Blood Tribe singer performs national anthem at Toronto Blue Jays game
The nerves were high for Tsuaki Marule as she sang O Canada in front of thousands of fans at the Toronto Blue Jays game on Friday.
“It was an amazing feeling,” Marule said.
“I felt a lot of pride to be able to do the performance in Blackfoot, to represent my people, the Niitsitapi people.”
Marule, who is from the Blood Tribe, performed the national anthem in English, French and Blackfoot.
It's an experience she’ll never forget.
“I wasn’t able to speak Blackfoot fluently because of the residential schools,” Marule said.
“A lot of my cousins can’t because that break in our culture took place, so for me, being able to sing the song in Blackfoot is a way of rebuilding that language and that pride in your language and culture because that’s what was taken away.”
Tsuaki Marule performed the national anthem at Friday's Toronto Blue Jays game in English, French and Blackfoot.
Friday marked the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation across Canada.
Marule says being able to perform on a national level, while raising awareness of those who attended residential schools, made the day extra special for her.
“The Blue Jays wanted to have somebody represent an Indigenous tribe for Truth and Reconciliation Day,” Marule told CTV News.
“Because of what this day means, I have aunts, uncles and relatives that all attended residential schools, so I’m very aware of the fallout from that experience for them and our community.
“It’s very moving that the Blue Jays are doing such a presentation to honour this day. I think it puts a lot of emphasis on this day.”
A teacher at Red Crow Community College in Stand Off, Alta., Marule began singing when she was in high school.
“After going to the U of L and when I was first teaching out of university, I was teaching on the Blood Reserve at an elementary school and it was a Blackfoot immersion program and the Blackfoot immersion teacher asked me if I could teach her Grade 4 students to sing O Canada in Blackfoot for their end-of-the-year presentation,” she said.
“Ever since then, I’ve been asked to sing O Canada at various places in Blackfoot, so I’m really grateful for her.”
The chance to sing at a Toronto Blue Jays game came earlier this summer when Marule was visiting Edmonton.
“I was in Edmonton this summer and I got a phone call from a fellow who said he was with the Blue Jays and was wanting to know if I would be willing to come to Toronto to sing the national anthem at one of their games,” she said.
“At first, I thought he was joking and I said ‘yeah sure’ and at the beginning of September they confirmed the date and they wanted me to come out because today is Truth and Reconciliation Day.”
Marule says the support leading up to her big moment has been unbelievable.
“I’m really proud of where I come from and I’m really excited to be representing our tribe, Lethbridge and Alberta today.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'Still so much love between us,' Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
What to know about avian influenza in dairy cows and the risk to humans
Why is H5N1, or bird flu, a concern, how does it spread, and is there a vaccine? Here are the answers to some frequently asked questions about avian influenza.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
opinion The special relationship between King Charles and the Princess of Wales
Royal commentator Afua Hagan writes that when King Charles recently admitted Catherine to the Order of the Companions of Honour, it not only made history, but it reinforced the strong bond between the King and his beloved daughter-in-law.
Pro-plastic lobbyist presence at UN talks is 'troubling,' say advocates
Environmentalist groups are sounding the alarm about a steep increase in the number of pro-plastic lobbyists at the UN pollution talks taking place this week.
'Too young to have breast cancer': Rates among young Canadian women rising
Breast cancer rates are rising in Canada among women in their 20s, 30s and 40s, according to research by the University of Ottawa (uOttawa).
Charlie Woods, son of Tiger, shoots 81 in U.S. Open qualifier
Charlie Woods failed to advance in a U.S. Open local qualifying event Thursday, shooting a 9-over 81 at Legacy Golf & Tennis Club.
$70M Lotto Max winners kept prize a secret from family for 2 months
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Trump's lawyers grill ex-tabloid publisher as 1st week of hush money trial testimony nears a close
After prosecutors' lead witness painted a tawdry portrait of “catch-and-kill” tabloid schemes, defence lawyers in Donald Trump's criminal trial on Friday sought to dig into an account of the former publisher of the National Enquirer and his efforts to protect Trump from negative stories during the 2016 election.