want to mention these people because we're so thankful to them."

BY CHRISTINE FIDDLER

Sage Staff Writer