I wish that we all could've been there together...
It brings back a lot of emotions and feelings to look at the pictures from the Native North America workshop at the 2016 Winnipeg Folk Festival: Old friends, new friends, and a diverse audience sharing and learning from each other w/ open ears, eyes, and hearts. I'd like to thank the WFF's artistic director Chris Frayer for believing in this project as well as providing a stage for this historic gathering of trailblazing Indigenous singer-songwriters and to Amanda Leigh Smith Photography for helping to document it all. Below are a selection of Amanda's 35mm photos and a story that I wrote to accompany them. As we know, existence is fragile. The time is most certainly now to celebrate life and to show people that we will not stand for ignorance, intolerance, oppression, and hatred. Music does save and it unifies and informs us like nothing else. Let it play on!!! PEACE
Native North America
at the Winnipeg Folk Festival
Words by Kevin “Sipreano” Howes
Photography by Amanda Leigh Smith
In the 1960s, 70s, and into the 80s, Indigenous musicians
from across North America made their voices heard like never before. Inspired,
informed, and contributing to the global explosion of youth culture, they
combined words, poetry, art, film, and music to reflect a wide range of Native issues
and experience: the balance and transition of traditional and modern life, language
preservation, views on the land, family, spirituality, and the effects of
colonialism. Drumming, chanting, and dancing was an integral part of community
life for First Nations, Métis, and Inuit people throughout Canada, the United
States, and Greenland while country and fiddle music was common in homes and
meeting places. Shawnee rebel rouser Link Wray invented the modern rock guitar sound
with his genre-defining 1958 instrumental “
Rumble,” and further rock and roll
roots can be traced back to an Indigenous beat. Even in the face of adversity, songs
of love and laughter were always close to the heart.
As the American War in Vietnam blazed on and the black power
and women’s rights movements built momentum, there was also a resurgence in
Native Pride led by the American Indian Movement (AIM) amongst many others. Red
Power. The disturbing events that unfolded at Wounded Knee in 1973 was yet another
unfortunate catalyst for awareness, identity, protest, and change, but now there
was a new soundtrack coming from within the Indigenous communities, provided by
singer-songwriters like Buffy Sainte-Marie, Floyd Red Crow Westerman, Alanis
Obomsawin, and Willie Dunn. These artists didn’t mince their words. They made
their voices heard loud and clear: We are Native!
We are Proud! These are our truths! The time is now! Their inspiration was monumental to those both inside and
outside of the various Indigenous communities of Turtle Island.
Still, without industry or mass media support to help
transmit these messages, a determined artist would have to work hard to have
their songs recorded to tape (as was the case for the majority of independent
musicians from the era). Fewer would have these recordings pressed to vinyl and
distributed. Either self-released or with the assistance of an established
label, cultural organization, or national broadcaster like the Canadian
Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), a number of long playing albums and seven inch
singles did hit the marketplace. They were mostly sold off of the stage at
gigs, in convenience stores or at Native friendship centers, and occasionally
at the odd mom and pop record shop. Whether the artists were aware at the time,
their music began to travel. Over the years, they provided an essential document
of this decisive era to listeners lucky enough to hear them. Though initially
marginalized through mainstream exclusion, regional focus, geographic
isolation, racism, and music industry short-sightedness, these artists are now being
heard by an expanded global audience in 2016.
Native North America(Vol. 1): Aboriginal Folk, Rock, and Country 1966-1985 is a 3-LP/2-CD/digital
compilation of 34 landmark Indigenous recordings. Accompanied by an extensive
liner notes book featuring biographies, archival images, and lyric transcriptions
and translations, the box set was released by Seattle/Los Angeles-based Light
in the Attic Records in November of 2014 after five years of production.
Over the last 20 years, I have been collecting regional vinyl
recordings in my travels across Canada, looking for songs and stories brushed
aside by time to learn more about the country that I call home. In school, I
had learnt about colonialism, the residential school system, and the birth of
my country from the British and French viewpoint, but now I was hearing accounts
from the Indigenous perspective: Theft, genocide, abuse, intergenerational trauma,
but also transcendence, hope, beauty, and tradition despite the oppression. Needless
to say, my soul was significantly touched and my mind, truly blown. Conceiving
and assembling Native North America
was an organic extension of my research into Canadian music history and a
labour of love in the truest sense.
My initial goal was to bridge generations, cultures, and eras of technology, to
thank the artists whose music had affected me in a positive way, and to ask for
much needed context. Needless to say, the process was deeply affecting and stretched
my emotional capacity to the max.
Even without a high profile manager, booking agency or slick
PR campaign behind us, I had high hopes that we would be able to launch Native North America with a live concert,
a special chance to bring an exceptional breadth of talent and some longtime
friends together. Having the records simply arrive the shop was not quite enough
to pay tribute to these artists, their contributions to our collective cultural
fabric, and what they were up to today. Far from a museum piece or relic, this
was living and breathing history. Busy managing their label and its growing
catalogue of music, Light in the Attic had no resources to promote or organize
such an event. I quickly realized that I had to do it myself and started
planning two grassroots gatherings with the artists: one in Toronto with Elder
Dr. Duke Redbird and one in Vancouver with Willie Thrasher and his singing
partner Linda Saddleback.
More gatherings followed and as the project continued to
gain momentum and overwhelming support from media outlets such as APTN
(Aboriginal Peoples Television Network), The
Guardian, Rolling Stone, CBC, and
NPR, there were actual bookings by the Northern Arts and Cultural Centre in
Yellowknife, Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, and Winnipeg’s Plug In ICA.
These diversely attended events, enhanced by vintage films, slideshow
presentations, vinyl DJ’ing, and open discussion gave us the strength to push
forward in the face of apathy from the Canadian music business machine. Audiences
were comprised of Indigenous and non-Indigenous people of varied ages and it was
very encouraging to see people sharing and learning from each other in a
display of unity and an appreciation of music and culture.
Last November, I reached out to Winnipeg Folk Festival
Director Chris Frayer to pitch a workshop that would continue to raise
awareness about Native North America and
what its players were up to today. Inquiries to the legendary Mariposa Folk Festival
(home to many of the featured Native
North America artists in the 1960s and 70s) as well as the Edmonton,
Calgary, and Vancouver folk fests came up blank, even despite the global
success of the compilation which had garnered a 2016 Grammy nomination in the
Best Historical Recording category along the way. Thankfully, Frayer understood
the vision and the opportunity to assist in the process of reconciliation that is
so imperative to Canada right now.
Chris Frayer: “I was already a fan of the box set and this
was a really unique opportunity. We
want to try and play a big role to make peace with what we’ve done [as
Canadians] in the past. What better way to bring people together than through
music and song?”
Unfortunately, time and money would only allow for five of
the 23 artists and groups featured on
Native
North America to appear at the Winnipeg Folk Festival, but Duke Redbird,
Eric Landry, Willy Mitchell, Shingoose (Curtis Jonnie), and Willie Thrasher and
Linda Saddleback were up for the challenge and ventured to Manitoba’s Birds
Hill Provincial Park on Treaty 1 land for the occasion. Frayer also brought
local singer-songwriter William Prince into the mix to pay tribute to those who
couldn’t be with us, a perfect choice to complement the lineup and to showcase
the influence of the veteran musicians on a younger generation. We were also
blessed to have film photographer
Amanda Leigh Smith on hand to help document
the proceedings.
Once everyone was on site, we were treated to a welcoming
ceremony conducted by Elder Mae Louise Campbell. As a non-Indigenous person of settler/immigrant heritage born on Native land, I felt genuinely humbled to take part in this gathering. The 30
or so people in attendance included Winnipeg Mayor Brian Bowman, the first
Aboriginal mayor in the city’s history. Hand in hand, we walked in a circle and
listened to the sound of a voice and drum. Elder Campbell greeted the artists and
asked us to engage in a quiet moment of peaceful introspection and thought. Next,
Campbell and Duke Redbird took turns speaking, welcoming us to the region and sharing
their reflections about our place in this fast-paced digital world in which we
live. After a smudging, we were given leather pouches filled with sweet grass,
tobacco, sage, and cedar, and adorned with a Métis sash, which paid respect to
the history of the area. We wore them with pride.
The Native North
America workshop started two hours later so we continued to prepare for the
main event, which was by that point, a good seven months in the making. Eric
Landry sat in the grass and prepared his fingernails and guitar in
contemplation. Duke relaxed with his daughter Nazanni, also in town from
Toronto for the weekend. Willie Thrasher and Linda Saddleback shared a laugh
and a stroll around the grassy park while Willy Mitchell simply savoured the
moment, enjoying conversation and smiles. Shingoose rolled over in his wheelchair
along with road warrior guitarist and Buffy Sainte-Marie collaborator Jesse
Green, who was there to accompany ‘Goose during his portion of the set.
With a large audience waiting in anticipation, I walked onstage
to introduce the program. Both APTN and Shaw TV were on hand to film the concert
and to conduct post-show interviews with the artists. You could already feel a warm
energy spreading amongst the crowd. Seated in a row across the width of the outdoor
stage, the artists took their turn one by one, reciting poetry, singing songs,
and telling stories. Duke Redbird was the first to share his gift and received
an immediate standing ovation for his compelling words on the legacy of the
residential school system and colonialism. Tears fell like rain from many in
the audience and those on stage. The tone was set.
With a clear and powerful voice, William Prince sang songs
by the sorely missed Willie Dunn (whose presence was felt throughout the day,
his image adorning the Native North
America stage banner draped over the back of the stage), Vancouver-based/Guyana-born
David Campbell, as well as a strong original composition, “The Carny.” Eric
Landry, who had ventured from Sudbury, Ontario, played next, singing, chanting,
and making his vintage Larrivée guitar express a full range of emotion and
feeling.
Shingoose and Green performed a musical version of Duke
Redbird’s “Silver River” poem, originally recorded in 1975 and featured on Native North America. Kitigan Zibi
rocker Willy Mitchell followed, performing from his extensive songbook. He also
threw in a funny story about meeting Led Zeppelin’s Robert Plant and Jimmy Page
from the window of their limousine back in the day to much laughter. With the
clock ticking, Willie Thrasher and Linda Saddleback kicked out their jams with
a 12-string guitar, harmonica, bass drum, and percussion attack which involved
the crowd in a righteous call-and-response chant on “Odiak.” Bookended by
another standing ovation, Native North
America: A Selection of Musical Trailblazers wrapped up to a mighty wave of
applause and with plenty of heartfelt emotion.
Willie Thrasher: “Performing at the Winnipeg Folk Festival
was one of the biggest moments of our career. We got people from the Native North America compilation
together so it was a historical moment to see each other perform again. I
wanted to share the history of our life, where we came from, how we lived, how
we used to be a long time ago and try to make it understandable to people. We brought back a message from a
long time ago, but it’s a message for today.”
Duke Redbird: “I felt so good that the people in the
audience understood that our children need to be recognized and to be helped
and we can’t marginalize them anymore. We can’t have the suicides [that are
happening in Indigenous communities]. It has to stop. If some words that I
wrote affect that [situation], I’m really pleased.”
Willy Mitchell: “It was just so overwhelming. To be sitting
with Dr. Duke Redbird, his poetry brought me to tears, touching a few nerves
there. It was hard to keep it back. Then listening to Curtis [Shingoose] after,
I start fighting it again. It was just too touching for me.”
Eric Landry: “A lot of people came out to hear what we’re all
about and to learn. It was surprising actually, to see all those people there,
especially from the non-Native community because they wanna learn what’s going
on. Everybody joined together to make this thing work.”
Shingoose: “When I first started in the early 1970s, there
weren’t many Indian folk singers, just a couple of people, Buffy Sainte-Marie,
Floyd Westerman, and that was about it. There was a wide open door for more
performers and I snuck in that door. I see this [event as something that] makes
what we did credible. Today, we’re in a different mindset. There was a huge
audience [on hand] for a portion of the music community that hasn’t been looked
at that much over the years, but now we’re starting to get some young voices [out
there] again and they are honouring some of us who have been there since the
beginning. Our work has caused this to happen.”
Still active and extremely relevant in 2016, these trailblazing
veterans celebrated their individual and collective past while once again creating
crucial history for us to appreciate. Today, they are joined by new generations
of Indigenous artists, musicians, poets, filmmakers, actors, and photographers who
are also out there travelling across the land, sharing their messages, and
making them count. Once criminally silenced voices are being heard and we need such
commentators now more than ever, especially during such challenging times. As
we are witnessing at the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation and with the formation
of the Idle No More movement, the struggle for Indigenous rights against
corporate and colonial greed continues. Give thanks to the creative people who help
us process these harsh realities, offering much needed understanding and dutiful
assistance in the course of healing and reconciliation, with love.
