These First Nations kids played a song to attract grizzly bears — and it worked

Akshay Kulkarni · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 18, 2025 10:03 AM EDT | Last Updated: 2 hours ago

A radical of First Nations children played a accepted song with drums connected Sunday at Metro Vancouver's Grouse Mountain, and ended up catching the attraction of funny grizzly bears successful the process.

Six children from the Squamish Nation (Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw) were connected a travel to the fashionable Grouse Mountain resort, which includes a grizzly carnivore wilderness sanctuary where tourists tin get a glimpse of the reclusive creatures.

While there, the children played a tune called the Grizzly Bear Song, which comes from 1 of the nation's hereditary chiefs, Ian Campbell.

And successful a infinitesimal that was caught connected video, bears came retired of the bush and up to the sanctuary obstruction to curiously examine the six drummers, whose accepted opus describes their transportation to quality and to the bears themselves.

WATCH | Squamish Nation kids' drumming attracts grizzlies: 

The video has since gone viral, and some the children and the group's co-ordinator accidental they're arrogant that the nation's practice is present being shown disconnected to a planetary audience.

"It felt, like, truly astonishing ... I felt truthful blessed erstwhile they came truly adjacent to us," said Jonah Nahanee, 1 of the kids.

"It's amusive to sing with my culture," helium added.

The kids successful the radical scope from 10 to 11 years old, and each of them expressed joyousness astatine the information the bears seemed to privation to perceive to their songs.

In the video, a carnivore comes adjacent to the obstruction wherever the boys are singing and looks astatine them each successful crook arsenic they proceed to drum.

One of the boys, Thomas Jacobs, says it's the closest he's ever been to a grizzly.

"I deliberation we've been doing this for 3 oregon 2 years, and I conscionable emotion singing for my culture," helium told CBC News.

'I shed a tear'

Jennifer Nahanee, Jonah's parent and the group's co-ordinator, says the drummers are called the Proud Little Warriors, and they have regular practices astatine slightest erstwhile a month.

She said the kids — who've been learning the Squamish connection and euphony for years — cognize much astir the songs' meaning than she does.

"I don't ever cognize what the words mean, but I tin decidedly consciousness it successful my Sḵwálwen — successful my heart," she said.

"And, you know, I shed a teardrop erstwhile they were singing up astatine Grouse Mountain, conscionable due to the fact that you cognize however arrogant I americium to spot however acold they've come."

Nahanee said that her video has racked up much than a cardinal views, and she's gotten messages of enactment from radical who talk Spanish and different languages.

"I'm happy, you know, to get our connection and our civilization retired there, fto radical cognize that we're inactive here, you know?" Nahanee said. 

"That we are inactive speaking our connection and, you know, we cognize our civilization and our songs and ... Squamish Nation people are inactive here."