Music in Chisasibi

(Mois dans le bois. Un petit lac à côté du camp de Sylvain)





Salut tout le monde. The remainder of our time here is quickly diminishing and there is alot to be done. As for things that happened, well here goes. This past week we went to see a little music happening at the Michuap (the big town center structure). It turned out to be a Cree Arts and Culture week but we only cought the tail end of it. There were a couple solo performers and then other people got up to play with the house band. One of these people was the famous (at least here) Roger House. Bob Robb has told me about

him and they played alot of music together back when Bob was on Fort George. The whole event was alot of fun and as I predicted, thepeople here know music. There's alot of country music kicking around. It may be the only place were I'll see a young man with baggy iner-city gangster clothes and a hat cocked to the side clapping and whistling when someone starts to play old-time country and gospel.

(The LG2 Resevoir on the left,

spruce woods on the lower ground on the right)

The one artist that really struck me was a young fiddler. Fiddling is a big part of James Bay culture, ever since encounters with Scottish sailors back in the late eighteen hundreds. At work, the elders often watch video documentation of a dance competition in Wamindji back in the 90's. Needless to say the fiddling is rather redundant but it's got quite a charm. The dancing is also interesting to watch. It's sort-of a fast country/square dancing deal. The big competitions don't happen as much I don't think but the fiddles and dancing come out at weddings and big celebrations. There was a famous fiddler from Fort George by the name of Ray Spencer. His two borthers attend the center were I'm placed for work. Ray Spencer is something of a local hero here. It sort-of conected the dots for me when I saw this young man with a tuque, hoody, and baggy pants get up there and bust a mean old fiddle just like those who came before him. Music is in their blood here.

I have been playing quite a bit of guitar lately but now it seems rediculous why I havn't played with people. I've decided in the last few weeks that I'm here that I must get out there with my guitar. To begin with I've started making little shakers and a rainstick with recycled material with the participants at the MSDC. They seem to be enjoying them and next week I'll bring my guitar and try to make some music.

The music teacher at the school here, Gerald Cote, is an extremely interesting musician and anthropologist. He is putting in an effort to help kids at the school with music, but it's not cut-and-dry. He is helping them play the music they want to play, from Metallica to hip-hop. He is helping a group of kids record some Cree rap that they have come up with. I think Cree is quite a good language for rap. I'll try to get an mp3 file or something to post here if I can.

(Inside the Mitigan on the first night)

My French teacher, Fodé, is very big on West African Music and has lent me a few CD's to borrow. Now that I'm up in the great white north, I'm already dreaming of Mali. Charles, the

dreadlocked metal-head from Québec is beginning to educate me on the scenes of music I never got into. He is in a band himself and always goes to shows and knows alot of local and alternative metal bands in Québec. There really is no limit.

(The typical James Bay canoes waiting for spring at a launch along the Grande River. Just after I took this picture a red-tailed fox whose tracks I had been following came out to look at me, couldn't get a good picture sorry.)

Anyhow, there is much to say but not much time so I will say farewell for now and enjoy the winter months. I hear alot of you seem to be having more winter than us. Hopefully more snow will come soon.