Jeremy Dutcher #strength
It was October 2013 — A month earlier, I had packed my things and left Wolastokuk (Maliseet territory) for the first time to live at Kjipuktuk (Halifax) in unceeded Mi’kmaq territory. The difficulty of being detached from language, culture and familial practice for the first time in my short 17 years, was only compounded by the images in the media coming out of Wolastokuk; that of the our Grand Chief being arrested while in ceremony and others held at gunpoint for daring to stand up to corporate interests and seismic testing. Mi’kmaq & Wolastoq women stood up and led, as they alway have, for the land and the water in protest and song. Swat teams and military were called in. The incident at Elsipogtog was impactful in understanding my responsibility as an indigenous person to protect Kci-kikuwosson (Mother Earth).
George Paul’s Honor Song was lifted up during these protests as an anthem for the people. It has been and will continue to be an invocation for the nations to gather and support each other in our mutual goal of protecting the land we have sprung from. This track is all about lateral love -\-\ respecting our Indigeneity and helping each other; so let’s get to it.
Tan qiniw iyuwok wasis npomawsuwinuwok, tankeyu ’tmine-hc kihtahkmikumon.
As long as there is a child among my people, we will protect the land.
Listen or download on your favourite platforms: http://smarturl.it/honorsong
#HonorSong Revolutions Per Minute #IndigenousNewWave
Lyrics & Melody by: George Paul
Produced by: BUFFLO & Jeremy Dutcher
Mixed & Mastered by: Dan Weston
Video Footage: Christian Peacemaker Teams & XanaduNB
Video Editing: David Matta
Translation Team - Raymond Nicholas, Carol Scott, Mildred Paul, Spike Moulton, Molly Moulton, Marina Moulton, Jenette Brewer, Ron Tremblay, Rosanne Clark
