'A big F-U to the government': Dakota Ray Hebert's new comedy album explores The Indian Act

Dakota Ray Hebert, a Dene comedian from Meadow Lake, Sask., just released her special, entitled I'll Give You An Indian Act.

She said the album was born out of anger at the government last summer. She said the discovery of unmarked graves near residential schools made her feel helpless. 

Hebert joined Tom Power on Q to talk about why she wanted to turn her album into an alternative history lesson.

This interview has been condensed and edited for length and clarity. It contains subject matter some readers may find distressing. 

Tom Power, Q: How did you land on the Indian Act for your first comedy record?

Dakota Ray Hebert: I've been wanting to record and just not knowing how to record or go about it.

It was last summer. I was just very angry at the government. That happens a lot, but it was more so because all of our children were being found in residential schools and and were being brought back to their home reserves and there was just something in me ... I felt so powerless.

I don't go to law school, so I can't change laws that way. I'm not a big activist. I can't do anything that way. But you know, what I can do is just roast the ever loving crap out of the government. So I got to work on compiling the jokes that I had already written, but then also going through the driest research that I've done for any kind of comedy and put together this album.

And so it's kind of like a big F-U to the government. Yay!

I'm thinking about [when] this show airs not in Canada, but even for people in Canada who might not be might be familiar with it, how do you describe the Indian Act to people?

The Indian Act is a book of laws that dictates the lives of Indigenous peoples in Canada and it's still in place.

Some of the comments that I would get was like, "Oh, we're still on this?" and "What do you mean?" It's still a thing. It was written back then and it's just been updated and it should be abolished, quite frankly. We're the only first world country, I think, that has an entire book of laws dictating a race of people. 

LISTEN | Dakota Ray Hebert's full interview with Tom Power: 

Q17:40Dakota Ray Hebert talks about blending politics, history and comedy for her first stand-up album

Dakota Ray Hebert’s new comedy album breaks down one of Canada’s most controversial pieces of legislation. On I’ll Give You An Indian Act, the Dene comedian skewers the document that defines how the Canadian government interacts with First Nations people. From jokes about John A. Macdonald to Louis Riel, Dakota Ray Hebert explains why she wanted to turn her first stand-up album into an alternative history lesson.

This was recorded live in Ottawa, right?

Yeah, it was recorded live April 12, which was the day the Indian Act was enacted in Ottawa, which is where the Indian Act was enacted. I wanted layers to this. I wanted it to be full of of messages, I guess. 

I was going to ask if you chose Ottawa deliberately because it's the nation's capital.

Yeah, yeah. I want my next album to be recorded in my hometown of Meadow Lake, Saskatchewan. I do think that'd be really fun. Maybe even Saskatoon, just because it's more densely populated and whatnot.

I definitely wanted it to be in Ottawa on April 12. And it was tough because April 12 was a Tuesday. You know, who wants to go and get silly at a comedy show on a Tuesday? 

But there were quite a few people! We had pretty well a sold out show the first show, and then an amazing crowd of laughers at the second show, and it was a really phenomenal turnout and I was really happy with with how it went and and how the audience responded. It was exhilarating.

How did it feel on stage? I mean, it's a couple of layers to that too. Like how did it feel on stage knowing you were going to do a stand-up set that was going to be recorded? How did you feel on stage knowing you kind of had one night to get this down? And how did you feel on stage knowing you were doing this in Ottawa?

It was scary, but it felt so right. The week before, I actually spent many nights just going through and doing so many shows for free around Saskatoon and just doing whatever I could to prepare. Then I was flying out and performing. I get pacey before shows. I get really, like, "Why do I do this? I'm the most unfunny person in the world. After this, I quit."

I kind of went through my whole routine and then got on stage and then it was just like riding a really funny bike. It was so easy. I always get kind of nervous about doing political stuff, but everyone knew ahead of time that it was going to be political. I mean, I had the title available. So everybody, you know, [that] was a content warning in itself.

Then just the idea of being just a few blocks away from the Parliament and Parliament Hill and just knowing that, I was feeling like I was attempting to do something.

There's an Elder I worked with when I was 20 who once told us that if you want to fight the war, you fight it with a pen. He meant for us to go off and be lawyers, but I wrote my jokes. That's what I did. So that felt good.

Support is available for anyone affected by their experience at residential schools, and those who are triggered by the latest reports.

A national Indian Residential School Crisis Line has been set up to provide support for former students and those affected. People can access emotional and crisis referral services by calling the 24-hour national crisis line: 1-866-925-4419.