52 Ways to Reconcile: How to Walk with Indigenous Peoples on the Path to Healing
Week 9 - Support an Indigenous Musician
from Robertson, David A. 52 Ways to Reconcile: How to Walk with Indigenous Peoples on the Path to Healing
This week, Robertson turns to music and you can feel how personal this one is for him. Music, he says, has shaped his life as both a writer and an Indigenous person. Just as Indigenous authors write across every genre, Indigenous musicians are creating powerful work in country, folk, rock, hip-hop, electronic, jazz, and more. The range is wide. The talent is deep. And the storytelling carries perspective, history, and heart.
Robertson shares a story from early in his career when he helped organize events showcasing Indigenous artists. At one of those gatherings, a young William Prince performed long before his Juno Award wins and international tours. Moments like that matter. When people show up, buy tickets, and listen, artists begin to believe their work has a future. Robertson reflects on how powerful it felt, early in his own career, to see a crowd gathered. Support builds confidence. It creates possibility.
He names several Indigenous musicians worth exploring. If you enjoy folk or country, artists like Don Amero, Crystal Shawanda, and Susan Aglukark may resonate. If electronic music is more your style, the Halluci Nation (formerly A Tribe Called Red) offer dynamic, genre-blending work. Rock and roots fans might discover Blackfire or Digging Roots. Artists such as iskwē, Tanya Tagaq, and Jeremy Dutcher blend traditional and contemporary sounds in ways that are beautiful and often challenging. Whatever your musical taste, there is likely an Indigenous artist creating in that space.
Robertson reminds us that music is medicine. During difficult seasons, music can steady us and help us heal. Supporting Indigenous musicians is one way of honouring those stories and ensuring that more voices continue to be heard. That support can be simple: streaming their music, attending concerts, sharing playlists, following artists online, or supporting organizations that help develop Indigenous talent.
As with books, listening is not a one-time act. It is an ongoing practice of openness and curiosity. When we find an artist whose music moves us, we can share that discovery with others. Passing along a song, recommending a concert, or building a playlist becomes a small but meaningful act of solidarity.
What Indigenous artist might you discover this week, and how could your listening become a way of supporting stories that deserve to be heard?
Want to read last weeks post, you can do so here.