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Native Music Day at Whetung Gallery |
 Spring at the gallery includes an afternoon of music. Invited recording artists perform for our guests, talk about their work and field questions from the audience. Admission to these events is free to all. Visitors to the gallery are invited to browse our extensive collection of CD's and cassettes featuring Native artists from all over North America. Our audio department includes traditional and contemporary native musicians, drummers, singers, storytellers and poets, as well as a selection of sound recordings of nature and her inhabitants. April 25, 2004, 1 - 4pm
 This year's performers will include Spirit Wind, an Aboriginal Women’s drumming group. Spirit Wind combines soulful singing and drumming to create original music that is healing, inspirational and uplifting. Also appearing: Raven Kanatakata and Shoshona Kish, folk and indigenous musicians. They describe their music as “Odeimin music”. This pulls the rhythm of the land into a bold, moving and honest voice. A history lesson has never been this interactive. Shane Anthony, a Metis musician of blues and country roots, rounds out the show. A nominee for a Canadian Aboriginal Music Award, Shane has toured the world show casing his inventive Aboriginal flavoured music. Following is some information about artists we've hosted here in past years.
Don Waboose of the Ojibway First Nation is the Lead Singer for the First Nations Drum and Dance Troupe. During his travels he sang with World Champion Drums such as, White Eagle Singers of the Navajo Nation, Red Earth Singers of the Miskwaki Nation, Cumberland Singers and Wisconsin Badgers of the Chippewa Nation, Chiniki Lake Singers of the Stoney Nation, and Eagle Whistle Singers of the Cree Nation. For the past fifteen years, Waboose has acted as a Pow Wow MC and as a drum and dance judge at various pows wows.
 Posawawajek is made up of women of different nations across Turtle Island. The name means 'Echo Singers', and was bestowed by Sugarbear, a Potawatame-Ojibway elder from Walpole Island. The musical style is traditional songs accompanied by hand drums, rattles, and various other percussion instruments. Posawawajek has had many re-incarnations since its conception in 1996. Wanda Whitebird, mainstay member of the group, has carried the responsibility of carrying that name - other members include Celyne Gaspe, and Cheri Maracle. Posawawajek has performed at the Harmony Awards, International Day to Eliminate Racism, and The International Conference for Women's wellness. "We find voice through the drum: When we pick up the drum, we pick up our hearts."
 Leela Gilday comes to us from Yellowknife, NWT. At the heart of her original folk-rock music are her vocal melodies, which expand on life and love from her unique perspective. Her classically trained voice has been described as "torchy, powerful, and soulful". Past credits include opening for Don Ross at the Glenn Gould Studio in Toronto, representing the Northwest Territories at the Pan-American Games Festival in Winnipeg, and Co-hosting the 20th Anniversary Folk on the Rocks music festival. She has made several appearances on CBC Radio and APTN. Visit her website for more information.
 George Leach is a member of the Stl'atl'imx nation, located near Lillooet, B.C.. Last year at the Canadian Aboriginal Music Awards, George won Best Male Artist and Best Rock Album awards. He describes his style as "drenched in the Blues". His CD is entitled "Just where I'm at".
 Shannon Thunderbird is a Pacific Northwest Coast Tsimshian First Nations Singer, Storyteller, Artist, Motivational Speaker, and Teacher on First Nations Culture, Spirituality and History. She sings the songs and tells the stories of many of Turtle Island's First Nations. Shannon's performances are fun, positive, high energy, very entertaining and informative. Children and adults alike leave with a better understanding and appreciation of the importance of First Nation's people to the Canadian mosaic.
 Leela Gilday
 Back row from left: Leela Gilday, Dawn T Maracle, Jen Podemski, Joanna Podemski. Front from left: Tamara Podemski, Sarah Podemski
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The Organizers Instrumental in helping Whetung Gallery bring together these talented artists are Drew Hayden Taylor, one of our authors and Dawn T. Maracle  Dawn is a Mohawk from Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory in Southern Ontario. She presently resides in Toronto where she is pursuing her Doctor of Education degree from OISE/University of Toronto in community-based storytelling and oral narratives of Haudenosaunee peoples. Dawn has published numerous articles, essays, commentaries and short stories in a variety of books, newspapers, journals in Canada, the US, Germany and Italy and is presently finishing her first book - an anthology of Native Science Fiction due to be released in Spring 2003 by Talonbooks. It is expected to be a great success, and just another task on the list in Dawn T's unique way of breaking Native stereotypes through narratives. She has also spoken in BC, Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec, as well as the US, Germany and Italy about Native education in Canada, anti-racist, multicultural (Native) education, Native women in Canada, and reflexive research with Native people. She was also featured in the 2002 National Aboriginal Achievement Awards in Winnipeg as a dancer.
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Michael Whetung, Mohawk educator and speaker Dawn T. Maracle, Ojibwa author Drew Hayden Taylor and George Leach are persuaded to pose for a few pictures. | ||
Well, it's been a long day.... |
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Arthur Renwick, artist, musician, teacher, is from the Haisla First Nation in Kitamaat B.C. and lives and works in Toronto, Ontario. He has been writing and performing music since 1988 and, most notably, has written, performed and recorded music with three times Juno nominee, Jani Lauzon. For the past two years, Arthur has taken the time to focus on writing his own material and has recently started showcasing his new songs. When Arthur plays his metal slide on his Dobro guitar, his original songs evoke the old style blues of Robert Johnson blended with the old country of Hank Williams Sr. If you are into current musicians such as Steve Earle, Fred Eaglesmith, John Hiatt and Ben Harper, then you'll DEFINITELY like Arthur Renwick's music.
Tamara Podemski is best known for her roles in Dance me Outside (Little Margaret), Ready or Not, The Rez (Lucy), the Broadway company of RENT, and North of 60.