Beatrice Deer shares her life in throat singing, tattoos, and a gorgeous performance in a church
CBC Arts | Posted: March 8, 2023 9:30 PM | Last Updated: March 8, 2023
Through traditions and live performance, Deer manifests her profound strength
Streaming now on CBC Gem, Following Folk takes us on a journey to discover the artists who are redefining folk music today. Featuring in-depth interviews and intimate performances, this series is a treat for all music lovers.
In this episode of Following Folk, we meet Beatrice Deer at home in Montreal and follow her journey through life with throat singing, a new tattoo from her daughter, grappling with trauma, and finding joy — culminating with a performance of her song "UQAUTINNGA" in a church.
"My music is a mix of traditional Inuit storytelling with folk, pop rock, indie," Deer tells us. "Someone came up with the term 'Inuindie', and I like that."
On the importance of throat singing, Deer tells Following Folk: "It's something very precious to us because we almost lost it through colonization. We were shamed for it by the Catholic missionaries, by the government. So, for it to have survived colonization is to come back strongly is something we're very proud of. And to sing it in a church will be like, 'Take that!'"
I sing about my own experiences. I come from a lot of trauma, like many many Indigenous people, that stems from colonization, abuse. I wanted to see if I can really feel joy, authentic joy, because I never felt it. As a young adult, I thought it was impossible. - Beatrice Deer
Follow Beatrice Deer at @beatricedeerband on Instagram. Stream Following Folk now on CBC Gem.