Northern Cree, also known as the Northern Cree Singers, is a
powwow and
Round Dance drum and singing group, based in
Maskwacis
Maskwacis (; cr, ᒪᐢᑿᒌᐢ, ), renamed in 2014 from Hobbema (), is an unincorporated community in central Alberta, Canada at intersection of Highway 2A and Highway 611, approximately south of the City of Edmonton. The community consists ...
,
[ Bouchard, David (2006). ''Nokum Is My Teacher'', Postface. Illustrated by ]Allen Sapp
Allen Sapp (January 2, 1928 – December 29, 2015) was a Canadian Cree painter, who resided in North Battleford, Saskatchewan. His art and his story have become known throughout Canada. His paintings tell a personal story, and many feature image ...
. Music by Northern Cree. Red Deer Press. .[Bouchard, David and Willier, Shelley (2008). ''The Drum Calls Softly'', Postface. Illustrated by Jim Poitras. Music by Northern Cree. Red Deer Press. .] Alberta
Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...
, Canada. Formed in 1980 (or 1982) by Randy Wood,
with brothers Charlie and Earl Wood of the
Saddle Lake Cree Nation
Saddle Lake Cree Nation ( cr, ᐅᓂᐦᒋᑭᐢᑿᐱᐏᓂᕽ, onihcikiskwapiwinihk) is a Plains Cree, First Nations community, located in the ''Amiskwacīwiyiniwak'' (" Beaver Hills") region of central Alberta, Canada. The Nation is a signator ...
(
Plains Indian music), members originate from the
Treaty 6
Treaty 6 is the sixth of the numbered treaties that were signed by the Canadian Crown and various First Nations between 1871 and 1877. It is one of a total of 11 numbered treaties signed between the Canadian Crown and First Nations. Specifica ...
area. These include Ferlin McGillvary, Steve Wood,
Joel Wood, as well as Conan Yellowbird.
Regarded as one of the best acts in modern Native American powwow music, they have been named one of the most respected pow-wow groups in North America
and the world.
The group, or their music, has been described as remarkably unified and powerful,
attention-grabbing,
arresting
hypnotic,
intense,
passionate,
exciting,
energetic,
and energizing.
They have been nominated for six
Grammy Awards
The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...
and nominated for two
Juno Awards
The Juno Awards, more popularly known as the JUNOS, are awards presented annually to Canadian musical artists and bands to acknowledge their artistic and technical achievements in all aspects of music. New members of the Canadian Music Hall of ...
. In 2017, the Singers, along with founder Randy Wood and
Tanya Tagaq
Tanya may refer to:
* Tanya (Judaism),an early work of Hasidic philosophy by Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi.
* Tanya (name), a given name and list of people with the name
* Tanya or Lara Saint Paul (born 1946)
* List of Mortal Kombat characters#Tany ...
, won a
Juno Award for Classical Album of the Year – Large Ensemble for the album ''Going Home Star''.
["Gord Downie wins three Junos at music awards gala dinner Saturday night"](_blank)
''London Free Press'', Lynn Saxberg and Peter Hum. April 1, 2017
Discography
According to Allmusic they have over twenty albums out; according to their website they have released 37, mostly live recordings, on
Canyon Records
Canyon Records of Phoenix, Arizona is a record label that has produced and distributed Native American music for 56 years.
History
Canyon was founded in 1951 by Ray and Mary Boley, who had opened the first recording studio in Phoenix, Arizona ...
. Albums include:
* ''Rockin' the
Rez'' (2001)
* ''Still Rezin'' (2003)
* ''Northern Cree & Friends, Vol. 5: Long Winter Nights'' (2006)
* ''Stay Red'' (2006)
* ''Red Rock: Pow-Wow Songs Recorded Live at
Muckleshoot
The Muckleshoot ( lut, bəqəlšuł ) are a Lushootseed language, Lushootseed-speaking Native American tribe, part of the Coast Salish peoples of the Pacific Northwest. They are descendants of the Duwamish and Puyallup peoples whose traditional t ...
'' (2008)
* ''True Blue'' (2009)
* ''Temptations: Cree Round Dance Songs'' (2010) ''It's a Cree Thing'' (2016)
* ''Ewipihcihk'': ᐁᐏᐱᐦᒋᐦᐠ
to go Round Dancing (with)," or, "he/she goes Round Dancing (with)"(2016)
*Nitisanak - Brothers and Sister (2018)
They were featured in the film ''
Grey Owl
Archibald Stansfeld Belaney (; September 18, 1888 – April 13, 1938), commonly known as Grey Owl, was a British-born conservationist, fur trapper, and writer who disguised himself as a Native American man. While he achieved fame as a co ...
'' (1999). They are featured on the album ''
Gathering of Nations Pow Wow 1999'' (2000, Soar Records), which won a Grammy in 2001. The group is featured in the song and music video "Indomitable" by
DJ Shub
DJ Shub (Dan General) is a Mohawk DJ and music producer and member of the Six Nations of the Grand River. He has won numerous awards for his work as a former member of A Tribe Called Red, a DJ, and for solo pursuits.
Career
Shub began practis ...
, which was nominated for
Best EDM/Dance Video in the 2017 iHeartRadio Much Music Video Awards and won Best Music Video in the Native American Music Awards. They are featured on the CDs which accompany
David Bouchard
David Bouchard is a Canadian author and former high school principal.
Bouchard was born and raised in Saskatchewan. He is a Member of the Order of Canada and a public school in Oshawa, Ontario is named after him. In his 2017 book, ''Proud to Be ...
's children's books in Cree and English: ''Nokum Is My Teacher'' (2006) and ''The Drum Calls Softly'' (2008), both on
Red Deer Press.
Awards and nominations
Members
* Charlie Wood
* Earl Wood
*
Ferlin McGilvery
*
Joel Wood
*
Steve Wood
References
{{Authority control
First Nations musical groups
Juno Award for Classical Album of the Year – Large Ensemble or Soloist(s) with Large Ensemble Accompaniment winners
Musical groups from Alberta
Plains Indian music
Cree culture