Movable Feast Tuckkwiowhum

Indigenous Artists for this Event!

• Á’a:líya

  Á’a:líya

  [Stó:lō]

  Á’a:líya is a proud member of the Stó:lō Nation and grew up in her community, the Skowkale First Nation. She has worked in and around Vancouver as an activist and hip-hop artist for 17 years. She is also a filmmaker and recently graduated from UBC’s Master of Film Production Program.

  Á’a:líya is a storyteller addressing both modern and traditional narratives from her unique perspective as an Indigenous woman through music, poetry and now as a filmmaker. She has travelled across Canada and the US doing performances, for community events both big and small. Her writing focuses on her own experiences dealing with her own life struggles, mental health, relationships, and triumphs.

  She’s passionate about art and what it can do to spread messages of empowerment and love to people of all backgrounds and ages.

  [Stó:lō]

• Geo AKA The Voice

  Geo AKA The Voice

  [Secwepemc/Cree]

  George Ignace ~ Geo aka The Voice~, (Vocals, Beats) is Secwepemc and Cree, began working with The Melawmen Collective in 2007 through projects as artist, facilitator and producer.

  He is also a prolific wordsmith, a talented visual artist, and has collaborated on written published works, as well as other film projects, and practices his traditional culture through harvesting and processing traditional foods.

  [Secwepemc/Cree]

• Gerald Charlie

  Gerald Charlie

  [Stó:lō]

  Gerald Charlie performs festivals throughout BC and in The USA. His original blues continue to bring happiness to people . Gerald has two award winning CDs to his name and all songs written by himself. He has a style of his own with vocals and guitar. Here are a few words shared by the legend:

  Charlie Musselwhite: My friend Gerald Charlie plays his unique blues straight from the heart and he has a big heart. He puts genuine feeling in his playing and his singing and songwriting. Don’t miss Gerald Charlies BLUES.

  Gerald has shared the stage with many great musicians and has performed with many. His highlights were sharing the stage with Tom Lavin and the Legendary Powder Blues and, especially, opening for the great bluesman Bo Diddley. The blues is in Gerald’s blood and he just loves to play them and sing them. He will guarantee nothing but a good for all to remember.

  [Stó:lō]

• Helene Duguay

  Helene Duguay

  [Mikmaq]

  Helene is a legendary bass player, who use to play with ‘The Beatlettes’, an all female pop band in the 1960’s in Montreal. She brings many years experience tearing it up on stages throughout North America and Asia.

  At seventy-five years of age, Helene shows no sign of slowing down, and can hold her own with the best of them on any stage! Proud of her French/Miqmaq heritage, and fluent in French, she performs at numerous fundraisers for various Indigenous communities and organizations throughout British Columbia.She has been featured on the TV shows, Rez Bluez and The Mix, and several episodes of Beyond Words on the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network. Helene also performed bass on both Murray Porter’s albums.

  From the girl groups and go-go boots of the sixties and through all the twists and turns in popular music since, Helene plays all styles with authenticity and heart.

  [Mikmaq]

• Kiva MH

  Kiva MH

  [Secwepemc/ Nuu-Chah-Nulth]

  Kiva Morgan-Hall is a Secwepemc/Nuu-Chah-Nulth youth grounded through the roots of his people. He started his artistic solo and collaborative journey with The Melawmen Collective at the age of 7 years old, as a participant of their workshops (visual, song writing), then as a youth facilitator, and later as a working lyricist of the group as an early teen.

  He is a trained traditional cultural Nuu-Chah-Nulth dancer and performer, and his young wisdom shines through his verses, time and time again, relating to all generations.

  [Secwepemc/ Nuu-Chah-Nulth]

• Margit Sky Project

  Margit Sky Project

  [Stó:lō]

  Raised in Toronto and then Vancouver, Margit grew up listening to rock, folk and classical music. Her parents always had the stereo on. After moving to Kamloops in 1992, she built a successful career as a local musician and hasn’t looked back since her first gig at Sun Peaks Resort.
  Rod started playing guitar at age 10 in Vancouver. He was playing in bands at age 16. Rod was a huge part of the Indigenous band “Waskesu” in the mid 1990’s. They had the pleasure of playing for the Prime Minister and playing at the Commonwealth Games in Victoria along with Susan Aglukark and Kashtin. They also had quite a few appearances on Much Music.
  Put these two together and you have the Margit Sky Project. Rods First Nations name is Little Sky. The decision was made to combine names. With Margit’s vocals and rhythm guitar and Rod’s jaw dropping lead guitar they have become a very sought after duo in the B.C. Interior and Alberta. They have been fortunate enough to open for Kevin Costner and Modern West, Burton Cummings, Trooper, Barney Bentall, Elliot Brood and Ridley Bent. Margit and Rod are very passionate about their music and have released three cd’s together.

  [Stó:lō]

• Murray Porter

  Murray Porter

  [Mohawk]

  Murray Porter is Mohawk from Six Nations of the Grand River Territory. He tells the Aboriginal side of history with a mixture of country, blues and humour. He’s a “red man, singing the black mans’ blues, living in a white man’s world!” (from his song “Colours”).

  Murray is a self-taught, singer, songwriter and piano player, who’s spent the last 30 years playing the blues throughout the world, spreading his unique style of foot-stomping, hand clapping, rockin’ blues piano!

  Now living in North Vancouver, British Columbia, his CD “Songs Lived & Life Played”, was released to rave reviews in 2011 and won a JUNO Award for “Aboriginal Album of the Year” in 2012. He was also a 2005 JUNO nominee for ‘Full Circle’ with his former group THE PAPPY JOHNS BAND, and Canadian Aboriginal Music Award winner for ‘Best Blues’.In 1994, he launched a solo career. In 1995, Murray recorded his first solo album “1492, Who Found Who?” for First Nations Music (distributed by EMI).

  In 2006, Murray performed at the “Out of Doors Festival”, at the LINCOLN CENTER in New York City at their “23rd Annual Roots of American Music Festival”, on a 10 foot grand piano, with Sipho Kunene on drums. Blues greats, such as Mavis Staples, Guy Davis, Larry Johnson and Bettye LaVette, were part of the festival. He also performed at “Native Sounds Downtown” at the NATIONAL MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAN INDIAN, in New York City.

  [Mohawk]

• Ritchie & The Fendermen

  Ritchie & The Fendermen

  [Nlaka’pamux]

  [Nlaka’pamux]

• Willie Thrasher & Linda Saddleback

  Willie Thrasher & Linda Saddleback

  [Inuvialuit]

  Willie Thrasher is a gifted Inuk singer and songwriter living in Nanaimo, BC with his partner Linda Saddleback. Three of Thrasher’s songs appeared on the 2014 Grammy-nominated compilation, Native North America (Vol. 1), renewing interest in his and other Indigenous artists’ work. Thrasher’s powerful 1981 debut album, Spirit Child, which the 3 songs came from, was then reissued in 2015.

  Thrasher was born in Aklavik, Northwest Territories, in 1948 and at five years of age, Thrasher was taken from his family and sent to a residential school where he was forbidden to practice his Inuvialuit culture. Music was a way for Thrasher to escape the pain and longing. He has recorded both as a solo artist, and as a member of several bands, including The Cordells, and Red Cedar, with Morley Loon.

  Thrasher has advocated for Inuit and First Nations issues for much of his career. Today, Thrasher performs at home and around the world with his partner Linda Saddleback due to the global attention garnered by Native North America (Vol. 1). Wherever he may be, Willie Thrasher is a trailblazing troubadour with an Indigenous heartbeat sound.

  [Inuvialuit]