George Lpine, Chief Instructor and creator of Okichitaw Marital Arts.
Inside the Native Canadian Centre of Toronto, the massive auditorium feels as though it’s been naturally carved from stone to create an ancient moss covered cave. This is a gathering place, the heart of a spiritual community. It’s midday of what could be the hottest day of the year, yet the room feels damp and cool, and even though the ceiling stretches nearly 30 feet high, the walls feel close and inviting. The fluorescent lights have been left off and only a few rays of sunlight dance through the long windows that line the sides of the room. The smell of sweetgrass has been permanently burned into every crevice.
You can also smell Mr. Clean. There was a social gathering last night, and George Lpine, creator of the Okichitaw martial art, admits that you never know what you might find on days following evening socials. He’s setting up the room for a class. Several black mats form a square in the centre of the room. Soon students will begin filing in, eager to learn.
“We teach students to prevail in any situation,” says Okimikahn (Cree for Chief Instructor) Lpine.
Lpine grew up in Winnipeg and at the age of 13 was introduced to martial arts through Taekwondo. It was his Taekwondo Grandmaster that encouraged him to embrace his Cree culture and tradition. Through extensive historical research and the traditions that were passed down to him, Lpine developed Okichitaw, an indigenous martial art recognized by the World Martial Arts Union.
According to the school’s literature, Okichitaw is “an Indigenous Martial Art system that uses basic, but aggressive combat movements that allow the martial artist to take their opponent down to the ground and finish out their adversary as quickly as possible.” It’s a system in which even the blocks are designed to damage an opponent. In Okichitaw, if you’re threatened by someone wielding a knife, you don’t back away timidly, but rather throw yourself into the situation like a stampeding buffalo. As an Okichitaw warrior you will practice and embrace the concept of reckless bravery.
And it’s this concept of reckless bravery Lpine hopes his pupils will parlay into their everyday experience. He says that he teaches his students to stand up to injustice, speak up when necessary, and never back down from what they know to be right.
“We teach full commitment in battle… from a position of being uncomfortable [to a] stepping forward and facing your adversary,” Lpine says.
A newcomer has joined the group today, a boy of about ten years old. Lpine shakes the boy’s hand and introduces himself. He asks the boy to squeeze his hand as hard as possible to test his strength. “Now,” asks the Chief Instructor, “should we see how hard I can squeeze?” The boy looks way up and shrugs his shoulders, unsure of his future, and as of yet entirely uncommitted to the situation. Lpine reminds the boy of respect, and asks that he respects his teacher. This is not dominance. It is the first step, the first lesson, of an Okichitaw warrior.
“We never want an easy fight.”
Like many martial arts, Okichitaw has been derived from a weapon system, in this case the Plains Cree Gunstock Warclub—a club shaped like a long gun with a deadly spike at its heel. Fighting movements are designed to emulate the use of the weapon in combat.
Lpine calls on his sons, Sebastian, 17, and Julian, 13, to exhibit some Okichitaw moves. Sebastian is a head taller than his younger brother, and far more broad in the shoulders but this doesn’t faze Julian in the least. The two spar, taking turns throwing each other to the ground. All the while their father stands patiently, watching and advising. He occasionally intercedes to demonstrate how the movements would look if you were actually wielding the gunstock warclub. Imaginary spines are snapped and split open, the opponent is dead on the ground before he knows what hit him, and the Okichitaw warrior has already moved on to the next battle.
He is above all else, deeply conscious of his role. Lpine knows that it is important to teach and to practice so that his culture and history is not lost. “We have to library it… I began my challenge by influence of Asian martial arts, and if we don’t practice [Okichitaw] we lose it.”
Before leaving, Lpine relates a Plains Cree Proverb that says, “Make my enemy strong, courageous and brave, for if I defeat him, I will not be ashamed…”
To which he adds: “The enemy is yourself.”
You can sign up for Okichitaw classes through the Native Canadian Centre of Toronto, 16 Spadina Road.
