2010 Olympic Winter Games Opening Ceremony: Aboriginal Peoples Shine

The Aboriginal Four Host First Nations welcomed the athletes at the opening ceremonies of the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver, Canada. The First Nations speakers were from the Lil'wat, Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh tribes. They were surrounded by welcome Totem Poles that resembled tall ice glaciers. 300 Aboriginal youth performers from the First Nations, Inuit and Metis joined in the celebration with their bright, colorful and traditional costumes.

Native actresses Chantal Rondeau and Lisa Muswagon were dancers in the opening ceremony. Men and women hoop dancers (my favorite), drummers, men's fast & fancy and women's shawl dancers, joined them. As the parade of athletes walked into the stadium, NBC commentator Bob Costas praised the Aboriginal dancers for their stamina and grace. The native performers even danced energetically with singers Nelly Furtado and Bryan Adams with their tribute song Bang the Drum. The 2,600 athletes and Canadian spectators were all beating their own white "single-hand" drums throughout. That was way, way cool.

The theme for the opening ceremony was called "Landscape of a Dream." The audience followed chosen travelers across Canada. We were transported to every region from the frozen icebergs, secluded mountaintops, and prairie grasslands and then into the deep oceans. We saw salmon, eagles, bears, whales, running horses (my favorite) and huge horizons above. Narrator and Actor, Donald Sutherland even quoted from a speech by Chief Dan George. The audience burst into applause upon hearing it.

The impressive Totem Poles and the Aboriginal designs from a spectacular lighting display was a feast for the eyes. It was very clear that the First Nations peoples were strongly represented in the opening ceremony. It is about time and what a better place to receive such recognition than during the 2010 Olympic Winter Games. NBC drew an impressive 32.6 million viewers for Friday night's broadcast.

Other highlights were of skiers & skateboarders flying in the air against the backdrop of Olympic images. There were gigantic colorful autumn leaves surrounded by dancers and violin players. Also included was singer K.D. Lange, a You-Tube Star poet and The Great One Wayne Gretzky who was the final Olympic torchbearer.

Film Director Paul Haggis, Lionel Richie and Quincy Jones executive produced an updated version of the 1980's classic song We Are the World. A short clip was shown during the opening ceremony. 85 musical artists gathered together to record this new version to help raise money for the people of Haiti. You can download the full version at itunes and your money will go straight to helping in the relief effort. People are already drawing comparisons from the two recordings. Both versions are for a good cause. I prefer the original because I grew up in the 1980's and it was unprecedented at that time. Steve Perry (my favorite) sang in that version. The late singer Michael Jackson is in both recordings.