A group of Saskatchewan Elders were surprised when an outsider they met spoke to them in Cree. It quickly became an enjoyable exchange with the man who was accompanied by well-known powwow performer Patrick Mitsuing, and who arrived bearing traditional gifts that showed respect for Plains Cree culture.
The visitor was Arieh Smith, a 33-year-old American who can speak around 50 languages and has over six million followers on his YouTube channel. He visited Loon Lake in northern Saskatchewan to learn and promote Cree language and culture.
“I’ve done this with Indigenous communities across North and South America,” said Smith, who lives in New York City. “But this time was really special because I had Patrick there to guide me and take me around the community.”
Smith was treated to the full experience, participating in a sweat lodge, helping prepare a traditional meal, and being taken on a dog-sled ride. “It was colder than I expected, but also way cooler than I ever could have imagined,” he said.
“At first the Elders were thinking, ‘Who is this weirdo with the camera?’ Then, when I started speaking Cree, they were like, ‘Okay, that’s pretty cool.’ It was an emotional connection to a people and a community who I would never have encountered without learning their language.”
Mitsuing was eager to make this cross-cultural connection with Smith and organized the visit in February.
Mitsuing is the founder of Powwow Times, a non-profit company that promotes Indigenous culture. He says that culture and entertainment are key elements in the efforts to preserve Indigenous ways of life.
“We have this online language program that we just launched called Repeat After Me Cree, where we teach 52 weeks of Cree. I was wondering how to promote it, and get it out there,” explained Mitsuing.
The website’s name reflects its teaching approach – repetition, which is an integral part of each interactive lesson. Under the guidance of seasoned Cree teacher Julia Ouellette, the online program is an opportunity to learn one of the most widely spoken Indigenous languages in North America.
“If you’re wondering how hard it is to learn Cree, don’t be daunted,” said Mitsuing. “The answer is that with the right resources and dedication, anyone can master this beautiful language.”
Mitsuing was wondering how to promote the program when he discovered Smith’s YouTube channel and saw that Smith spoke many languages including several Indigenous ones. He sent Smith a message, explaining what a few days in the community would look like.
“About a week later I got a reply saying that he was interested in what I was trying to do and then it went really quickly after that,” Mitsuing explained. “It was amazing to have a guy that was willing to come in, learn our language, and promote it to his audience of millions who follow him on YouTube.”
Mitsuing says that Smith and community members discussed how to promote the Cree language and reach younger generations. “When you do it through platforms like YouTube, TikTok or Facebook, it’s a way to connect with the youth. This video idea was about inspiring our youth to speak Cree,” Mitsuing observed.
Learning from a fluent Cree speaker provides authentic pronunciations, shares cultural nuances tied to the language, and offers insights often missed in textbooks or automated programs.
Mitsuing notes that some people say the language is too hard to learn or that they don’t have enough resources, but Smith shows them that it’s possible.
“The comments that I’ve seen from his videos, from his shorts and reels that he did from this content., I see a lot of young Indigenous and even older crowds saying, ‘If he could learn, I could learn. If he’s doing it, I could do it’.”