Latest news with #SaddleLakeCreeNation
CBC
19 hours ago
- Entertainment
- CBC
4 songs you need to hear to celebrate Indigenous History Month
To kick off Indigenous History Month, we're devoting this week's edition of Songs you need to hear to new tracks from exciting Indigenous musicians. Never Come Down, Tia Wood Tia Wood is back with her first new single since releasing her debut EP, Pretty Red Bird, in late September. It's been a whirlwind two years for Wood after launching her solo career, and her new song, Never Come Back, is a look into her mind as the changes in her life hit her all at once. Wood previously sang with her father and other family members in Juno-winning powwow group Northern Cree, and since striking out on her own she's signed to a major label (Sony Music Canada), been nominated for and performed at the Juno Awards, and toured across North America. "The last two years have been filled with so many amazing opportunities and ups and downs as I got my bearings in this new world. I'm always thinking and dreaming about the future and creating, and making music, but with that comes a sort of bittersweet feeling because it means I have to spend time missing many of the people and things I love the most," she shared in a press release. Wood co-wrote Never Come Back in Los Angeles with Bailey Bryan (Noah Cyrus, Shaboozey), Casey Mattson (Oliver Tree) and Joe Pepe (iann dior, Kiana Ledé). As she continues to spread her wings, performing on stages in Toronto and L.A., far from her home of Saddle Lake Cree Nation, Wood hopes that those she had to leave behind will remain in her life. It's hard to pursue your dreams, and even harder when they take you away from the ones you hold dearest. Acoustic guitar flows like a babbling brook, as her voice embraces a warm melancholy, simultaneously wistful and resonant on the chorus: "Am I gonna lose you? Where are you now?/ Will you still be there if I never come down?" — Kelsey Adams Mahaha: Tickling Demon, Piqsiq Inuit throat-singing duo Tiffany Ayalik and Inuksuk Mackay, a.k.a. Piqsiq, are expert world builders, and their latest album, Legends, immerses listeners in traditional Inuit stories. "This album feels like the purest synthesis of who we are as artists, because it brings us full circle in drawing on the stories that shaped us as children and reimagining them through the lens of our lives today," Mackay said via press release. "By reconnecting with that sense of wonder, play and cultural memory, we were able to create something deeply honest and rooted in who we are." Mahaha: Tickling Demon is straightforwardly titled, but not all fun and games: "If you are found frozen with a smile on your face, it was likely the work of Mahaha," the duo described, of the demon who tickles people to death. Ayalik and Mackay's voices twine with an ominous drum beat, a far-off caw dropping in to signal Mahaha's impending arrival. It's deliciously sinister, and a mood-perfect theme song for White Lotus, Season 4. (We hear Mike White's looking.) — Holly Gordon Off Rez, Ribbon Skirt Montreal post-punk rockers Ribbon Skirt, fronted by Anishinaabe singer Tashiina Buswa, let it rip on Off Rez, a cheeky yet piercing song from their sizzling debut album, Bite Down. Unleashing riotous energy on the first verse, Buswa's vocals buzz as she sings about colonialism's enduring grip: "They want 2000's Buffy Marie/ they want my status but they're getting my teeth." Off Rez is an exciting sonic mish-mash: it wails with shoegaze-inspired guitars and hums with a churning, low bassline. Buswa's brooding delivery combined with reverb-y guitars also nod to Joy Division and Fontaines D.C., creating a sound that's familiar enough for post-punk listeners to appreciate, yet still experimental and lyrically compelling enough for fans to find something new to chew on. Near the 3:06 mark, Buswa's voice blurs into an ominous, almost indiscernible echo over a clanging tambourine as she repeats: "Snakes in the bath, do you want that? Snakes in the crowd that you walk past," as the guitars growl, becoming more and more distorted. Bite Down got rave reviews from Stereogum and Pitchfork (it earned a 7.7, which, funnily enough, is the same score as Fontaines D.C.'s Romance) and is already a contender for one of the best albums of the year. — Natalie Harmsen Home, Aysanabee Aysanabee's upcoming album, Edge of the Earth (out June 20), explores a transitional time in the musician's life. That theme can be felt in his latest single, Home, an anthemic journey from heartbreak to acceptance. "If home is where the heart is/ then we must be heartsick," Aysanabee sings in the pre-chorus, admitting that "we can't go back," but swerving into the chorus with open-armed optimism: "And honey, I'm OK with that." While sorrow peeks through as he repeats the refrain, "We used to sing like home," the track's revved-up riffs soundtrack someone learning to move on and take a leap of faith into the unknowns that lie ahead. By the end of Home, Aysanabee sounds ready to tackle whatever comes his way next. — Melody Lau
CBC
31-03-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
Watch Snotty Nose Rez Kids and Tia Wood team up for their 2025 Juno Awards performance
Kitamaat Village, B.C. rap duo Snotty Nose Rez Kids earned their first Juno Award this year for rap album/EP of the year, and Saddle Lake Cree Nation rising R&B artist Tia Wood scored her first Juno nomination for contemporary Indigenous artist or group of the year. On the Sunday night broadcast, the two acts celebrated their momentous achievements with a jubilant performance together. Snotty Nose Rez Kids performed their songs Red Future, One of the Best, Free and their collaboration with Tia Wood, Shapeshifter. Tia Wood performed her breakthrough song, Dirt Roads. Watch the full performance above.
CBC
29-03-2025
- CBC
140 years after Frog Lake Massacre, Cree community hopes to reshape tale of 1885 resistance
The 140th anniversary of the Frog Lake Massacre will be commemorated this weekend in St. Paul, Alta., and Cree storytellers will tell their community's involvement in one of the pivotal events of the Northwest Resistance. "It was 140 years ago on April 2, 1885, where there was an incident," said Leah Redcrow, a member of Saddle Lake Cree Nation, and CEO of Acimowin Opaspiw Society, who is helping organize the weekend event. That incident, a violent confrontation over food rations, was led by Cree leader Wandering Spirit, originally from Saddle Lake's Snake Band. It resulted in the death of nine men — the Indian agent, priests and settlers — from the Frog Lake settlement. Eight First Nations people were later hanged for their involvement in the Northwest Resistance and their burial site is at what's now Fort Battleford National Historic Site. At some point, a grave marker was placed there with names inscribed, and includes Wandering Spirit. Redcrow does not known who was involved in getting it installed. The problem, Redcrow says, is that at least one of the people commemorated on it wasn't hanged. "What we're finding out now is a lot of the so-called historical records of what happened [are] grossly incorrect," said Redcrow. Parks Canada didn't respond to a request for comment before time of publishing. Correcting the record According to Redcrow, Wandering Spirit was never hanged. "My band, the Saddle Lake Snake Hills band, we were blamed … for the entire rebellion because of what happened at Frog Lake," said Redcrow. "It's been well known in our community that they didn't kill him, and that he escaped to the United States." Redcrow said about 500 people from her band fled to the United States and set up the Rocky Boy reservation in Montana. "If he got hung, I wouldn't be here," said Jonathan Windy Boy, a Montana state senator from Montana, who is a descendant of Wandering Spirit. "Not only was Wandering Spirit one of the original members of Saddle Lake … he was one of the original members that was enrolled in Rocky Boy." Windy Boy said once he arrived in Montana, he changed his name to Big Wind, helping him escape extradition back to Canada. Changing the narrative For Cree elder Eric Tootoosis, the anniversary is a time to celebrate survival. "We commemorate [the resistance] to give thanks for survival," said Eric Tootoosis from Poundmaker Cree Nation. "We're still here today." He said a lot has changed over the years, including an exoneration and apology for Chief Poundmaker, who was convicted and jailed for "treason-felony," but was not part of the resistance. While much of how the resistance is viewed by Canadians has changed, there's still lots of work to be done — including correcting the fact that Wandering Spirit wasn't hanged in Battleford. "All these people who wrote about the 1885 rebellion, all of these people that wrote about Wandering Spirit, none of those people ever came to my reserve and asked for information," said Redcrow. For Tootoosis, history needs to include the Indigenous perspective. "All along it has been one-sided," said Tootoosis, who said the writers of the time were mostly not Indigenous.
CBC
30-01-2025
- Business
- CBC
Skilled trades program for Indigenous workers gets $5M as industry faces retirements 'in droves'
Getting more Indigenous people working in the skilled trades will help Canada achieve its housing goals, according to a news release from the federal government. It announced Wednesday it is giving $5 million over five years through the Canadian Apprenticeship Strategy to an Alberta-based non-profit that trains Indigenous people for jobs in the skilled trades. "This program absolutely works," said Starla Jacknife, a member of Saddle Lake Cree Nation who graduated from a Trade Winds to Success program in 2023. Jacknife said she was inspired to pursue work in carpentry after seeing an ad for the program featuring a series of women in ribbon skirts. Jacknife said the training she received through Trade Winds to Success prepared her for work by offering safety ticket training, tutoring in math and science and mock job interviews. "Every single day I get to learn something new, hone my skills, work with tools, listen to music, and make money," she said, after nearly two years in the field. About 63 per cent of people who begin work in the skilled trades in Alberta stay in the field after one year, according to Statistics Canada data from 2020. The Canadian Apprenticeship Strategy funds projects that support trades related to home building. "It's clear we need workers and we need them quickly," said Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour Steven MacKinnon at a news conference in Edmonton Wednesday. "Construction workers with deep seated knowledge in the exact areas required to build up our country are retiring in droves. They're retiring quicker than we can get more new workers in." By 2033, 263,400 workers in construction — 21 per cent of the current labour force — are expected to retire, according to data from BuildForce Canada. The government of Alberta announced $1.5 million in funding over three years for Trade Winds in December 2024. Trade Winds for Success board member Chris Waples, who is also director of Local 488 Plumbers and Pipefitters Union, said this federal funding will allow Trade Winds to train 290 Indigenous workers in areas like carpentry, electrical work, pipe trades and welding. Waples said the training will have additional benefits in Indigenous communities. Trainees are expected to build 13 high-efficiency homes on First Nations and Metis Settlements in Alberta. "Education has the power to change the trajectory of a person's life and we have witnessed first hand the transformative impact our programs have on our students and their communities," Waples said.
