The Inconvenient Indigenous Musician: Sounding Our Truth

There are some big changes happening in the Indigenous music scene these days. And like a pair of skinny jeans, the terms that we use to identify Indigenous music just don’t fit anymore. They were never really suitable to begin with. We've gotten so used to separate categories like traditional and contemporary, that we don’t realize these divides not only pressure our musicians, they limit young people from access to older knowledge of Indigenous songs. 

Let's ask ourselves where the term "traditional" comes from. It's an expression that makes us think of something that stays the same and involves a strict, set way of doing things. In powwow culture, ceremonies, and even popular music, a small few dictate what is acceptably traditional. When we think back to older days, even before the coming of the European settlers, we had music in all aspects of our lives. 

There were songs for everything including plants, animals, births, deaths, mornings, evenings, women and men. Most importantly, it was what connected us to the spirit world. We were given ceremonial songs in dreams and songs for our own strength and guidance. In fact, we were so tight with the spirit world that communication with them was a casual thing.  Music was not separate from the way that we lived. It constantly adapted and evolved along with our changing environments. 

With the arrival of the settlers and all of the messy historical events that took place since then, music followed along, molding with the times. The "traditional" music that we have today could not be uninfluenced by colonial ways. So how traditional can it be? 

And I'll guess that around 1900's when powwow was introduced into our area, it was probably considered pretty new school. I'll bet all the young kids were into it. In fact, powwow was a means of protecting ceremonial songs under the guise of entertainment. When the pass system was in place, many of our ancestors could not leave the reserve without good reason. Dancing and singing powwow at the town fair was one acceptable pass, so song keepers from different reserves would meet at these fairs and share songs with each other to keep them alive. As our languages continue to decline, the songs become endangered, so like the introduction of powwow, we're always looking for ways to protect our music from losing its spirit. It can't stay the same, so we need to rethink what traditional means to our music.

But the big question is, where do these terms originate? Are they ours or have they been given to us as a way of dictating how we identify with the rest of Canadian society? As Indigenous musicians and artists in general there's big money in identifying yourself as traditional or contemporary. Government grants and gigs are plentiful. 

Let's fast forward to the recent Juno Awards that took place in Winnipeg at the end of March. A Tribe Called Red (ATCR) made history by winning an award for Best Breakthrough Artist. This was the first time in the Juno Award's past that Indigenous musicians took an award home other than "Best Aboriginal Artist." In case you've been under a rock for the last year or so, A Tribe Called Red is a group of three Native guys from out east who create electronic music that includes powwow and roundance samples or live recordings by drum groups. 

Juno-award winning band, A Tribe Called Red, is changing the Indigenous music scene in a big way, and rocking what was once known as "traditional."

As artists who don't adhere to traditional or contemporary standards, their music has been both praised and rejected. The thing to consider here is that they don't care. Based on their teachings, they've followed protocols by respectfully asking permission to use certain songs for their albums. They've been embraced by the mainstream because they broke the mold. If they choose to compete for accolades in the music industry, they identify in categories that are open to all nations, all cultures. 

That being said, let's think about this "Best Aboriginal Artist" category at the Junos. Imagine you are asked to jury the four or five artists picked. One is a country singer, another is a rapper, then there’s the powwow group and let's just say a flute player. Okay, go ahead, compare them and pick the best one. How the heck do you do that? Maybe you start by asking yourself, which one sounds the most Indian? Or which ones look more Indian. 

Maybe you'll decide by who lives more Indian; on the rez or in the city. They don't even waste time allowing separate categories for traditional and contemporary! You get the point. That category was created by the music industry to "include" us into the mainstream yet keep us separate from the status quo, normal, real Canadian musicians. So whether or not you like ATCR, let's just say we're entering new ground in the mainstream. 

There are so many different genres, types, styles, protocols, practices and people creating music that the definition of Indigenous music depends on who you are and what you believe in. Indigenous music is any type of music being created by Indigenous people? Whether it's a rock band, a rapper, a country or powwow singer, or a combination of two or three of these, we are maintaining our ways of knowing.

It's all contemporary because it's happening right now. Maybe some music is ceremonial or focused on entertainment, either way as Indian people, we are somehow connecting to our spiritual world through the creation and performance of music. We are keeping language and culture alive by sharing it in new and effective ways with younger generations. Today there are so many young people who are disconnected to their Indigenous history and identity. Boy you, Facebook, Minecraft and Halo! So with today's Indigenous music, as long as we maintain respect and follow proper protocols, let's not worry too much about different sounds and songs coming out. It's called taking back our voice in an appealing way...on our own terms. So let's put the "In" back in Inconvenient by making empowering music based on our history and our ways.