Forging a new pathway

In Wade Whitstone’s Indigenous culture, the Grass Dance is an important one. It symbolizes the way scouts and warriors would dance to flatten the grass for a new village, meeting or ceremony space, preparing the ground for the rest of the villagers following behind.

As both a Lakeland alumnus and a grass dancer, Whitstone knows first-hand the difference it can make, forging a path alone versus following in the footsteps of those who went before.

Whitstone began his business program studies at Lakeland College before the introduction of the Indigenous Student Council (ISC) and the Indigenous Student Lounge. Without those resources in place, he struggled.

“I went into business to understand money and finance, to learn the financial literacy I hadn’t had an opportunity to learn in my community. I wanted to understand taxes, building equity, business aspects, and understand myself to gain that knowledge and find my footing for my own future,” he says. “The first year was a learning curve for sure. I didn’t really have any resources or understanding of what I was doing.”

When the ISC and the Indigenous Student Lounge both launched in 2018, it gave him the resources and mentorship he needed to find his footing.

“As an Indigenous student, it helped me connect and find a place with other like-minded students. I developed my relationships with my instructors and classmates more as well. The advisor helped me grow more comfortable at Lakeland and talked me through a lot of things. He pushed me and gave me the courage to do what I needed to do. Having that kind of mentorship was so helpful, not just for Indigenous students, but all students. It helped me grow a lot.”

Eventually, Whitstone became a member of the ISC as well. He graduated with a business administration diploma in 2019, right before the COVID-19 shutdowns began and the birth of his first child.

“There were a lot of things happening during that time – a lot of adjusting to the changing status of the world and being a new parent, trying to find my footing in what I had learned and what I had gained.”

Whitstone began to find work and meaning through his Indigenous practices. Drawing on his business education, Whitstone successfully forged a new career pathway in Indigenous dance. He began dancing, teaching and using his culture to help spread awareness. He’d been a dancer as a child but had stopped at a young age. Returning to dance helped him find and express himself.

“My culture has helped me keep afloat,” he says. “It’s helped me share who I am and what I do, and helped me connect. I’ve been putting my heart and soul into it, keeping my body, mind and being well-attuned so I can strongly express myself and show the world what I am capable of.”

He has performed cultural practices at Lakeland College, the University of Alberta and other venues. He has taught workshops for hairstyling students at Lakeland about the importance of hair in Indigenous culture.

In September 2023, he returned to Lakeland to dance at a powwow in the same building where he had studied. He performed the Grass Dance, explaining the history and importance of the dance.

“It originated so long ago,” Whitstone explains. “The leaders, the bravest warriors, the scouts would dance and stomp the grass down, carrying messages and preparing the land.”

The experience was a cathartic one for him.

“It was such a good experience to come back to Lakeland in such a cultural way and to show who I am and what I love to do and how I express myself. It was good to be able to show the students and everyone what we love to do, not just for show, but for a living and a way of life."