First Nations Storytellers

04/09/2025

New blog post alert!
We've got the inside scoop on our co-founder and storyteller, Dave. Read more to learn about his journey into storytelling!🪶

Dave Smith never saw himself as a storyteller. When he was first approached with the idea of First Nations Storytellers, his instinct was to say no. He wasn’t a public speaker, never worked in tourism, and had no experience as a business owner. He had failed history in school. What’s more, he ha...

04/07/2025

Thank you to CC Goodwin Consulting for the kind words 🧡🪶 We've had a great time meeting and working with your team!

04/03/2025

What exactly do we get up to in the cold weather? We have the opportunity to speak in classrooms throughout Anglophone South School District through the winter months. It has been such a joy to engage with these young and curious groups, and we look forward to our final few presentations this month!

03/31/2025

Today is the national day for Indigenous languages. We celebrate the hundreds of languages through which stories and knowledge have been passed down for thousands of years. Cultures and histories persist through language. Some have been lost, but so much remains through the communities that have fought to continue speaking their truths and their languages.

https://commissionforindigenouslanguages.ca/commission-activities/statement-national-indigenous-languages-day/

03/26/2025

Glooscap is a hero that appears in a lot of stories across all the Wabanaki Nations. He has long left us for a far away land and it is said that if we looked long enough he would return in our time of greatest need. I started my journey of looking for him a little over three years ago. I have read stories from right across the Lands of the Rising Sun, trying to find the spirit of who he was. He was our protector, our provider, a teacher.

He is my greatest teacher. He taught me the tread lightly, he taught me to be who I am and not be anything else, he taught me that ego is a poor reason to do something and to make sure anything I do benefits everyone, I am not wealthy doing what I do, unless you measure it by the number of connections I made with people through this journey. If I have earned notoriety for the stories I share then I want to make sure it's for the good medicine that I provide and the opportunities it brings to others who have lost their voice.

I worked in a world that I did not fit into. I quit that world to do what I do now and I have always had faith that the stories I tell will always protect me. I don't walk around as an Elder, or Knowledge Keeper, Song Keeper, Ceremonial Leader or Language Keeper. I do this to allow me to be taught by my people the Red Road. Some of these lessons are nice, some will be hard and tough. But I will still be here. I promised people when I started that I was 45 years old and in 45 more years I would be doing this in my own language.

I am new to this. But anyone who has ever taken to time to know me personally knows I talk from the heart.

It's true, I could have just stayed in my office and typed away my life, never learning who I am. But in the risk I have taken, this journey of First Nations Storytellers, I have learned more about myself than I had imagined I would. Kind words, unkind word. All lessons. Not lessons to stop but lessons to make sure my heart stays pure and my focus on making sure my efforts pave a path to reconciliation for everyone to enjoy.

My words are not aways right, but that heart and focus always are.

03/24/2025

It is said, that as the cycle of night and day progressed, as the geese flew back home, as the clouds moved across the sky, we at First Nations Storytellers did not get any emails between the dates of March 17 and March 20 due to the migration of our website to another server. It is with regret we did not notice this until many cycles of the sun. If you attempted to email us, it is very likely we did not receive your message. For this, we apologize and we will likely never do it again until at least we decide to migrate our website again. Until then, resend us your missives and important dispatches. We are all watching our inboxes intently for your words. We thank you, wela’liek.

03/23/2025

Mother Nature is not cooperating today. Echoes by Bonfire is cancelled

03/22/2025

Happening now! We are happy to be hosting our friends at Wabanaki Stone Tools today at the Hilton as part of the Spring Tide Shanty Fest. We first met Brian three years ago at Neqotkuk powwow where he was demonstrating his craft for the community. We plan on continuing our support of this up and coming storyteller and artist and we are proud to bring his story to Menahqesk (Saint John). Watch for them and follow them for upcoming events/workshops.

03/07/2025

From the desk of co-founder Dave,

Today I attended the PRUDE Inc. High Tea in celebration of the upcoming International Women’s Day. There were some truly remarkable speakers and moments of vulnerability that humbled me.

I was reminded that if First Nations Storytellers has had any success, it’s due to the nurturing of the many strong women that we met along the way. From my business partner, to my daughter, to my best friends and sisters and the many mothers that took me under their wing through the years to ensure I had the nurturing I needed to become the voice I am today. I remember and recognize the many partners, their feminine energies seeing that what we are doing, is worthy of their support. I was checking our analytics for our page and it’s over 90% women following our journey of discovery. In times of falling short there is always caring hands there dusting me off and sending me on my way. In times of success it is the community of successful women that sing our praises the loudest. Almost all of the teachers I remember growing up, it was the women that saw my gifts and encouraged me the most. I may have grown up without a mother but I definitely didn’t lack the nurturing needed to become the best version of myself. Some of you may only have joined me on this path recently , others have been there the entire time. From me to you I want to thank you for being there.

I had two mothers, the one who gave birth to me and one that made me part of the family. Though neither of them would ever see what I was truly capable of, I always try to ensure that if they somehow could look at me now they’d be proud of who I’ve become.

This International Women’s Day, take the time to acknowledge a strong women in your life. They breath life into everything they do and we all need more of this energy:

02/10/2025

Dave and Ellis learning lots from Mark Hemmings Photography workshop hosted by Envision Saint John: The Regional Growth Agency ♥️📸

01/30/2025

We have visited businesses across New Brunswick to facilitate discussion and understanding about the role we all play in sharing this land. 🌎 To join in the conversation, reach out to us at [email protected] 🪶

01/27/2025

Our classroom presentations at school throughout Anglophone South School District are in full swing! We have already met over 800 students from grades 1-12. Thank you to all of the teachers who have hosted us, and we can't wait to meet all of our upcoming classes! 🪶

01/21/2025

We will be at Rockwood Glows for drumming and stories from 4pm-5pm inside Lily Lake Pavilion ❄ See you there!

We are planning loads of family fun in the Park during Fundy Winterfest❄️☃️🧤🧣

01/17/2025

More fires are coming your way!🔥Our upcoming dates for Sunday Afternoon Campfires are January 26th and February 9th. To book your spot, head over to our website at https://firstnationsstorytellers.com/book-now

01/14/2025

Do you aspire to expand your perspective in 2025? Our mission is to provide a new way of looking at Saint John, New Brunswick, and all of Canada. Come talk with us. Let's grow together 🍁🪶

01/12/2025

We will be showshoeing this weekend at Spooner Island Nature Park for Fundy Winterfest in Hampton, NB! Check out the event page for more info, or to sign up & save your spot ❄

https://www.facebook.com/share/1YGgXGQmKC/

01/06/2025

Our 2025 winter campfires begin this weekend! ❄🔥 Join us for stories and tea in beautiful Fallsview Park. To book your spot, check out our booking page at https://firstnationsstorytellers.com/book-now

12/25/2024

Happy Holidays from all of us at First Nations Storytellers! We are currently on Christmas Break, and we'll see you back here on January 6th❄😊