Program faculty Eekwol (Lindsay Knight)
About the Program
The Wîchoîe Ahiya Indigenous Singer Songwriter Residency supports Indigenous singer songwriters to deepen their creative practice over three weeks as they explore the entire process of songwriting. The program name Wîchoîe Ahiya was inspired by Elder Lloyd "Buddy" Wesley (1950-2021), a member of the Stoney Nakoda Nations, and fluent Stoney language speaker, educator, and musician, and who had a long relationship with Banff Centre as an Elder for multiple programs in Indigenous Leadership and Indigenous Arts. This first concert features program participants presenting new works, and is co-hosted by faculty Dale Mac and Eekwol.
Performances by:
Cikwes – vocals and hand drum
ninohkôm ᓄᐦᑰᒼ pawataw ᐸᐊᐧᑕᐤ (I dream of my Grandmother)
Nikawiy (Mother)
Dancing in the Northern Lights
Bobbi-Jo Starr – vocals and guitar
Momma Bear Leads The Way
Moon Beneath Her Feet
We're Not Alone
Dale McArthur – vocals and guitar
The Last King Of The Bales
When a Feather Falls
Celebrate Your Name
moe clark
Askiywipimâcihowascikêwina (2020)
moe clark – vocals, lyrics, hand drum
Cynthia Hamar – guitar
with nêhiyawêwin support: Joseph Naytowhow
committing a dream (2023)
moe clark – vocals, looping pedal
with nêhiyawêwin support: Senapan Thunder, Joseph Naythowow
nimihitôtân / no one left behind (2023)
moe clark – vocals, piano, lyrics
Cynthia Hamar – guitar
with nêhiyawêwin support: Joseph Naytowhow
KeAloha { kay -ah -loh -hah }
Native Ways Of Loving
Chapter 1: Burn for u
KeAloha – vocals, piano, hand drum, guitar
Track produced by KeAloha, Josh Eastman, and Ella Gonzales
Chapter 2: nothing else matters
KeAloha – vocals, acoustic guitar
Chapter 3: Oni Pa'a
KeAloha – vocals, piano
Eekwol – vocals
Settle Down
Running Home
Not What You’re Used To
Production Staff:
Sharon Fish, Interim Assistant Head
Matt Flawn, Head Lighting
Darrell Shaw, Assistant Head
Lyle Fish, Head Sound
Sam Hindle, Assistant Sound
Brendan Briceland, Head Projection
Please turn off all cellphones, photo/video cameras.
Biographies
Eekwol
Eekwol (Lindsay Knight) is an award-winning hip hop performing artist living in Saskatoon, she is nehiyaw and Russian from Treaty Six Territory, and a member of Muskoday First Nation.
Eekwol has been making music for many years and is currently completing a new album, The TMRWS, which is funded by the Canada Council for the Arts is to be released in the Winter of 2023.
Eekwol uses her music and words to spread messages of resistance, revolution and keeping the language, land and culture alive for the next generations.
Faculty
Dale Mac
Dale Mac is from White Bear First Nations, Saskatchewan. His storytelling and music are backed by his soulful and energetic guitars. Whether performing acoustic roots in venues or rock-based stage shows, Dale’s guitar is the energy behind his style. His influences include Pearl Jam, Clapton, Gord Downie, and Springsteen. Dale’s songs and lyrics are based around Canadian landscapes and settings.
Dale’s second EP “American Horse” was nominated for Indigenous Artist Of The Year at the 2018 Sask Music Awards.
He was nominated for the 2021 Industry Achievement Award at the Sask Music Awards for his work with Indigenous Arts boards and bridging communities. Dale also works towards creating opportunities for the next generation of Indigenous artists.
His third album in production titled "Pežuda Road" aka Medicine Road is based on his positive stories and preserving his Nakota language through recording elders, storytellers and blending the impact of language preservation with his music.
Faculty
Cikwes
Cikwes (Connie LeGrande) is a nehiyaw ᓀᐦᐃᔭᐤ soul singer and songwriter and multi award music nominee from Bigstone Cree Nation. Her music explores her Cree language, nêhiyawêwin ᓀᐦᐃᔭᐁᐧᐃᐧᐣ and nehiyaw ᓀᐦᐃᔭᐤ musical methods that include chanting cahkasinahikanak ᒐᐦᑲᓯᓇᐦᐃᑲᐣ also known as spirit markers or syllabics. A matriarch for the revitalization of the Cree language, her nehiyaw ᓀᐦᐃᔭᐤ song writing is an emblem of hope and beauty for the continuation of nêhiyawêwin ᓀᐦᐃᔭᐁᐧᐃᐧᐣ.
Participant
Bobbi-Jo Starr
Bobbi Jo is an Indigenous singer songwriter who uses music to spiritually connect with her audience and raise awareness about water, the need for environmental protection, and social issues about addiction in her community. Originally from Peerless Trout First Nation, Bobbi-Jo currently lives and works in Edmonton, Alberta., sharing her story through music with emotional vocal and acoustic guitar. This is Bobbi-Jo's personal contribution towards Truth and Reconciliation.
Participant
KeAloha { kay -ah -loh -hah }
Hailing from Lheidli T’enneh (clay-tlee teh-nay), KeAloha is a mixed-Indigenous, chronically-ill artist based in xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish) and Səl̓ílwətaʔ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. Native Ways of Loving is a testament of love and grief, a quest for ancient wisdom of aloha 'aina. KeAloha invites us into the portals we can open with the guidance of disabled wisdom, queer brown love, and Ohana resilience.
Participant
moe clark
âpihtawikosisâniskwêw (Métis / Norwegian / French / British) multidisciplinary artist Moe Clark is a 2Spirit singing thunderbird. She works across diverse disciplines of vocal improvisation, spoken word poetry, sound design, and performance creation to create meaning that is rooted in personal legacy, ancestral memory and embodied knowledge. Through creative continuums of Indigenous language immersion, song creation and ceremonial practice, Moe's work in community reinforces the roles of 2S people and intergenerational transmission. Proud to be born and raised in Treaty 7, she now resides in Tio'tiá:ke/ Montréal.