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
BREAKING Bob Cole, veteran CBC broadcaster and former voice of 'Hockey Night in Canada,' dead at 90
Bob Cole, legendary CBC broadcaster and former voice of Hockey Night in Canada, has died. He was 90.
Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction overturned by N.Y. appeals court
New York's highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction, reversing a landmark ruling of the #MeToo era in determining the trial judge improperly allowed women to testify about allegations against the ex-movie mogul that weren't part of the case.
BREAKING Honda to get up to $5B in govt help for EV battery, assembly plants
Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.
MPP Sarah Jama asked to leave Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment that is banned at Queen’s Park.
CTE: Researchers believe widespread brain injury may contribute to veteran suicide rate
Researchers are working to better understand if some Canadian military veterans may be suffering from Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, also known as CTE -- a disorder previously found in the brains of professional football and hockey players after their death.
1 arrested in northern Alberta during public shelter order
Residents of John D'Or Prairie, a community on the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta, were told to take shelter Thursday morning during a police operation.
Secret $70M Lotto Max winners break their silence
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
New deep-water channel allows first ship to pass Key bridge wreckage in Baltimore
The first cargo ship passed through a newly opened deep-water channel in Baltimore on Thursday after being stuck in the harbor since the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed four weeks ago, halting most maritime traffic through the city's port.