How Indigenous musicians are using song to reclaim their identities

This episode originally aired on May 2, 2021.

Indigenous people have rich and complex relationships with music. As communities grow and change so does the music being made. 

This week on Unreserved, how Indigenous musicians are reclaiming their identities through music. 

Madisyn Whajne recorded her first record, Save Our Hearts, years ago, but she couldn't afford to give the album a proper release. A Sixties Scoop survivor, Whajne received money as part of the federal settlement and put it toward her music.

Like Whajne, musician Jayli Wolf's father was a victim of the Sixties Scoop. He had his identity stripped — which had generational effects on Wolf's identity too. She didn't know who her father was until she was in her teens, which has led her on a path of self-discovery, and away from the religious community she was raised in.

Juno Award-winning artist G.R. Gritt just released their first solo project, Ancestors. The two-spirit, transgender, francophone, Anishinaabe and Métis artist talks about their series of coming outs, and how connecting with their family history influenced their new album.

This week's playlist:

Madisyn Whajne — Dagger

Jayli Wolf — Child of the Government

G.R. Gritt — Shebahonaning