ON STAGE
What: Jeremy Dutcher with the Lekwungen Traditional Dancers of Songhees Nation
Where: Alix Goolden Performance Hall, 907聽Pandora Ave.
When: Thursday, Oct. 24, 8 p.m. (doors at 7)
Tickets: Sold out
The way musician Jeremy Dutcher evaluates his success has more to do with future generations than awards and acclaim.
He鈥檚 certainly happy to have the latter, which includes a Polaris Music Prize win in 2018, a Juno Award win this year and volumes of flattering critical notices.
But the impact his groundbreaking amalgam of opera, classical music and First Nations history has had on Indigenous youth in Canada has been the聽most rewarding part of his career, Dutcher says.
鈥淭he fact it has gone outward, and that a lot of people have connected with the music, that鈥檚 positive,鈥� Dutcher, 28, said during a recent tour stop in 91原创. 鈥淭hat for me is not the intended purpose. Everyone is welcome to come and witness what is going on in my community and the kind of conversations we鈥檙e having, but for me, the gaze of the project is a direct conversation between me and my relations.鈥�
Dutcher, a two-spirit Wolastoqiyik musician and member of the Algonquian-speaking Tobique First Nation in New聽Brunswick, is touring in support of聽his debut album, Wolastoqiyik Lintuwakonawa.
The album turned a spotlight on archival recordings of traditional songs 鈥� songs Dutcher did not know even existed until he was told by a First Nations elder that Ottawa鈥檚 91原创 Museum of History housed wax cylinder phonograph recordings of songs sung by some of Dutcher鈥檚 ancestors.
He made it his mission to bring traditional Wolastoq songs back to life in a contemporary context, and incorporated samples of the original recordings on the album.
鈥淧eople didn鈥檛 know about them. I didn鈥檛 know about them,鈥� Dutcher said. 鈥淏ut I understood it was now my duty and聽responsibility to carry that back to my people. An album was the most accessible way for me to get that archive into the hands of my people, without physically taking our stuff back 鈥� which had crossed my mind.鈥�
Dutcher said the album was a way to 鈥渞ematriate鈥� 鈥� rather than repatriate 鈥� that material back into the community.
The lyrics are sung in a language that fewer than 100 members of the Tobique First Nation have spoken fluently since birth.
His mother is in that group, but because of the language-shaming of the federal government鈥檚 Indian Act of 1876 鈥� which, among other things, limited the expression of Indigenous art and culture 鈥� Dutcher said 鈥渟he wasn鈥檛 equipped鈥� to pass on the knowledge to him when he was growing up.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been a reclamation journey for myself to come back to that language,鈥� he said.
鈥淏ut I was fortunate. They spoke it around me. Hearing my grandmother and my mother speak it, that was a pretty unique position. I know that if I hadn鈥檛 had the parents I had, I wouldn鈥檛 know much about who I was.
鈥淢uch of it has been stopped, and a lot聽of the ways our knowledge has been passed on for thousands of years has been stopped.鈥�
The artistic ripple effect his music has created is evident at his performances, Dutcher said. Fans who come to his shows聽鈥渁re interested in having these conversations鈥� about reclamation, he said, and the project is working as he had hoped.
Indigenous youth across Canada have learned the songs, he said proudly 鈥� some have even choreographed dances to聽many of them. 鈥淭here are all sorts of聽effects, which I鈥檓 very excited about. I聽had hoped to make our young people curious about who we are.鈥�
Dutcher gave a sold-out performance for 91原创 Opera Victoria last year, and his appearance at the Alix Goolden Performance Hall tonight, with an opening performance by the Lekwungen Traditional Dancers of Songhees Nation, sold out two weeks ago.
Which isn鈥檛 the least bit surprising: Concerts by the classically trained pianist and operatic tenor are largely unparalleled in Canada, and his performances with cellist Blanche Israel and percussionist Greg Harrison have met with widespread acclaim.
Dutcher will be riding higher than usual for tonight鈥檚 show. He was beaming Tuesday during our interview, full of hope after the historic win by his cousin, Jenica Atwin, during Monday鈥檚 federal election.
By winning her seat in the Fredericton riding where Dutcher was raised, Atwin became New Brunswick鈥檚 first Green party member of Parliament, gaining the聽party鈥檚 first seat outside of British Columbia.
His cousin鈥檚 win is a start. But the problems facing the country will remain deep-rooted until mindsets are changed, especially when it comes to Indigenous issues, Dutcher said.
鈥淚 was really disappointed to see during the debates that nobody had much else to say other than talking about pipelines. That was disappointing for me, as a young, Indigenous person.
鈥淭here鈥檚 so much need in the community, on so many different levels 鈥� housing, water, basic infrastructure. It鈥檚 a tragedy in 2019 that we can鈥檛 have living standards for all people in this country that are humane.鈥�
He saw the historic win by Independent MP Jody Wilson-Raybould, a member of the We Wai Kai Nation, as a step in聽the right direction, however.
鈥淚t鈥檚 those kind of movers and shakers that will hold government accountable. Right now. It鈥檚 unacceptable what鈥檚 going on. I really hope we have reached the tipping point.
鈥淚鈥檓 trying to urge people to think seven generations ahead, because we need that long-term thinking to get us out of the mess that we鈥檙e in.鈥�
