TORONTO — Singer Jeremy Dutcher’s voice is an instrument that’s reaching across a century of Indigenous history. “Wolastoqiyik Lintuwakonawa” is an ambitious 11-track project that weaves the past and present together in hopes of drawing attention to the fading language of Wolastoq (pronounced wool-las-TOOK). It’s spoken in the Tobique First Nation, one of six Wolastoqiyik reserves in New Brunswick where Dutcher spent much of his youth. “As soon as I heard those voices from 110 years ago, there was a sense of responsibility.”Dutcher says he’s watched the Wolastoq language fading fast as elders die and few young people learn to speak it. Dutcher also wants his album to open further doors that will keep the Wolastoq language and culture alive.

Source: National Post April 25, 2018 12:33 UTC