This Inuit drum dancing group is recovering music traditions that were almost lost

Sophie Agnatok and Ashley Dicker have known each other for decades. Today, they're closer than ever — in more ways than one.
"We're right in each other's faces," Agnatok said, referring to how, as throat singing partners, they perform up close to one another.
"It's really intimate, and it requires so much focus and so much connection."
Dicker's first memories of Agnatok go back to their childhood in Nain, Nunatsiavut, an Inuit-governed region in northern Labrador.
"When I was a young girl, I would break into Sophie's bedroom with my best friend, who was her sister, and I would steal her perfume," Dicker said, laughing.
Agnatok and Dicker are members of Kilautiup Songuninga, which translates to "strength of the drum." They're the first Inuit drum dancing and throat singing group to come out of St. John's. Agnatok is now the group's president. As a founding member, she has been part of the group for nineteen years. Dicker joined four years ago.
"Before we even had Ashley, I'd been dying and dying for a throat singing partner. I finally got one," said Agnatok. "I'm very, very lucky to have her."
Women at heart of Inuit drum dance revival
3 hours ago
Duration 6:18
For the six members of Kilautiup Songuninga, community is part of its draw.
"It's hard for Inuit to gather here," Dicker said. She moved to St. John's eight years ago and joining the group has helped her combat homesickness. "It's so good to be somewhere [you can be yourself], or with people you could be yourself with."
Reclaiming culture
Kilautiup Songuninga also helps its members recover aspects of their culture that many of them grew up without access to.
"When we had started, we did not know our traditions, it wasn't brought up. We weren't taught our songs, we were taught church music," Agnatok said.
Throat singing and drum-dancing were feared and banned by Moravian missionaries who saw it as devil worship. In place of traditional Inuit music, they forced the adoption of brass instruments and choral singing.
Agnatok was raised by her grandmother, herself a throat singer. That legacy inspired Agnatok, though her grandmother did not teach her the practice.
"I was cleaning up one day and I found this newspaper clipping, and it was my grandmother. She was here [in Newfoundland] for the Folk Festival back in 1984. And I'm like, wow," Agnatok said.
Dicker's journey into traditional music was ignited by a similar passion for revitalizing her culture. She never saw her grandparents or other elders in her community practising their musical traditions.
"I wanted our elders to see us … I wanted them to see us being proud and fighting to take it back — and being proud for ourselves, but especially for the people who weren't allowed to be proud of themselves."
Learning process
Growing up, Agnatok saw the Nain Drum Dancers reclaiming drum dancing in her hometown. She points to Nunatsiavut becoming self-governed in 2005 as an inciting moment for further reconnection to Inuit culture, including through Kilautiup Songuninga.
Learning techniques and songs that were almost lost comes with its share of challenges for the group. They rely on a variety of sources, including CDs, the internet and Inuit knowledge keepers to build their repertoire.
"It can be a little bit hard, trying to get the technique down and get the right music down," Agnatok said.
Language, in particular, can be a hurdle.
"A lot of our members … we're not full Inuit speakers like a lot of our ancestors are, or even some of our elders now," Agnatok said. "But we want to make sure we sing properly when we do sing in Inuktitut, our mother tongue."
'Inuk to the core'
Over almost two decades, Kilautiup Songuninga's linuep has changed. Last December, founding member Solomon Semigak died.
"He was just special," said Danny Pottle, who was invited to join the group in 2004. "Taught us with patience, with skill, and he was just an all around good guy. You just couldn't ask for a better person than Solomon. He was Inuk to the core."
Agnatok remembers Semigak as a strong Inuktitut speaker, a diplomatic group president, and her once right-hand man.
"We drum on. We still talk about him," Agnatok said. "I know he would be so proud of all of us, believe me. And with his niece joining the drum group, that's a big thing too."
New member Sophie Semigak joined the group early this year, in memory of her uncle.
"He was like a father to me," she said. "He walked me down the aisle, too, when I got married. So he's very, very special to me."
Agnatok says Semigak would be proud to see his niece drumming.

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

CTV News

16 minutes ago

• CTV News

Fredericton artist gives home a ‘facelift'

It isn't the first eye catching art installation on his Fredericton property, but Brian MacKinnon's latest endeavour might be giving his home the biggest 'facelift' yet. The semi-retired physician's most recent project features around 250 people he has met over the course of his life. He has painted their faces all across the sides of his house and has 'jazzed up' what he believes are that person's biggest characteristics. He calls it: 'All Words Start with Love.' 'I wanted to make a really powerful work about a lot of people in my life presently and in the past,' MacKinnon said. 'I just kept going from one face and mask to another and the way I wanted to express it most powerfully was to make my house an artwork.' It took about 18 months from the time MacKinnon first came up with the idea to get the wrap around his home. The wrap itself is paint and ink baked into laminated vinyl, which is then backed onto an aluminum composite product, the artist says. The faces on the house aren't necessarily close friends of MacKinnon. They could have been a co-worker, a distant relative, or even simply someone he saw taking the bus every day. Brian MacKinnon's House Artist Brian MacKinnon's house in Fredericton features around 250 unique faces. (Avery MacRae/CTV Atlantic) Friends of MacKinnon have pressed him to see if they made the cut, but he isn't giving anything away. 'If it's an adult, I can shut them down,' MacKinnon jokes. 'If it's a child, I try to say, 'Well, possibly you're up there, but I can't say.' I like the mystery and the surprise, and the part of the mystery is, hopefully, if they look at it again in a few months or next week they'll see something they're not seeing now. I think strong works do that, that you don't pick up everything right away.' He calls the work a 'private-public' installation of art. While the display is on his private property, he invites the community to come right up the house and get a close up look themselves. He hopes to take away the intimidation some people may feel when going to traditional art galleries or museums because they may not know much about art. Despite the fact the display has only been up for a little less than two weeks, word has travelled around the capital city quickly. 'It is just so much more detailed than I thought,' said Emma Boucher, who along with her sister, came to see the house themselves after seeing photos on Facebook. 'He let me step up and take a proper look at it not from just my car, and I'm thoroughly impressed. It is beautiful and they're all people that he knew, which I did not know. I think that's even more special.' Brian MacKinnon's House The faces on Brian MacKinnon's house in Fredericton are all of people known by the artist, with their biggest characteristics 'jazzed up.' (Avery MacRae/CTV Atlantic) The community support has been heartwarming for MacKinnon, who has even heard from old acquaintances who have either seen or heard about his home. He said he is humbled and honoured by all who have and will continue to stop by and see the work themselves. 'I want the work to mean something to the people who see it,' MacKinnon notes. 'I want it to evoke some emotion and if it doesn't, then it doesn't work for that person. I don't really care what the emotion is as it'll be different for each person.' MacKinnon isn't sure how long the faces will remain plastered along his home. 'They're mystified by how this is done, and if they come and see it up close, they'll get a better idea of what it's actually made of.' For more New Brunswick news, visit our dedicated provincial page.

CBC

20 minutes ago

• CBC

Thousands petition to save Pitt Meadows, B.C., movie theatre from closure

Social Sharing Rodolfo Assinger has many happy memories of bringing his children to Hollywood 3 Cinemas in Pitt Meadows, B.C. The independent family-owned theatre, known for its affordable prices and buttery popcorn, is a staple in the Metro Vancouver city, according to community members. Now, with it set to close its doors at the end of the month, those community members are rallying to save it. A petition started by Assinger had garnered over 4,000 signatures as of Friday afternoon. "This place means a lot to this community," said Assinger. "It's a place that people love and cherish." WATCH | Community comes together to save B.C. cinema: Thousands come together to save B.C. theatre from closing down 1 day ago Duration 2:26 People in Pitt Meadows, B.C., are coming together to try to save a beloved cinema in the city. Hollywood 3, a family-owned independent theatre, is shutting its doors by the end of month. As Pinki Wong tells us, thousands have signed an online petition hoping to keep the curtains open. Moby Amarsi, the cinema's owner, said their lease is coming to an end in June, and renewing it would mean a 25 per cent increase. "It's impossible for us to pay market rent today," said Amarsi. Additionally, people's viewing habits have changed since the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Amarsi, with more people staying home to watch movies. The cinema has been operating for 15 years, and has hardly raised its prices. A movie ticket costs $6 for adults, $5 for children and seniors, and $3 for everyone on Tuesdays. Amarsi said he wanted to maintain an affordable, family-oriented business. "You see families coming here, you see them leaving, they're happy," he said, adding he is sad for a couple who had planned to get married at the cinema in September. Pitt Meadows Mayor Nicole MacDonald said she is disappointed with the closure. "We understand how deeply rooted this place is in our community's heart, and are saddened by the loss of a beloved gathering space," she said in a statement to CBC News. She said there are several spaces in the city that are already zoned to permit a theatre, and while the city is not able to broker space directly, it is willing to work with the Hollywood 3 to explore possible new locations. Amarsi said he would be happy to work with the city to find a solution and will reach out to the mayor. 'Heartwarming memories' The Hollywood 3 has become a second home for Sarah Hargitt-Rowe, the theatre's manager. After working for Hollywood 3 for over a decade, she said the news is devastating. "This place holds a lot of heartwarming memories," she said. She said her favourite part of the job is seeing children grow up and new generations going to the theatre. "Single couples get together and they bring in their kids a few years later, it's just beautiful to see," she said. She said customers love their popcorn because they use real butter, which she travels to Costco every week to buy. Assinger said he hopes the show of community support is enough to raise awareness to find a solution.

Globe and Mail

41 minutes ago

• Globe and Mail

Indigenous Peoples Day marked across Canada with hundreds of events

Hundreds of events are planned across the country Saturday to mark Indigenous Peoples Day. First observed in 1996, Indigenous Peoples Day is meant to recognize First Nations, Inuit and Métis cultures and traditions. Prime Minister Mark Carney will take part in a closed event to mark the day. The office of Gov. Gen. Mary Simon said she will host youth at Rideau Hall in Ottawa to mark the day by crafting paper hearts with 'messages of reconciliation, hope and commitment.' The Governor General will plant the hearts in Rideau Hall's 'heart garden,' which honours Indigenous people who died in residential schools, along with survivors. 'Each heart is a symbol of our collective responsibility to listen to and carry forward their stories — of pain and disappointment, strength and courage — and to commit to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada Calls to Action,' Simon's office said. Opinion: Reconciliation is not a return to the past – it's creating something new together This year's Summer Solstice Indigenous Festival takes place Saturday and Sunday at Wesley Clover Parks in Ottawa. The festival features a competition powwow, traditional foods and teaching sessions. Starting Saturday, the Forks in Winnipeg will host Many Nations, One Heartbeat, an 11-day festival of Indigenous performances, games, fashion and crafts. Organizers say the festival will honour 'the stories, strength, and resilience of Indigenous communities, especially in this moment of significant displacement due to Manitoba's wildfire.' And in Toronto, the Na-Me-Res Traditional Powwow and Indigenous Arts Festival will take place Saturday at the Fort York National Historic Site, featuring traditional dances, live concerts and a food market.