Northern Cree Interview

Northern Cree is a powwow and Round Dance drum and singing group based in Maskwacis, Alberta. Founded in 1982 by Steve Wood and his brothers, Randy and Earl, the group consists of 8–15 members from the Treaty 6 area, with most members originating from the Saddle Lake Cree Nation in Alberta. The brothers grew up playing drums and singing in powwows with their father and uncles, but didn’t start playing together as a group until they traveled to Idaho for a stick game tournament. Today, Northern Cree is regarded as “one of the best acts in modern Native American powwow music”. Singing in both Cree and English, the group has distinguished themselves as role models in their communities and strong advocates for their culture and language.

Career Highlights

Northern Cree has released 37 albums through Canyon Records, including: Rockin’ the Rez (2001), Still Rezin’ (2003), Northern Cree & Friends, Vol. 5: Long Winter Nights (2006), Stay Red (2006), Red Rock (2008), True Blue (2009), Temptations: Cree Round Dance Songs (2010), It’s a Cree Thing (2016), and Ewipihcihk (2016). 

In 2013, they completed a tour of Greenland and performed in London’s Trafalgar Square, opening for the Tragically Hip as part of a celebration for Canada Day.

The group has been nominated for two JUNO Awards and eight Grammy Awards, including nominations for “Best Regional Roots” albums in 2016 and 2017. They performed live on the pre-telecast portion of the Grammy Awards Ceremony in 2016, becoming the first Native American/First Nations group to perform on the show.

They have won multiple Native American Music Awards, Canadian Aboriginal Music Awards, Aboriginal Peoples’ Choice Music Awards, a Grammy in 2001 for a feature on the album Gathering of Nations Pow Wow 1999 (2000), and a JUNO Award in 2017 for “Classical Album of the Year – Large Ensemble”.  They have won numerous powwow singing competitions, including: the Gathering of Nations Powwow in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and the Julyamsh Powwow in Post Falls, Idaho. In May of 2017, they were honored in Winnipeg with a “Lifetime Achievement Award” from the Indigenous Music Awards.

They created music and were featured in the 1999 film, Grey Owl, directed by Richard Attenborough and starring Pierce Brosnan. They are also featured on the CDs accompanying David Bouchard's children's books in Cree and English: Nokum Is My Teacher (2006) and The Drum Calls Softly (2008).

Source: http://www.northerncree.com