A pair of Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation brothers collaborated on a healing song and dance to document the COVID-19 pandemic and produced a video to share it worldwide.
Nuu-chah-nulth language advocate Timmy Masso and artist Hjalmer Wenstob came up with the idea to produce a healing song last summer and, thanks to funding from the Canada Council to the Artssa国际传媒� Digital Originals Program, the project evolved into a dance the brothers have published online.
sa国际传媒淲henever there was a major event traditionally there would be a totem pole carved or a song written and a dance made for that amazing event or even a very tragic event that happened,sa国际传媒� Masso told the Westerly News. sa国际传媒淗jalmer and I both noticed that a lot more recent times or modern times there has been so much of a lack of traditional ways continuing on. We wanted to talk about whatsa国际传媒檚 happening right now, talk about COVID and how this is a story of now. I think that was really important as a way of resurgence of culture and our traditional ways.sa国际传媒�
The video was filmed at Grice Bay where Masso performed the dance wearing a mask carved by Wenstob and featuring a song written and performed by both brothers.
sa国际传媒淗jalmer and I work so amazingly together not only in regards to being brothers and knowing how we both think, but also in what we do,sa国际传媒� Masso said. sa国际传媒淗jalmer has that focus on the culture and producing beautiful artwork and my main focus is dancing and language. So, we kind of bring those two aspects of Nuu-chah-nulth, the culture that Hjalmer carries and the language that Isa国际传媒檓 learning and we kind of bring those two together with our work and our masks and our songs,sa国际传媒� he said. sa国际传媒淲henever we make a piece, it would be impossible without the other person. Itsa国际传媒檚 just so amazing what wesa国际传媒檙e able to accomplish if we have each other.sa国际传媒�
The video was published to YouTube on March 11, 2021, Canadasa国际传媒檚 National Day of Observance of those lost due to COVID-19.
sa国际传媒淭his is a day where wesa国际传媒檙e mourning, wesa国际传媒檙e remembering and wesa国际传媒檙e really coming together even though wesa国际传媒檙e apart to make this day important. So, we released it on that day,sa国际传媒� Wenstob told the Westerly News.
Masso said he began talking to his brother about producing a healing song last summer to share with anyone needing strength during the pandemic.
sa国际传媒淚t was something we thought would be really important to make and bring out to everyone here on the West Coast and anyone who wanted to hear it,sa国际传媒� he said. sa国际传媒淚t was that idea of bringing strength and giving people that strength to continue forward in this strange time of COVID. Theresa国际传媒檚 so many struggles of just life, so when we made the song we really wanted to have it so people could find that strength.sa国际传媒�
Wenstob explained he applied for funding from the Canada Council to the Artssa国际传媒� Digital Originals Program, to produce an artwork that could be shared digitally to reach a wide fan base due to many galleries and art shows being closed due to COVID-19.
sa国际传媒淭hroughout these historical records, we can look back and really map out our history,sa国际传媒� he said. sa国际传媒淩ecently, because of this resurgence of art and culture and language, I find wesa国际传媒檙e always looking back and recreating those objects and history is still happening around us right now. So, we really wanted to record this point in history, which is such an important time to record and recognize and write down in our own way.sa国际传媒�
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Wenstob carved a transformative mask for his brother to dance in and the mask features hands that open and close over the mouth.
sa国际传媒淭he mask has a lot of call to older work. It had a relationship to historic artwork that Isa国际传媒檝e seensa国际传媒e really wanted to find a way to capture this time. How do we capture COVID in an artwork without being too heavy-handed and without being too subtle,sa国际传媒� he said, sa国际传媒淭he idea was to record this point in time through performance, through the dancing, through the transformation of the mask and through the lyrics.sa国际传媒�
Along with the mask, the regalia Masso is wearing in the dance includes a Hudsonsa国际传媒檚 Bay blanket.
sa国际传媒淚tsa国际传媒檚 a really amazing part of history that we were able to bring into the performance, but also a really dark history that comes with that history of trade,sa国际传媒� Wenstob said. sa国际传媒淭he Hudson Bay blanket, not only does it have some really striking visual in the video, it has a lot of loaded history that comes with it as well.sa国际传媒�
He added a few galleries have reached out to ask about purchasing the mask, but both he and Masso plan to keep all aspects of the performance together.
sa国际传媒淭hose were all standalone objects that really could stand alone in their own spaces if they wanted to, but we really feel that they should live togethersa国际传媒e really feel that itsa国际传媒檚 really important to keep that song and that performance and that mask and regalia altogether, to make sure that we bring it out and we share it. When we can come together again, we hope to have big gatherings, so we can bring that out and share it and really remember this time in the best way we can, with prayers and that healing song of coming togethersa国际传媒nd, to bring the mask into educational spaces and share about it as well to use it as a teaching tool but also use it as a way to celebrate once COVIDsa国际传媒檚 in the rearview mirror.sa国际传媒�
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He said the hope is the dance will be shared and he also plans to use the mask as an educational opportunity for youth.
sa国际传媒淲e have something in our community and in our culture called fun dances, and they are dances that are meant to be shared. They can be shared more publicly than some of our ceremonial dances. They can be shared at public events, they can be shared outside of closed doors,sa国际传媒� he said. sa国际传媒淭hey can be brought into spaces of education like the school, people can handle them and touch them, whereas ceremonial works you put them away and they donsa国际传媒檛 come out until the next ceremony.sa国际传媒�
Masso added that he and Wenstob have collaborated on fun dances before, including one about language revitalization.
He noted that anyone watching their recently published video on YouTube can turn on closed captioning and follow along with the song as the words are translated in Nuu chah nulth.
sa国际传媒淥ur idea behind that was to not only have it so that people could read along with the translation, but also have that Nuu -chah-nulth spelling of these words so they can see how they sound when wesa国际传媒檙e singing them and what they look like,sa国际传媒� he said. sa国际传媒淲hat Hjalmer and I love to do is have songs that anyone can sing and anyone can sharesa国际传媒aving these as fun dances and fun songs are so important for all these new learners that are out there to have a song that they can share with everyone. Itsa国际传媒檚 just so important to have it out there so that people can share it and have it.sa国际传媒�
andrew.bailey@westerlynews.ca
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