NATIVE NORTH AMERICA (VOL. 1):
Aboriginal Folk, Rock, and Country 1966–1985
Largely unheard, criminally undocumented, but at their core,
utterly revolutionary, the recordings of the diverse North American Aboriginal
community will finally take their rightful place in our collective history in
the form of Native North America (Vol. 1): Aboriginal
Folk, Rock, and Country 1966–1985. An anthology of music that
was once near-extinct and off-the-grid is now available for all to hear, in
what is, without a doubt, Light In The
Attic’s most ambitious and historically significant project in the label’s
12-year journey.
Native North America (Vol. 1) features music
from the Indigenous peoples of Canada and the northern United States, recorded
in the turbulent decades between 1966 to 1985. It represents the fusion of
shifting global popular culture and a reawakening of Aboriginal spirituality
and expression. The majority of this material has been widely unavailable for
decades, hindered by lack of distribution or industry support and by limited
mass media coverage, until now. You’ll hear Arctic garage rock from the Nunavik
region of northern Quebec, melancholy Yup’ik folk from Alaska, and hushed
country blues from the Wagmatcook First Nation reserve in Nova Scotia. You’ll
hear echoes of Neil Young, Velvet Underground, Leonard Cohen, Creedence
Clearwater Revival, Johnny Cash, and more among the songs, but injected with
Native consciousness, storytelling, poetry, history, and ceremony.
The stories behind the music presented on Native North America (Vol. 1) range
from standard rock-and-roll dreams to transcendental epiphanies. They have been
collected with love and respect by Vancouver-based record archaeologist and
curator Kevin “Sipreano” Howes in a
15-year quest to unearth the history that falls between the notes of this
unique music. Tirelessly, Howes scoured obscure, remote areas for the original
vinyl recordings and the artists who made them, going so far as to send
messages in Inuktitut over community radio airwaves in hopes that these lost
cultural heroes would resurface.
With cooperation and guidance from the artists, producers,
family members, and behind the scenes players, Native North America (Vol. 1) sheds real light
on the painful struggles and deep traditions of the greater Indigenous
community and the significance of its music. The songs speak of joy and
spirituality, but also tell of real tragedy and strife, like that of
Algonquin/Mohawk artist Willy Mitchell,
whose music career was sparked by a bullet to the head from the gun of a
trigger-happy police officer, or those of Inuk singer-songwriter Willie Thrasher, who was robbed of his
family and traditional Inuit culture by the residential school system.
Considering the financially motivated destruction of our
environment, the conservative political landscape, and corporate bottom-line
dominance, it’s bittersweet to report that the revolutionary songs featured
on Native North America hold
as much meaning today as when they were originally recorded. Dedicated to
legendary Métis singer-songwriter and poet Willie
Dunn, featured on the anthology but who sadly passed away during its
making, Native
North America (Vol. 1) is only the
beginning.
Deluxe 2CD set features a hard-cover 120 page book with
comprehensive liner notes, artist interviews, unseen archival photos, and
lyrics (with translations)
Deluxe 3LP set includes 60 page book with comprehensive
liner notes, artist interviews, unseen archival photos, and lyrics (with
translations), housed in a “Tip-On” slip case with three “Tip-On” jackets
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