#aboriginalcanadian

[kattymckay]

As a teenager I started painting and playing guitar.

[kattymckay]

Two sisters from Canada. They are both Inuit throat singers and drum dancers. Very interesting video, It makes me happy to see them keeping their tradition alive. Enjoy!

[kattymckay]

More than just an Art

          In the Aboriginal culture music plays a powerful role. It is a part of everyday life and it is a vital part of sacred ceremonies. Traditional music is still practised and performed widely. Some musicians use music as a way of telling stories, sharing their emotions and as a way to escape from reality.

            For years aboriginal artists have used music as a way of telling stories. They’re stories vary from tragedies, to heartbreaks and to some of the best memories of their life. Although some choose to tell stories of the past, history about their tribes or even the history of the country.  I find that you can tell how that person felt at the time by the tune of their song, if its an upbeat song then I put myself in that time and I feel either excited or really happy or when the song is slow or hard sounding it usually makes feel angry or sad. The story songs always help especially when you feel what they felt, and the tune just matches your emotions.

            Aboriginal musicians, both young and old will sometimes use music as a way of therapy. Personally I think that its one of the best ways because you write how you feel at the moment on to paper and then you turn them into lyrics. As an aboriginal youth listening to someone sing about something similar to what has happened to me, it makes feel like there is someone out there who understands me and what I’m going through. For youth we all go through stuff and our emotions are strong so wither you rap, sing or play an instrument they are all ways of letting out your feelings, so when you rap your rhymes will be more fluent and fast and if you sing you’ll sing your heart out and hit the highest notes possible or if you play an instrument you’ll play like you have never played before because you are putting your heart and soul into it.

            The gift of song, prayer and poetry are very important to Aboriginal people because it links us with our Mother Earth and the creator. We have been using music for many years because it’s a major part of our culture. Aboriginal people will sometimes put their prayers into a song and they will sing it at sacred ceremonies. Our songs and our dances will come from nature or perhaps in a dream. The songs we sing and the instruments we play are all sacred to us. We are now working on preserving and regaining our musical traditions.

          In the past we were not allowed to practice our traditional ways, which involved our songs. Our songs were and still a huge part of our lives. We are slowly regaining back and preserving our way through teachings and learning from our leaders and our elders. Many people think that music is just an art and in some cases it is depending on how you use it and why. For us Aboriginal people music will never just be an art, it is a lifestyle.