When Teagan Littlechief sings in front of thousands of fans at Sunday’s Grey Cup game, she’ll be thinking about Canada’s Indigenous youth.
Littlechief, who is from White Bear First Nation on Treaty 4 territory in southeastern Saskatchewan, says she was often the only Indigenous person on stage when she first started performing.
“My thing is being able to show society that First Nations people are just as talented as any other race. I’ve always wanted our First Nations people out there to flaunt what we’ve got and show society what we have to offer,” the 35-year-old said in an interview with The Canadian Press.
“I hope that’s what I’m able to do is maybe break a barrier down for our youth.”
Littlechief is to perform O Canada in three languages – English, French and Cree – at the CFL’s championship game in Regina between the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Toronto Argonauts.
Only fluent in English, Littlechief has been leaning on a Cree teacher and French friend to help her practice the national anthem in the other languages.
Littlechief said she believes she may be the first to sing the anthem at a Grey Cup in Cree. Juno award winner Susan Aglukark, who blends Inuit folk music traditions with country songwriting, sang the anthem for the 1998 Grey Cup in Winnipeg.