A Day to Listen 2023 - Amplifying Indigenous Voices (2024)

Short listed for the 2023 Polaris Prize, winner of three 2023 Summer Solstice Indigenous Music Awards for Artistic Video, Pop/Alternative/Rock Album of the Year, and Rising Star, winner of the 2023 Jim Beam Indie Award for Indigenous Artist of the Year, and winner of a 2023 Canadian Live Music Award for New Touring Artist of the Year, Aysanabee (he/him) is a multi-instrumentalist, producer, and singer-songwriter currently based in Toronto. In what became a whirlwind year for Aysanabee, he released his first single, We Were Here in July of 2022. This single charted on the Indigenous Music Countdown and was featured on an episode of Station 19. This single was also performed live at the 2023 JUNO Awards, further solidifying Aysanabee as a major player in Canadian music. The year continued with the release of Nomads (August 2022) which charted on Billboard Canada, became #1 on CBC Music and #1 on the Alternative Radio Chart (March 2023), and finally, Ego Death (October 2022), which led to the release of his full album, Watin, in November.

https://www.aysanabee.com/

Photo by Kaela Leone.

ShoShona Kish is an Anishinaabekwe community organizer, producer, activist, songwriter and two-time JUNO award-winning touring artist. ShoShona was awarded the ‘Spirit of Folk Award’ at the International Folk Awards in Kansas City and was recognized by the Berlin based WOMEX organization for her work internationally with the prestigious ‘Professional Excellence Award’, “for her role in the ongoing revolution of upheaving Indigenous communities and their culture – using the medium of music as an agent of change, to awaken our humanity and help us connect”.

ShoShona leads the multi-award-winning band Digging Roots, with her husband, Raven Kanatakta. Their music breaches categorization, seamlessly blending global and traditional Indigenous sounds with roots, blues and soul. ShoShona’s legacy is one of art, activism, and unwavering commitment to reshaping the music industry’s landscape.

https://www.diggingrootsmusic.com/

Instagram (ShoShona)

Digging Roots:

William Prince, a soulful and reflective artist, channels the essence of gratitude, wonder, and humility into his music. His songs navigate the delicate balance between shared human experiences and personal introspection, illuminating his moments of self-discovery alongside universal questions. With a rich voice and mastered simplicity, Prince’s discography, spanning four albums, including the recent release “Stand in the Joy,” traces a remarkable journey. Whether his award-winning debut “Earthly Days” or the 2020 releases “Reliever” and “Gospel First Nation,” William Prince’s music offers steadying appeal amid chaos. His collaborations with esteemed Canadian artists like Buffy Sainte-Marie and The Tragically Hip showcase his versatile talents. Notable milestones include opening for Neil Young, winning a JUNO Award, and working with Grammy-winning producer Dave Cobb. With a rightful place on the national stage, Prince’s impactful performances and appearances reflect his growth from Peguis First Nation to sold-out global shows. As he anticipates his upcoming album, Prince remains in tune with his journey’s destined path.

https://www.williamprincemusic.com/

Photo by Danny Shumov.

Aysanabee performs ‘We Were Here’ with Northern Cree at the 2023 Juno Awards

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ssCYoS416no

Aysanabee is grateful to be on this journey in music with his Indigenous, female-owned record label Ishkodé Records https://ishkoderecords.com/our-story/

Get Aysanabee’s debut album Watin: https://ishkode-records.myshopify.com/collections/aysanabee

Art

Power couple Alannah Jewel and Luke Swinson – incredible artists making big waves from local murals, community engagement and education projects to international branding campaigns.

https://morningstardesigns.ca & https://lukeswinsonart.com

Jennifer Podemski and her work in art, film, TV, and the Shine Network: The Shine Network Institute is an Indigenous owned and operated not-for-profit organization offering professional development, advocacy, consulting, and mentorship for Indigenous women in the film, television and media sector.
https://www.shinenetwork.ca/team-members/jennifer-podemski/ & https://lukeswinsonart.com

Robbie Robertson

The family of Canadian musician Robbie Robertson requested after his death that donations be made to Six Nations “to support a new Woodland Cultural Centre.” The centre is dedicated to the preservation of Indigenous language and culture. https://www.sixnations.ca/

Shoshona’s sister, Sarain Fox

Sarain Fox is a Canadian Anishinaabe activist, broadcaster and filmmaker. She is most noted for her 2020 documentary film Inendi,[2] for which she received a Canadian Screen Award nomination for Best Host or Interviewer in a News or Information Program or Series at the 9th Canadian Screen Awards in 2021.

www.sarainfox.com

https://www.cbc.ca/shortdocs/shorts/inendi

https://video.vice.com/en_ca/show/rise

Chef Johl Whiteduck & Food Sovereignty

Chef Johl Whiteduck Ringuette is Anishnawbe and Algonquin. he was born in North Bay, Ontario and his grandmother is from Nippissing First Nation. His clan is Mink clan. Johl was raised on wild game, fishing and seasonal berry-picks and cooking over the fire. Chef Johl is the owner of NishDish Marketeria and Catering, which specializes in Anishnawbe cuisine since 2005. He is one of Tkaronto’s leading First Nations food sovereigntists and has dedicated his life to identifying, sourcing, relearning and reclaiming what the traditional Anishnawbe diet is.

https://www.nishdish.com

https://ojibiikaan.com

https://www.miinikaan.com

Joy Harjo

https://www.joyharjo.com

Joy Harjo is an internationally renowned performer and writer of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation. She served three terms as the 23rd Poet Laureate of the United States from 2019-2022 and is winner of Yale’s 2023 Bollingen Prize for American Poetry.

Shoshona is a co-founder of the International Indigenous Music Summit

https://www.indigenousmusicsummit.com/

Some of William’s favourite new Indigenous artists:

https://www.instagram.com/caleywattsmusic/ and https://www.evanredsky.com/

Yellowhead Institute is an Indigenous-led research and education centre based in the Faculty of Arts at Toronto Metropolitan University. The Institute privileges Indigenous philosophy and amplifies Indigenous voices that provide alternatives to settler colonialism in Canada today.

https://yellowheadinstitute.org/

William speaks about the founder and president of Media Indigena, and his former broadcasting pal Rick Harp

https://mediaindigena.com/rick-harp/

William speaks about the message behind his song 7

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ZtEXz_2ZAU&t=113s

William speaks about his cousin Alan Greyeyes who produces the sākihiwē festival https://www.sakihiwe.ca/

William also speaks about Anishinaabe interior designer Destiny Seymour who is the founder of Indigo Arrows

https://indigoarrows.ca/pages/about-indigo-arrows

A member of the Gitxsan First Nation, Cindy Blackstock is the Executive Director of the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society and a professor at McGill University’s School of Social Work. She has over 30 years of experience working in child welfare and Indigenous children’s rights and has published on topics relating to reconciliation, Indigenous theory, First Nations child welfare, and human rights. A recipient of the SSHRC Gold Medal, Cindy worked with First Nations colleagues on a successful human rights challenge to Canada’s inequitable provision of child and family services and failure to implement Jordan’s Principle. This hard-fought litigation resulted in hundreds of thousands of services being provided to First Nations children, youth, and families.

Cindy is frequently sighted in the company of the Caring Society’s reconciliation Ambearrister, Spirit Bear, engaging children in meaningful actions to implement the TRC Calls to Action.

https://fncaringsociety.com/

Twitter CB: @cblackst

Twitter Caring Society: @caringsociety

Twitter Spirit Bear: @SpiritBear

Dr. Amy Cardinal Christianson is Métis from Treaty 8 territory, currently living in Treaty 6. She is an Indigenous Fire Specialist with the National Fire Management Division at Parks Canada. Her research explores Indigenous fire stewardship, Indigenous wildland firefighters, wildfire evacuations, and Indigenous research methodology. Amy also co-hosts the Good Fire podcast, which looks at Indigenous fire use around the world. She recently co-authored the book “First Nations Wildfire Evacuations: A Guide for Communities and External Agencies” with Tara K. McGee and “Blazing the Trail: Celebrating Indigenous Fire Stewardship” with Indigenous colleagues.  She is a board member for the International Association of Wildland Fire and a member of the International Research Advisory Panel for Natural Hazards Research Australia.

Photo by Amber Bracken.

@ChristiansonAmy on Twitter

UBC Press | First Nations Wildfire Evacuations – A Guide for Communities and External Agencies, By Tara K. McGee, Amy Cardinal Christianson and First Nations Wildfire Evacuation Partnership

Good Fire Podcast-YourForest (yourforestpodcast.com)

Jeremy Dutcher is a Two-Spirit song carrier, composer, activist, ethnomusicologist, and member of Neqotkuk (Tobique First Nation) in Eastern Canada. He gained international acclaim for his album Wolastoqiyik Lintuwakonawa, which earned him the 2018 Polaris Music Prize and Indigenous Music Album of the Year at the 2019 JUNO Awards. His musical style blends the songs of his community with neoclassical, jazz, and pop influences, and has led him to collaborate with such iconic artists as Buffy Sainte-Marie and Yo-Yo Ma. Dutcher’s work has taken him to the world’s great concert halls, NPR’s Tiny Desk, and the judges’ table of Canada’s Drag Race.

https://jeremydutcher.com/

https://www.facebook.com/jdutchermusic/

https://twitter.com/jdutchermusic

https://www.instagram.com/jdutchermusic/

https://open.spotify.com/artist/0QisUuu0cbcoOod1lBVf0f?si=lT7hi02DSSyppgAFAERg_Q

Alan Greyeyes serves as the Festival Director for the sākihiwē festival and provides artist and project management services to friends in the music industry. He also volunteers with the Polaris Music Prize board of directors; the RBC Convention Centre board of directors; and the Indigenous committees at the National Music Centre and the Winnipeg Folk Festival. In 2023, Alan received the Making a Difference award from the Winnipeg Arts Council and in 2020 he earned the Arts Award of Distinction from the Manitoba Arts Council. Alan is a member of Peguis First Nation.

Photo by Ella Greyeyes.

https://www.sakihiwe.ca/

https://twitter.com/alangreyeyes?lang=en

Mi’gmaq entrepreneur from Listuguj, Quebec. Victoria LaBillois owns Wejipeg Excavation Inc.  and co-owns Wejuseg Construction Inc. She has served both the First Nation and federal public service, working at the Band, regional, and national levels.  Victoria is currently serving as Vice-Chair of the National Indigenous Economic Development Board. Victoria holds a BA in political science and an MBA both from the University of New Brunswick. She holds a contractor’s license from Régie du bâtiment du Québec. From 2020 to 2022, Victoria represented the National Indigenous Economic Development Board in the development of Canada’s first National Indigenous Economic Strategy. She also served as co-chair for a national Steering Committee with the Canadian Construction Association. She serves as a mentor to Indigenous women at the Coady Institute in Nova Scotia as well as a coach and role model in several leadership and capacity development programs.  Helping to build skills around managing money, Victoria teaches financial literacy to Indigenous youth.

https://www.wejuseg.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/victoria-labillois-mba-83908110/?originalSubdomain=ca

https://twitter.com/wejuseg?lang=en

Sandra Laronde is a visionary artist, director, choreographer, and leader renowned for her transformative contributions to the world of Indigenous performing arts. A proud member of the Teme-Augama Anishinaabe (People of the Deep Water), her creative journey is deeply rooted in her heritage. As the founder and artistic director of Red Sky Performance, Laronde has propelled Indigenous storytelling to global stages through innovative productions that blend contemporary dance, music, theatre, and visual arts. Her commitment to arts and cultural resurgence has earned numerous awards, recognizing her as a leader in Indigenous artistic expression. Laronde’s profound ability to merge tradition with innovation continues to inspire and redefine the boundaries of Indigenous performance, fostering cultural understanding and empowerment on an international scale.

https://www.redskyperformance.com/

https://www.facebook.com/Red-Sky-Performance

https://twitter.com/redskyperform

https://www.instagram.com/redskyperformance/

https://www.youtube.com/user/redskyperformance

Buffy Sainte-Marie, a cultural and musical icon, has left an enduring impact over her six-decade career. Her powerful voice and songwriting have inspired generations of musicians, activists and educators. Breaking free from past norms and industry constraints, she debuted with the groundbreaking album “It’s My Way!” in 1964. As a self-taught musician from childhood, Buffy’s inventive guitar tunings shaped her unique sound and influenced future artists. With degrees in Oriental Philosophy and Education, she gained recognition in New York’s Greenwich Village coffee houses before soaring to international fame. An innovator in digital art and electronic music in the late 1960s and 1970s, Buffy holds fifteen honorary degrees, including a Ph.D. in Fine Art. Through her vast catalogue of songs, like “Universal Soldier”, and her advocacy for education and Indigenous rights continue to inspire resilience amid challenges, securing her status as a songwriter great.

Photo by Matt Barnes.

https://buffysainte-marie.com/

https://www.instagram.com/buffystemarie/

https://www.facebook.com/BuffySainteMarie/

https://twitter.com/buffystemarie

Ms. Teillet is an author, women’s rights advocate, and Indigenous rights lawyer. In October of 2022 she wrote a report on Indigenous Identity Fraud. She has appeared at the Supreme Court of Canada twelve times in Indigenous rights cases. Ms. Teillet’s popular history, The North-West is Our Mother: The Story of Louis Riel’s People, the Métis Nation was one of the Globe & Mail’s top 100 books of 2019 and won the Carol Shield’s and Manitoba Day awards. She is the author of Métis Law in Canada and has written for academic journals, the Globe & Mail, and Macleans. A frequent public speaker throughout Canada and internationally, Jean has been awarded the highest honour of her people, the Order of the Métis Nation. The Indigenous Bar Association has awarded Jean its highest honour, Indigenous Peoples Counsel. She has three honorary doctorates (University of Guelph, Windsor University, and Law Society of Ontario). In recognition of decades of work with midwives, Jean has been made an honorary lifetime member of the Association of Ontario Midwives. She is a member of the Manitoba Métis Federation and is the great-grandniece of Louis Riel.

https://pstlaw.ca/jean-teillet/

https://twitter.com/jeanteillet

Jordin Tootoo made history as the first Inuk player to be drafted by the NHL. Over his 13-year career, he played for the Nashville Predators, Detroit Red Wings, New Jersey Devils, and Chicago Blackhawks, banking 161 points, including 65 goals, in 723 career games. A true leader both on and off the ice, Tootoo has since become a vocal mental health advocate dedicated to giving back to his communities. He speaks to the power of creating a culture of inspired inclusivity and explores what real teamwork looks like, both at home and work.

https://www.instagram.com/jtootoo22/?hl=en

https://twitter.com/jtootoo22?lang=en

Ilona Verley is a Two-Spirit artist and performer, celebrated for making waves in the realm of drag and LGBTQ+ representation. Hailing from the Nlaka’pamux Nation, Verley’s vibrant and boundary-pushing presence on the reality TV show “Canada’s Drag Race” garnered widespread attention. With a flair for combining Indigenous culture, pop culture, and stunning fashion, they challenge norms and embrace fluidity in both gender and creativity. Beyond the spotlight, Ilona is a passionate advocate for Two-Spirit visibility, mental health awareness, and Indigenous rights. Through their artistry and advocacy, Ilona Verley continues to reshape narratives, inspiring countless individuals to embrace their authentic selves and celebrate their unique journeys.

https://www.instagram.com/ilonaverley/