Edzi’u
Edzi’u is a Tahltan and Tlingit artist based in Vancouver, Canada on the unceded territories of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh First Nations. An innovative songwriter and composer who paints stories of the past, present and future with textures, elders stories, words, and their ethereal voice – their new album “Potlatch In The Box ” is a stunning showcase of that artistic vision. Being rich in culture, full of passion and spirit, the power behind their use of sound goes deep within the listener, inspiring them to be bold and genuine, while living fully within their hearts.
Drawing inspiration from their roots and their experiences Edzi’u weaves together a tapestry of sound that is both deeply personal and universally resonant. The album features a diverse array of tracks, from the hypnotic the “Warrior Song” to the pulsing “Raven Clan Welcome” – they shine a light on the wrongs of the past, including Canada’s ban on the Potlatch, and how it affected their ancestors traditions, culture and world. That being said, there is a balance in the new music – a hope – one that shines with their rich, soulful vocals that has a style (and sound) like no other.
The Halluci Nation & Fucked Up
Camchin/Lytton
A wildfire burned the entire village of Camchin/Lytton to the ground. In the ashes of their homes, this cohesive but diverse community, which includes a majority of First Nations people, had to confront the realities of climate displacement by being relocated away from their ancestral lands.
Burned to the Ground: the Canadian village incinerated by record temperatures
The small village of Lytton in British Columbia hit the global media when it smashed Canada’s highest temperature record in June 2021, at 49.6C. Two days later, a wildfire burned the entire village to the ground
Bones of Crows
From the beginning, Metis-Dene writer-director Marie Clements had planned to shoot parts of her new film, Bones of Crows, at the Kamloops Indian Residential School. She established a relationship with the community to provide support to cast and crew members who belonged to that region. A week before the shoot, however, it was announced that 215 suspected unmarked graves were discovered on the site. “Obviously we’re a big machine, and as a production we’re thinking we’ll have to move and we better start on that right away,” Clements says in an interview. To her surprise, the organizers asked the team to continue with their plans. “They wanted the truth to be seen and heard.” “The blunt reality of it – that we’re working on a subject and we’re in the presence of it – it’s not in the past. It gave us a heightened consciousness,” Clements says. “We had to focus – for those families, for those babies that were found, and connecting our own families with that experience.
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Blackbird
On February 2, 2023 the Blackbird family was hit with a tragic loss as their home and studio were lost in a fire. The Blackbird Brothers saved all they could and made it out just before their studio ceiling collapsed. Through the support of so many countless people, a start over point was achieved, and now its part of the Blackbird story.
“Through life many challenges may come, never stop, persevere and keep going, everything will be ok……. Blackbird”
Osiyo Voices of the Cherokee People
Osiyo, Voices of the Cherokee Peopleis a groundbreaking series inviting you to discover the rich traditions and compelling modern advancements of the Cherokee people told through a documentary lens. The edutainment show features the people, places, history, language and culture of the Cherokee Nation, the largest federally recognized tribe in the US with more than 450,000 citizens. Cherokee culture comes alive through 30-minute episodes featuring topics like ceremonial turtle shell shakers, buffalo grass dolls and basket weaving.
Episodes | OsiyoTV
Watch the latest episodes of the regional Emmy award-winning docuseries featuring Cherokee people, places, history & culture.
20th Native American Music Awards
The 20th Annual Native American Music Awards show was held at the Seneca Niagara Resort & Casino, and celebrated and honored some of the most powerful indigenous voices from across the country.
The Awards was hosted by actor Rodney A. Grant, a member of the Omaha tribe of Nebraska, was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award for his outstanding work as an actor in the motion picture and television industries. Rodney is best known for his memorable role as ”Wind In His Hair” in the 1990 film, “Dances With Wolves” with Kevin Costner.
The event also honoured Wisdom Keeper, Oren Lyons, a member of the Onondaga and Seneca nations, as a Living Legend who is an author and environmental activist for Indigenous peoples worldwide and is also in the All-American Lacrosse Hall of Fame.
Grammy Award winner & multiple Native American Music Award winner of Comanche and Cherokee descent, Micki Free, was inducted into the N.A.M.A. Hall of Fame. Originally discovered and managed by Gene Simmons of KISS, Micki was the guitarist in the R&B sensation, Shalamar who boasted mega platinum hit songs like “Dancing In The Sheets” from the movie soundtrack “Footloose” and “Don’t Get Stopped In Beverly Hills” from the “Beverly Hills Cop” soundtrack.
This year’s Awards program also featured performances by multiple nominees: Cody Blackbird who won Best Rock Recording, Earl Slick (David Bowie) and the Fabulous Ripcords who won Best Blues Recording and Group of the Year, The Halluci Nation who won Best Animation in A Video, and artist and actor, Sten Joddi, known for his recent role as ‘Punkin Lusty’ aka Mr. Greasy Frybread, in the Award Winning FX Networks series, ‘Reservation Dogs’ who won Best Rap Hip Hop Recording and Best Male Artist.
More Indigenous Resistance
A Inuit MP has refused to speak Danish during a debate in the Danish parliament in Copenhagen and instead spoke in her native Inuit language, frustrating uncomprehending lawmakers and highlighting strained relations between Denmark and Greenland.
Greenlandic MP refuses to speak Danish in parliament debate
Aki-Matilda Høegh-Dam gives seven-minute speech in native Inuit language and refuses to repeat in Danish
Indigenous Resistence
Her vocal campaign to protect the Munduruku territory in the Amazon rainforest saw her confronting mining giant Anglo American. As a result, Anglo American withdrew 27 research applications to mine inside indigenous territories.The company’s move represents a rare victory of an indigenous community over one of the world’s largest mining companies.
Goldman Prize honours indigenous woman who stopped mining giant
Alessandra Korap Munduruku’s defence of her group’s territory led to a U-turn from Anglo American.