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
Why drivers in Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic Canada will see a gas price spike, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
How to avoid the trap of becoming 'house poor'
The journey to home ownership can be exciting, but personal finance columnist Christopher Liew warns about the trappings of becoming 'house poor' -- where an overwhelming portion of your income is devoured by housing costs. Liew offers some practical strategies to maintain better financial health while owning a home.
Toxic forever chemicals in drinking water: Is Canada doing enough?
As the United States sets its first national limits on toxic forever chemicals in drinking water, researchers say Canada is lagging when it comes to regulations.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
McDonald's customers left with 'zero value' collection of free hot drink stickers after company ends program
It took years for Vinnie Deluca to collect more than 400 cards worth of free McDonald's McCafe coffee, a collection that now has "zero value" after the company discontinued the program.
Biden scores endorsements from Kennedy family, looking to shore up support against Trump and RFK Jr.
U.S. President Joe Biden will accept endorsements from at least 15 members of the Kennedy political family during a campaign stop in Philadelphia on Thursday as he aims to undermine Donald Trump and marginalize the candidacy of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Where did the gold go? Crime expert weighs in on unfolding Pearson airport heist investigation
Almost 7,000 bars of pure gold were stolen from Pearson International Airport exactly one year ago during an elaborate heist, but so far only a tiny fraction of that stolen loot has been found.
When new leaders took over in ancient Maya, they didn't just bury the former royals. They burned their bodies in public
New archeological investigations in Guatemala reveal that the ancient Maya people had a ritual of burning royal human remains as a public display of political regime change.
Party's over: Coyotes play final game as Arizona franchise before move to Salt Lake City
Mullett Arena buzzed like few times in the two years since the Arizona Coyotes moved in, the fans amped for one last desert hurrah.