{"id":60128,"date":"2019-04-22T15:18:01","date_gmt":"2019-04-22T19:18:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/?p=60128"},"modified":"2019-04-22T15:29:43","modified_gmt":"2019-04-22T19:29:43","slug":"issues-backlash-surounding-cultural-appropriation-erupts-at-indigenous-music-awards","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/2019\/04\/22\/issues-backlash-surounding-cultural-appropriation-erupts-at-indigenous-music-awards\/","title":{"rendered":"ISSUES | Cultural Appropriation Backlash Erupts At Indigenous Music Awards"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Tanya
Tanya Tagaq (Photo: Rebecca Wood)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

C<\/span>ultural appropriation has made headlines in Canada again from a source that comes as unexpected to many.\u00a0 The Arnaqquasaaq Collective, a group of Inuit women artists, took to social media to call out the Indigenous Music Awards (IMA,) and one of its nominees earlier this month for appropriating Inuit throat singing.<\/p>\n

Tanya Tagaq took to Twitter to voice her opinion. \u201cWouldn\u2019t it be nice if it was common knowledge that this form of throat singing was unique to Inuit culture and not a pan-Indigenous free for all?\u201d<\/p>\n

The controversy has drawn international attention, with editorials appearing everywhere from The Guardian<\/em><\/a> in the UK to the Wall Street Journal<\/em><\/a>, whose editorial board wrote disparagingly, \u201cthis reductio ad absurdum has caused major drama at the Indigenous Music Awards in Winnipeg.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Indigenous Music Awards are part of the yearly Manito Ahbee Festival. At the Junos, and most other music awards, all Indigenous music is crammed into a single category. At the IMAs, in contrast, artists are nominated in a wide variety of award categories. At issue is a nomination in the Folk Music category by Edmonton-based Cree Nehiyaw artist Connie LeGrande, who performs under the name Cikwes. Her album Isko<\/em> contains some songs that incorporate throat singing.<\/p>\n

LeGrande says she was taught throat singing to stand in as a last-minute replacement at an awards ceremony years ago, and has used the practice since then. \u201cWhat I do is not Inuit throat singing,\u201d she told the Toronto Star.<\/em><\/a> \u201cI have went on and put my own expression and my own sounds because I don\u2019t know their sounds.\u201d<\/p>\n

LeGrande has refused to withdraw her album from the award competition. She told a Toronto Star<\/em> reporter that she had consulted the elders of her own community, the Bigstone Cree Nation in northern Alberta. She says the elders told her that all music and art is a gift from the Creator, and that cultural ownership was actually a colonial notion brought by a Eurocentric society.<\/p>\n

She was echoed by Lisa Meeches, executive director of the Manito Ahbee festival, who told CBC Manitoba radio interviewer Ismaila Alfa that she did not recognize the issue of cultural appropriation between any Indigenous peoples. \u201cCreator and spirit don\u2019t understand that kind of language and that kind of rhetoric,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

On LeGrande\u2019s online bio, she describes her musical influences as being, \u201crooted in Woodland Cree traditions, with creative influences ranging from throat singing, jazz, soul, [R&B] and reggae.\u201d She sings in both English and Cree.<\/p>\n

To non-Indigenous Western audiences, this is just another mash-up of musical genres. To Inuit artists, however, and also many in the First Nations community, it\u2019s about much more than that \u2014 it\u2019s about ownership of a culture that was, until a mere generation ago, in serious danger of disappearing.<\/p>\n

Throat singers Tanya Tagaq, Tiffany Ayalik, and Kayley Inuksuk Mackay (who perform as PIQSIQ), Kathleen Ivaluarjuk Merritt (who performs as IVA), and Kelly Fraser, or the Arnaqquasaaq Collective, have refused to perform at the IMAs, and have withdrawn their own albums from any nominations. The group says their decision was not made lightly, and was the result of two months of private meetings and consultations between the Inuit artists, IMA directors, and Cikwes.\u00a0 The group has been joined by a number of other prominent Indigenous artists, including A Tribe Called Red. Their boycott isn\u2019t just for this year, either. The group says they will abstain from the awards entirely until their concerns are addressed.<\/p>\n

It can seem confusing to those outside the Indigenous community, but on one level, the answer is simple: all Indigenous peoples are not alike. Cree and Inuit are two different peoples, with different traditions and spirituality. According to the group, it\u2019s a matter of maintaining cultural identity. Inuksuk Mackay, a throat singer of the duo Piqsiq, is quoted in Windspeaker<\/em> magazine.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe idea (is) that we need to be recognized as a unique Indigenous people\u2019s group in Canada and not a homogenized pan-Indigenized group\u2026. It\u2019s important that we are allowed to maintain that distance from (First Nations) to tell our own story and sing our own songs.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Marion
Marion Newman as Tsianina Redfeather. (Photo: Dahlia Katz)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Toronto based mezzo-soprano Marion Newman has been noted for her \u201crich, opulent tone\u201d and she has sung the roles of Carmen and Rosina in Il Barbiere di Siviglia<\/em> in an international career. With a background that mixes Kwagiulth and St\u00f3:lo First Nations, English, Irish, and Scottish, she has also used her talent and the art of opera to bring more awareness to Indigenous issues. That has included creating the role of Dr. Wilson in Missing<\/em>, by Brian Current and Marie Clements, an opera about the shocking numbers of missing and murdered Indigenous women in Canada, and singing the lead role of Noodin-Kwe in Giiwedin, a First Nations opera by Spy D\u00e9nomm\u00e9-Welch and Catherine Magowan, and a world premiere.<\/p>\n

Her career offers a completely different angle on Indigenous artists and culture. \u201cIt\u2019s a completely colonialist structure,\u201d she says of opera. Despite their vastly different origins, however, Newman sees parallels between the traditions of opera and those of the ceremonies of her First Nations roots. \u201cFor me, it\u2019s an extension of what we do on the West Coast,\u201d she explains. She describes ceremonies that incorporate masks, elaborate costumes, and dramatic elements. \u201cAll over the world, musical storytelling is a tradition.\u201d<\/p>\n

Newman also points out that opera itself cannot be viewed as a pure expression of Western art. \u201cOpera has borrowed from many different cultures,\u201d she says. \u201cOpera benefits from Indigenous culture.\u201d No one is suggesting that collaboration is impossible, as she points out. It\u2019s a matter of how it is approached. The first principle is to listen rather than insist. \u201cTo be given the proper permission,\u201d Newman emphasizes.<\/p>\n

Ownership of culture is a different kettle of fish depending on who you are. Indigenous culture in Canada cannot be understood without referencing The Indian Act and its often highly discriminatory regulations, along with the residential school system. Both were conceived as part of a larger plan of stripping all Indigenous peoples in Canada of their culture and unique identities. Religious and cultural practices such as throat singing were outlawed. In 1925, for example, an amendment to the Act forbade all First Nations people from practicing their traditional dances. A First Nations person would lose their status if they graduated from university, or became a doctor or lawyer, in an attempt to force their assimilation into Canadian society.<\/p>\n

The residential school system in Canada was modelled after existing schools in the US and throughout the British colonial empire, including Ireland, Australia, and even in Sweden with the Indigenous Sami people. After decades of neglect and a patchwork system of missionary schooling that sought to stamp out traditional practices, in the 1950s, there was a push from the federal government to force Inuit children into European-style education and residential schools on a national scale.<\/p>\n

Their native language, and any traditional cultural practices were forbidden. \u201cOur ways of telling stories were illegal,\u201d says Newman. Often confused with what is known as overtone singing, which is practiced by cultures in Tibet, Tuva, and Mongolia, Inuit throat singing, or katajjaq, is a type of performance that is unique. It derives from an ancient oral tradition as practiced by Inuit women.<\/p>\n

Residential schools began to be phased out in the Arctic in the 1970s, leaving a people struggling to reclaim their own traditions. The wounds are fresh, and it\u2019s not ancient history.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s also a matter of having a place in an already under-exposed niche market. Mackay tells Windspeaker<\/em> magazine<\/a>, \u201cShe\u2019s put herself in competition with Inuit women who have been working, some of us for decades, to reclaim this tradition and quite literally using this hard-won skill to put food on the table for our families.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Inuit community\u2019s resentment is exacerbated by the fact that there are no Inuit members on the IMA board.<\/p>\n

The IMA organization has held largely held their ground in maintaining LeGrande\u2019s nomination for the best folk album. They point out that the award is not for Inuit or traditional music. However, their statements are somewhat ambivalent. The organization noted in a release, \u201cWe don\u2019t presume to agree or disagree on this matter at this time, as it requires great reflection, ceremony and discussions on how we move forward in a good way, to ensure that we as Indigenous people uphold our teachings, and do not provide a platform for negativity and separation.\u201d The organization explained that the judging was done by a group of music industry professionals who do not know the heritage of the nominees whose work they are evaluating. They have also promised to add at least one Inuit member to its board of governors, and develop a cultural appropriation policy.<\/p>\n

Newman calls the reclamation of culture after the generations blighted by the residential school system \u201ca giant learning process\u201d that is ongoing. \u201cIt would do everyone some good to allow us to take control of our voices.\u201d<\/p>\n

The dominant culture never has to worry about disappearing from view. \u201cIt\u2019s about feeling strong enough and safe enough to freely share without care,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re not there yet.\u201d<\/p>\n

LUDWIG VAN TORONTO<\/i>
\n<\/b><\/h3>\n

Want more updates on classical music and opera news and reviews? Follow us on\u00a0<\/i>Facebook<\/span>,<\/i><\/a><\/strong>\u00a0Instagram<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0<\/span>or\u00a0<\/i>Twitter<\/span><\/i><\/a><\/strong><\/span>\u00a0for all the latest.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Cultural appropriation is making headlines in Canada again from a source that comes as unexpected to many.\u00a0 The Arnaqquasaaq Collective, a group of Inuit women artists, took to social media to call out the Indigenous Music Awards (IMA,) and one of its nominees earlier this month for appropriating Inuit throat singing.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":64,"featured_media":60130,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[25164,14,4967,31],"tags":[28629,28626,28628,5091,28627],"yst_prominent_words":[9094,19236,22659,27675,28614,28622,28619,28621,28615,28620,28617,6616,28618,28623,28616,28624,8646,12971,28625,12974],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/04\/TANYA-TAGAQ-PHOTO-Rebecca-Wood-2.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p9bakr-fDO","amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60128"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/64"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=60128"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60128\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":60141,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60128\/revisions\/60141"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/60130"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=60128"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=60128"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=60128"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=60128"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}