Thunder BayWhile the Wake the Giant Music Festival has wrapped up for another year, the Wake the Giant movement continues as students at Dennis Franklin Cromarty High School adjust to life in Thunder Bay, Ont. Here’s what some of the school’s jingle dress dancers shared following their performance at the annual event about moving from the north for school.Annual event a homecoming for students from remote northern Ontario communitiesSarah Law · CBC News · Posted: Sep 07, 2025 11:08 AM EDT | Last Updated: September 7The sixth annual Wake the Giant Music Festival was held on Saturday at the Thunder Bay marina, featuring performances from traditional dancers and a wide range of artists, including a headliner set by the Black Eyed Peas. (Sarah Law/CBC)For Saige Nobis, jingle dress dancing is a form of healing.”I’ve been through a lot of challenges in my life, and one of the ways that I can get out of headspaces is that I can dance,” said the 14-year-old from Sandy Lake First Nation. The Grade 9 student just started her first semester at Dennis Franklin Cromarty High School (DFC), an all-Indigenous high school in Thunder Bay, Ont.Due to the lack of high schools in remote First Nations in the region, dozens of teenagers move to the city each fall to complete their education there.Nobis was among the school’s jingle dress dancers who performed at Saturday’s Wake the Giant Music Festival. The annual event, now in its sixth year, serves as a homecoming for students from the north.The festival is the culmination of a week of orientation activities for those arriving in the city, and was capped off with a headliner performance by the Black Eyed Peas.Wake the Giant began in 2019 as a cultural awareness movement, with the goal of addressing anti-Indigenous racism and the ongoing effects of colonialism in the community.While students are invited to share their culture with the broader community during the festival, they’re also encouraged to lean on each other for support.In Nobis’s case, fellow Sandy Lake members Maacah Kakekapetum and Brisslynn Linklater — who are in Grade 12 — have taken her under their wing.A trio of jingle dress dancers, all from Sandy Lake First Nation, perform at the Wake the Giant Music Festival in Thunder Bay, Ont. They are all students at Dennis Franklin Cromarty High School. From left: Grade 12 student Maacah Kakekapetum, Grade 12 student Brisslynn Linklater, and Grade 9 student Saige Nobis. (Sarah Law/CBC)”I was super excited because since this is my second year, I was able to lead the other students and the people that have never danced before,” Kakekapetum said. “I went on stage first and led them around and it was so fun. I loved it.”This was Linklater’s first time dancing at Wake the Giant. “I have always thrived being in front of an audience and on stage especially, so I feel like this is such an honour,” Linklater said.As those like Nobis adjust to life in Thunder Bay, the Grade 12 students shared some advice for their peers.”Just talk to people, even if you’re anxious or if you’re scared,” Kakekapetum said. “You’ll be surprised at how nice and kind people actually are.””Make friends with people that you know are nice, are good influences. Stay in groups,” Linklater added. “While the city may be scary, just as long as you have at least one person who knows you, you’ll be completely OK.”Jacqueline Goodman, centre, is an elder and language teacher at Dennis Franklin Cromarty High School in Thunder Bay, Ont. She says a lot of new students are shy at first, but she encourages them to ask for help. Behind her is elder Teri Fiddler (left) and teacher Tara Beacham. (Sarah Law/CBC)Jacqueline Goodman is an elder and language teacher at DFC whose grandson just started high school. While many of the new students are still feeling shy, she said, she encourages them to put themselves out there and ask for help.”They’re still scared, I guess, but we’re hoping that they’ll get used to it and ask more questions,” Goodman said. “Elders and the teachers at DFC and everybody is there to help them.”In Nobis’s view, kindness can go a long way.”Don’t be afraid to go up to someone and say, ‘hey, you’re so pretty’ or ‘you dress nice’ or stuff like that,” she said. “It’s definitely going to be hard in your first few weeks of school, but it gets better as you get to know your classmates.”While the music festival is over, the Wake the Giant movement is year-round. Businesses and organizations that are interested in becoming involved can use a newly-launched online learning platform to complete Indigenous Culture and Inclusivity Training. More information can be found on Wake the Giant’s website.ABOUT THE AUTHORSarah Law is a CBC News reporter based in Thunder Bay, Ont., and has also worked for newspapers and online publications elsewhere in the province. Have a story tip? You can reach her at sarah.law@cbc.ca
Wake the Giant Music Festival in Thunder Bay connects First Nation students to community
