Tag Archives: music

Module 2 – Post 1 – Old Connections

I had a very interesting and personal day of research for my project. While looking for contemporary indigenous musicians, I stumbled upon the SoundCloud site of one of my childhood best friend’s younger brother. Dean Hunt (a.k.a DJ Deano) is a member of an “Indigenous Audio-Visual crew” called Skookum Sound System based in Sechelt, BC. After further research, I found that he is also doing First Nations carving as his father, J. Bradley Hunt, did while we were growing up. I was able to find that my childhood friend, Shawn Hunt, is also involved in many fine arts media including carving, painting, sculpture, and jewelry. It looks like he is doing very well, as he received the British Columbia Creative Achievement Award in 2011 and has exhibited his work at the Museum of Art and Design in New York, the McCord Museum in Montreal, the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto, and the Bill Reid Gallery and Museum of Anthropology in Vancouver.

Looks like it’s time to get reacquainted with them!

Module #2 – Post #1: The Power of Music

Leave a reply

Mike Stevens is a non-aboriginal folk musician who has found a new calling as the founder of ArtsCan Circle, a non-profit organization aimed specifically at providing Aboriginal youth in several remote communities in Canada with access to musical instruments and visits by experienced musicians from different parts of Canada to provide instruction and support.

The idea for ArtsCan Circle emerged after Stevens had been invited to visit Sheshatshiu in 2000, an Innu village in Labrador that at the time had the highest suicide rate in Canada. He was struck by the level of poverty , substance abuse and especially the lack of opportunities for youth. When he began playing his harmonica during a fireside chat with members of the community, he noticed how many youth in particular seemed to be drawn to the music and stopped whatever they were doing to listen. Since then he has devoted his efforts to getting instruments into the hands of as many kids as he can.

The article on Stevens, featured in the September issue of Vancouver’s Common Ground, is worth a look as it underscores the harsh reality that many Aboriginal communities in Canada live in a level of poverty that is substantially lower than the rest of the country. It also provides a message of hope as the healing power of music is described to have a tremendous impact on the community.

Ultimately, what I do find lacking from the article is an Innu perspective. While Stevens observes the benefits and positive influence that an influx of art and music have had on revitalizing the communities he’s worked with, what I would like to know is how the Innu themselves view how the role of the arts have had on their community. Do they see a marked difference in the attitudes of youth in the community? Have young people shown a greater interest in their traditional music and art forms as a result? How is the community itself taking control of the development of the music development program begun by Stevens and ArtsCan Circle? I feel that without this perspective, the Innu and other Aboriginal communities benefitting from this program come across as passive participants with no voice of their own.

Statement Connecting Weblog to Research

Leave a reply

As a music teacher, I wanted to try and keep within my subject area for the final project. In my own classes I generally teach the Western Music curriculum based on European music theory with a few examples from various world cultures. There are a few Canadian indigenous pieces that I will use, but I am quite unfamiliar with the history and theories behind the various styles.

While researching current First Nations performers, I found a group called A Tribe Called Red that uses technology to combine electronic music with traditional pow wow vocals and drumming. The result is an intense and very interesting sound. I can see why they are gaining popularity, particularly among Canadian indigenous youth.

For my project, I plan to research how Western Music is groups like this are having an impact on indigenous culture, particularly as the Library and Archives Canada (2008) suggests that traditionalists believe that recording is a violation to the spiritual integrity of songs and ceremonies. Is this type of new music beneficial to the preservation of indigenous culture, or is it a type of “watering down” of sacred ceremonial culture?

Library and Archives Canada. (2008). The First Nations Traditional Music. Retrieved from http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/aboriginal-music-song/028012-2100-e.html

Module 1 – Post 4 – Library and Archives Canada

Leave a reply

Library and Archives Canada website contains historical publications, images, sound and video recordings, and other electronic documents. I came across this site while researching traditional First Nations music. The page I found is an archived website titled “ARCHIVED-Aboriginal Sound Recordings: Music and Song“. It includes information on different types of Aboriginal music and links to listen to actual historical recordings of the music. On this page there are also links to music from various indigenous peoples, history, genres, educational resources, and others.

Module 1 – Post 3 – Aboriginal Peoples Choice Music Awards

Leave a reply

The Aboriginal Peoples Choice Music Awards is an awards program broadcast on the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network. The winners are chosen by fans and stakeholders of the music. This website includes information on all of the musicians who were nominated for an award. I found it a great resource for discovering indigenous performers.

Module 1 – Post 2 – Turtle Island Native Network

Leave a reply

Turtle Island Native Network is a site with links to “First Nations, Aboriginal, Native/Indigenous Peoples News and Information”. I came across this site while searching for contemporary indigenous music, which is included on the “Culture” page. Also included are video clips of arts presentations such as basketry, totem pole raisings, storytelling, dancing and other cultural aspects of indigenous peoples. The music section includes links to youtube videos and websites by indigenous musicians from all over North America.

Module #1 – Post #5: Contemporary Inuit and Innu Music

Leave a reply

Music provides a natural outlet for Aboriginal artists to carry-on an important aspect of their oral culture. With advances in recording technology and the ability to share content online, Aboriginal musicians have more opportunities than ever before to share their work with the international community. Similarly, technology has afforded isolated communities the opportunity to experience music of other cultures, which has surely influenced many contemporary Aboriginal artists. I found this to be an interesting notion, placing into question how we might perceive work by Aboriginal artists that transcend aspects of their musical traditions. In other words, what does music produced by Aboriginal (or even non-aboriginal artists) that incorporate elements from other cultures reveal about Aboriginal identity and interaction with a wider world? Should they be criticized for not adhering to tradition, or is there value in seeking ways to bridge cultural divides through art? What significance lies in the appropriation of Aboriginal language and music by Western artists and vice-versa?

I’ve selected a few artists whose work occupies a unique milieu of traditional Aboriginal and Western influences. Specifically, I sought out work by Inuit musicians to see what kind of a presence their work has online. I was pleasantly surprised by the diversity of musical styles that have emerged in the past couple of decades and the interesting cross-pollination of cultural influences evident in the music being produced. In the case of Quebecois musician Chloe Ste. Marie, the influence went the other way, as she decided to record her 2009 album, Nitshisseniten e tshissenitamin, entirely in the Innu language. Follow the links below to sample some of the diverse music produced by a few of today’s top talents:

Susan Aglukark – an Inuk singer who began her career in 1993 and has amassed 6 albums and multiple Juno awards.

Tanya Tagaq – Inuk throat singer who often incorporates Celtic influences; has recorded and toured with Icelandic singer, Bjork.

Lucie Idlout – Inuk singer/songwriter in English, whose work is heavily influenced by modern rock.

Chloe Ste. Marie – Quebecois singer/songwriter who in 2009 recorded Nitshisseniten e tshissenitamin, an album sung entirely in the Innu language.

Module #1 – Post #4: Song

Leave a reply

Earlier this week, I created a post that focused on one example of contemporary Aboriginal dance that incorporate traditional elements with modern dance sensibilities. This got me thinking further about how the internet might serve as an effective tool for the preservation and continuation of Aboriginal arts. Media Smarts, a website devoted to digital and media literacy in Canada, provided a good jumping off point for me, with links to artists pages and informational websites organized by medium – all with an Aboriginal focus. The coverage here is, as I said, a good jumping off point, but it is limited in scope as it is not the sole focus of the website. Needless to say, there’s a lot more to explore.

This took me to the Library and Archives Canada website, which houses information and audio files specific to Inuit, First Nations and Metis music, its history and influences. Unfortunately, the sound clips are limited to 30 seconds each, so the full breadth of each song can’t be experienced. (As an interesting aside, many elders were resistant to the idea of having White anthropologists record Aboriginal music during the late 19th century and early 20th when recording technology first became available. As songs were often tied to sacred rites and rituals, they feared this music would be misappropriated and taken out of context, which incidentally is what happens here as no information is given regarding the origin and significance of each audio clip). What I did find useful was that each category of Aboriginal music is divided into traditional and contemporary sections, providing listeners with an opportunity to experience the diversity inherent in Aboriginal music. This also provides listeners with a way to experience traditional sounds married with contemporary influences, which are particular evident in the Inuit and Metis sections of the archive.