Mohawk teens from Kahnawake write and record music video exploring Indigenous identity
Four students from the Kanien'kehá:ka (Mohawk) community of Kahnawake wrote, sang, rapped and filmed a music video that explores their experiences as Indigenous youth.
Their school, Howard S. Billings in Chateauguay, issued the challenge, and the young artists rose to the occasion.
The world premiere of "They Fly" took place in the school's auditorium in front of all the students.
"It was a little overwhelming at first," said singer and co-writer Wahientha Katelyne Cross. "I didn't know what everybody was going to think about the music video coming out because we're all in high school and kids be kids. I thought there was going to be a lot of different opinions flying around, but, in the end, it was all ok, and I feel good about everything."
The music video has thousands of views on YouTube.
The grade 11 students brought their ideas and had some guidance in the creative process.
"We had the opportunity to work with producer David Hodges and mobile studio Nwe-Jinan to create an Indigenous music video, so we selected four students who were interested and have the creative talents," said principal Lynn L'Esperance-Claude.
Rapper and co-writer Onekwentaraonerate Lola Rosa McQuaid wrote lyrics about being Indigenous and light-skinned.
"There's not a lot of representation of pale-skinned and blue-eyed Native people," she said. "Not all Native people look the same, and also, mixed Natives are still Natives."
The song is meant to build awareness in listeners, yet it also seems to have inspired some self-awareness in the artists.
"It was really freeing," said rapper and co-writer Kawisenhtha Mercadies Deer. "It allowed me an opportunity to get out of my shell to do something I've never done before."
"It's outside of my comfort zone," said rapper and co-writer Teioronhiathe Phoenix Lahache. "I thought it would be good to have that feeling."
The four students made sure to showcase Kahnawake's local businesses and monuments in their video.
"I wanted to put more awareness on Indigenous people and their communities," said Lahache. "That's the whole reason why I did this."
"I liked collaborating with different people, and I like understanding the ideas and focussing on how they feel and how we feel and how and bring it all together to make something beautiful like we just did," said Cross
The music video-making process allowed them to find their voices through a conversation about identity and expressed through song creation.
"I learnt about myself," said Deer. "Like if I'm determined, I can do something even if I'm scared at first, and just in general, if you're determined enough, you can do anything."
"I'm super proud of it," said McQuaid. "I was super nervous premiering it, but I'm super happy with it now."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Canada Disability Benefit needs to be safeguarded from clawbacks, MPs unanimously agree
The federal government needs to safeguard the incoming Canada Disability Benefit from clawbacks and do more to ensure it actually meets the stated aim of lifting people living with disabilities out of poverty, MPs from all parties agree.
Security guard shot, seriously injured outside of Drake's Toronto mansion
A security guard working at Drake’s Bridle Path mansion in Toronto was seriously injured in a shooting outside the residence early Tuesday morning, police said.
Testifying in hush money trial, adult film actor Stormy Daniels describes first meeting Trump
Stormy Daniels took the witness stand Tuesday at Donald Trump's hush money trial, describing for jurors a sexual encounter the porn actor says she had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid off to keep silent during the presidential election 10 years later.
King Charles too busy to see son Prince Harry during U.K. trip
Prince Harry will not be seeing his father King Charles during his current visit to Britain as the monarch will be too busy, Harry's spokesperson said on Tuesday.
opinion Tom Mulcair: Turfing Poilievre from House a clear sign of desperation by Trudeau Liberals
When Speaker Greg Fergus tossed out Pierre Poilievre from the House last week, "those of us who have experience as parliamentarians simply couldn't believe our eyes," writes former NDP leader Tom Mulcair in his column for CTVNews.ca
Apple unveils new iPad Pro with 'outrageously powerful' AI-powered chip
Apple is hoping its latest iPad lineup will breathe new life into its sluggish tablet market. In a pre-recorded live streamed event from its Cupertino, California headquarters, the company introduced the latest versions of its iPad Pro and iPad Air tablets, and an all-new Apple Pencil Pro.
Katy Perry's mom was fooled by AI images of the singer at the Met Gala
Katy Perry did not attend the Met Gala on Monday, but some of the singer’s fans – and even her mom – thought she did.
Your body needs these three forms of movement every week
Movement is movement, right? Not exactly. Here’s what your body is looking for in addition to your morning walk or yoga session, according to experts.
'It looked so legit': Ontario man pays $7,700 for luxury villa found on Booking.com, but the listing was fake
An Ontario man says he paid more than $7,700 for a luxury villa he found on a popular travel website -- but the listing was fake.