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  • Black and white photo of man playing electric guitar. The man has a shaggy mustache, shaggy dark hair and is wearing a dark collared shirt. In front of him is a microphone on a stand. Behind him is a drummer playing his drum set. The background is dark with a spotlight facing towards the camera.
  • Oil painting of Indigenous campsite along the river. The campsite is close to the shore, a wigwam/birchbark lodge is set up underneath a tree. A man and a woman are dancing, three people and a dog sit on the ground watching them. A canoe is perched on a rock that lines the shore. In the background is a forest and a cloudy sky.
  • On stage a man with right arm extended upwards holds an eagle feather. On his wrist a red cloth is wrapped and tied. He is wearing a black cape and black high shorts. In front of him is a microphone and behind him to his left are two female singer.
  • Two women and a young girl stand posing for a picture. The woman on the left is the receiver of the Order of Canada and is wearing the insignia over her heart, she is wearing a red dress and a multi-coloured patterned headband and is holding the arm of the young girl. An older woman is to the right she is wearing glasses, a long green dress and a green scarf and holding the hand of the young girl. The young girl is wearing a striped cardigan, a white dress and patterned black leggings. They are all smiling. They are standing in front of wooden panels engraved with names.

Robbie Robertson performing with "The Band" Live in Hamburg Germany, 1971. Image by Heinrich Klaffs.

Indigenous people dancing. Cornelius Krieghoff, 1855. Courtesy of Library and Archives Canada.

Jeremy Dutcher ends his performance at the 2018 Polaris Music Prize Gala at the Carlu, Toronto. Photo Dustin Rabin, courtesy Polaris Music Prize.

Tanya Tagaq poses with family after receiving the Order of Canada, 2017. Courtesy of Tanya Tagaq.

  • Growing success

    Robbie and his bandmates eventually left Ronnie Hawkins to form their own group known as ‘The Band’. As a songwriter he penned such hits as “The Weight” and “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down” for The Band. In 1986, Robbie began his solo career. As a soloist he explored his Indigenous heritage through the albums “Music for the Native Americans” and “Contact from the Underworld of Redboy,” which blend traditional music with modern genres.


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  • Blending old with new

    He used hand-drumming, ceremonial songs, pow-wow music and other traditional elements in these albums. Music has always been an integral part of Indigenous culture. The drum represents the heartbeat of Mother Earth and by dancing to it we are honouring her. Songs are an important part of many ceremonies. Pow wows happen throughout summer and are a celebration of Indigenous culture that all are welcome to enjoy.


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  • Creating new traditions

    Other Indigenous artists have also created new genres by blending traditional music with the modern. A Tribe Called Red, a group of Haudenosaunee and Anishinaabeg DJs combine pow wow music with dubstep to form “pow wow step”. Two-spirited Wolastoqiyik artist Jeremy Dutcher blends traditional Maliseet songs with an operatic singing style. Inuk artist Tanya Tagaq blends traditional throat singing with the avant-garde. These artists and many others like them show what tradition means in the contemporary world.


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