How Indigenous musicians give back to community

Louise BigEagle · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 20, 2025 4:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 8 minutes ago

This communicative is portion of Resonate: Songs of Resilience successful designation of National Indigenous History Month and National Indigenous Peoples Day. CBC Indigenous with CBC Unreserved celebrates communities and families done music.

Music tin beryllium a way for radical to dance, to outcry or escape the realities of life. For these Indigenous artists, euphony is simply a mode to beryllium visible, talk out, beforehand connection and individuality and promote the adjacent generation.

Artists similar Tim "2oolman" Hill and Bear Witness who marque up The Halluci Nation (formerly A Tribe Called Red) say they use euphony arsenic a level to item Indigenous issues.

That's particularly existent for Witness, who is Cayuga from Six Nations of the Grand River, whose ma joined the American Indian Movement erstwhile she was successful her teens. Some of his earliest memories are astatine bid marches, oregon successful beforehand of legislative buildings, but successful his 20s helium started to consciousness burnt out. 

"DJing became much and much of a hobby arsenic I grew up," said Witness.

"I started utilizing the creation arsenic a instrumentality to research our identities arsenic Indigenous people, our ideas, and the ways that we represent ourselves." 

Hill, who is Mohawk from Six Nations, said when helium joined The Halluci Nation successful 2014, it was a radical of DJs who'd propulsion parties for the community. 

One day, portion looking astatine the audience, he decided to usage the group's voice and level to bolster Indigenous practice successful the mainstream.

"Just looking astatine everybody successful the building who were predominantly Native and they were conscionable benignant of successful awe of the full happening … it was close past and determination I realized however important it is to person the practice of Indigenous people connected signifier singing their songs, doing their thing," said Hill.

Language and identity

Jesse James Gon, who prefers going by his signifier sanction Diga, which means wolf successful Tłı̨chǫ, is from Behchoko, N.W.T., the superior of the Tłı̨chǫ Nation.

He said his family's philharmonic travel started erstwhile a section doc gave his dada a guitar and his dada taught himself to play by listening to Hank Williams. Diga said astatine archetypal helium wasn't arsenic funny successful euphony arsenic his 11 older siblings, but helium recovered a Tom Waits medium and yet developed his ain benignant of guitar.

His member David Gon started producing his ain euphony successful Tłı̨chǫ and Diga has released albums wholly successful the language. Now he's done his astir caller English-language album, Trapline, helium wants to enactment connected different medium solely successful his language.

"I'm gonna find stories and legends, the Tłı̨chǫ legends… and effort to find a mode to constitute successful a mode wherever the euphony is chill but besides astatine the aforesaid you're learning the Tłı̨chǫ language," said Diga.

For Juno award-winning creator Elisapie Isaac from the tiny colony of Salluit successful Nunavik, singing successful Inuktitut is simply a mode to springiness backmost to her community. 

She said increasing up, the vigor was an important mode for radical successful Salluit to "connect with the extracurricular world." 

Listening to bands similar Fleetwood Mac, Metallica, Cindy Lauper and Queen, the lyrics resonated with her. 

"Having Cindy Lauper arsenic a small miss was huge. She reminded america that we don't person to beryllium this pretty, nice, quiescent girl. We tin beryllium large and request respect," said Elisapie.

Her medium Inuktitut features covers of classical songs translated into her language. She said she wanted to honour her people's memories of those songs, erstwhile Inuit were going done changes and hardships, by remaking them in Inuktitut.

"Elders tin yet perceive it and accidental 'Oh, this is what they are talking astir and this is what it means.' I deliberation it reached them. And young kids, wherefore Heart of Glass meant truthful overmuch to their mother," she said.

Helping others

After 40 years successful the business, Juno Award winning Métis fiddle subordinate Donny Parenteau from Prince Albert, Sask., wanted to springiness emerging Indigenous artists, similar helium erstwhile was, an accidental to get designation and get that changeable into the industry.

Parenteau said it was important for him to commencement an grant amusement that was conscionable for Indigenous artists.

"When I won my archetypal Juno determination was lone 1 class for each Indigenous artists of Canada, that's erstwhile I thought 'How tin I alteration this?" said Parenteau. 

So helium started the Saskatchewan Indigenous Music Association 3 years ago, which holds euphony awards solely for Indigenous musicians.

Parenteau said the awards amusement is increasing precise accelerated and helium hopes different provinces volition follow. 

"I had a young group, rap artists, and they each shook my manus and thanked maine for the vision, the content this tin happen," said Parenteau.

Parenteau said helium wants radical to cognize dreams don't request to dice wrong the 4 walls of your house.

"Music is simply a acquisition and it's meant to beryllium shared," helium said.

Watch Resonate: Songs of Resilience starting June 21 on CBC News streaming channels, CBC GEM, and YouTube.