Every once and a while the internet can be a great place and provide that little bit of joy to get you through the day.
And that is exactly what happened for over 790,000 people this weekend, as that’s how many views Baby Lakeyn has gotten after a video of him dancing at a powwow in Ochapowace First Nation went viral online.
The baby boy can be seen dressed in traditional clothing and dancing along with his aunts and uncles.
The powwow was held to honour those who have died during the COVID-19 pandemic in the Ochapowace community.
“It’s an opportunity for our nation members that live away from our community or visitors to come home and to heal through song and dance,” Lynn Bear said, a headwoman and elected leader in the community of Ochapowace.
“The dancers and the singers bring their gifts to us, and they dance for those who can’t dance.”
Dances were performed to honour family members that have passed away, including Bear’s mother. It was Bear’s family that went viral, as her brother’s grandson jumped and danced with his family in honour of her mother.
“That’s my brother’s grandson and his name is Lakeyn,” Bear said as she watched the video. “And so all four of them were dancing to honor my mother. They stole the show.
“It was so beautiful and it was emotional. And I honestly still haven’t had time to observe the whole weekend.”
The video was captured by Jared Allary of Red Thunderbird Aerial Photography. In a Facebook message, Allary said, “I knew it was something special so I recorded it ASAP. It gave me the chills and a deep sense of pride.”
Bear said seeing the baby dancing with his family is something she will never forget, and she hopes it provides a little bit of joy to everyone as it has for her through a difficult time in her life.
“I’m just so thankful that that somebody was able to capture it on social media,” Bear explained. “And that’s the beauty of social media. It (can be) great and it’s inspiring, inspiring for all ages, for everybody. And that warms our heart.”
As for Baby Lakeyn, Bear hopes in the future he can look back on that video and see the impact he had on thousands of people around the world.
“Our young ones are watching us,” Bear said. “They’re seeing that. We want our young ones to carry on with our traditions and our culture and our ways because it makes us stronger.”