Page 37 - 07_Sept-2025

by Renato Pagnani
Cultural
Frequencies
Indigenous
artists are
making songs
for seven
generations
W
hen Marek Tyler was 16, growing up in Sas-
katchewan, his uncle Glen, a renowned Cree
fancy dancer, visited from Onion Lake Cree
Nation, and brought a traditional powwow drum
with him. Tyler, who had taught himself to play the
drums on his family’s driveway, where the noise
was tolerated, was instantly drawn to his uncle’s
instrument. That week, Tyler’s uncle taught him
how to play a round dance beat, the heartbeat of
the traditional Cree ceremony, where participants
form a circle and move in a clockwise direction.
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