Polaris prize nominee uses original recordings of ancestors singing for new album

An Indigenous opera singer is bringing back his community's traditions and songs, locked away in archives for more than a century,by singing duets with his ancestors.

New Brunswick singer Jeremy Dutcherhas had his album Wolastoqiyik Lintuwakonawalong listed for a Polaris Prize a music awardannually given to the best full-length Canadian album based on artistic merit.

Wednesday will see Dutcherperform music from the album at Vancouver's Queer Arts Festival.

"It's all been a lot," said Dutcher, speaking to the Polaris nomination and the album's success.

WolastoqiyikLintuwakonawa translated as "Songs of the River People" is sung entirely inWolastoqey, a language fewer than 100 people speak.

Dutcheris aSong Carrier from the Wolastoq Nation, which means he strives to revive the nation's traditional songs. He does that with his album by literally singing alongside his directly-related ancestors.

The classically-trained tenor used wax cylinder recordings of his ancestors singing in the early 1900s, which had been locked away in the national archive for decades.

"Not many people know about these cylinders," said Dutcher. "I didn't know anything about them until I was told by an elder of mine."

"She said 'if you want to know about our old songs, you need to go to the archive and see what's there.'"

After weeks in Ottawadigging through the archive, Dutcher found the songs recorded at a time when it was illegal, due tothe potlatch ban, for many Indigenous people to share their culture.

Dutcheralso found old photographs and written stories concerning the WolastoqNation.

"There was a wealth of knowledge that's been disconnected from the community," he said.

"That was the problem. I really wanted to answer with this albumto connect that circle again."

That the recordings still exist and are now being celebrated is a testament to the resilience of theWolastoqNation, he said.

By juxtaposing the old songs with Dutcher's contemporary singing, the album is meant to highlightissues facing Indigenous people,such as water rights and language loss.

Dutcher performsat the Roundhouse Community Centre, June 27 at 7 p.m.

With files from The Early Edition

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