Cree kids become recording artists talking about mental health, friendship and culture

A group of Cree youth from central Alberta are now recording artists sharing their views and experiences with the world. 

The group is called Nikamo, the Cree word for sing, and includes youth ages 10 to 14 from Kehewin Cree Nation, Goodfish Lake (within Whitefish Lake First Nation), Onion Lake Cree Nation, Cold Lake First Nations and Saddle Lake Cree Nation in central Alberta.

It is the result of a collaboration between Kehewin Native Dance Theatre and the non-profit Make Music Matter to support youth mental health through music.

Rosa John, artistic director for Kehewin Native Dance Theatre, said her group doesn't usually collaborate with non-Indigenous organizations, but she was excited by Make Music Matter's commitment to youth mental health.

According to John, the EP's title song Moments, which discusses loneliness, has become an anthem for the group. 

"The song came about because they had nobody to talk to. They had no place to go," she said. 

"Development of friendship was really something that stood out for all of them, because through the process they became friends."

Serena Dufresne said finding out her daughters, Kianna Dufresne, 11, and Ryder Dillon, 10,  would be recording an EP was a huge source of pride, especially considering all the people who would eventually listen to it. 

"At the beginning I didn't really believe [Ryder] that it was actually happening," Dufresne said with a laugh.

When it finally became real, she said it was a lot to take in. 

"I was beyond excited and I started crying," Dufresne said.

Kianna and Ryder say Moments is their favourite song, and Ryder calls it "a jam" that the whole family enjoys. 

"My mom blasts it in the car," Kianna said. 

Live performance emotional and scary

Along with the rest of Nikamo, Akima Marshall got the chance to perform live in Calgary at the National Music Centre, which also supported the project.

In Calgary, Akima sang a solo in the song Moments and while she was initially "terrified," she said the experience was fun because of the support she had.

Part of that support came from community members who made each performer a ribbon skirt or shirt to wear, John said. 

The performance in Calgary was emotional for many members of the group, their parents and supporters.

"We all cried together coming home," after Nikamo's live performance, Dufresne said.

The performance was a bit surreal for the Dion family. 

Colleen Dion said she and her husband had taken their son Cameron to Calgary earlier this year and they had stopped by the National Music Centre. Just a few months later, they were back and he was performing. Cameron, 12, is a self-taught ukulele, guitar and piano player. 

Although he has experience coming up with songs on his own, Cameron said he'd never written lyrics before — something that was a struggle for many of the youth, John said. 

"Many of them were very, very shy and they weren't really comfortable sharing about what they were feeling," John said. 

But it wasn't long before a writing technique helped them open up. 

John said the kids were told to write a couple words down on a small card which would then become the lyrics. 

"Pretty soon they were writing more words. 'Oh no, we don't want a little piece of paper. I want a whole piece of paper,'" she said. 

The best part of the project, John said, was watching the kids find their voices and talk about their feelings. 

"At first it was really funny because none of them wanted to even approach the mic. It was like 'no, no, no, no, no,' and they would hide their faces," John said, adding that later the youth would excitedly arrange the order they would perform. 

The success of the program highlights the need for more opportunities in the arts, especially in smaller communities, according to Dion. 

"In small doses, we can all feed our souls … Everybody needs access to that and have that realization that we are all artists."