Adrian Sutherland was surprised when a group of sixth, seventh and eighth graders wanted to use his music for their truth and reconciliation project.
“I get asked all the time ‘what can we do’ and it’s a tough question to answer, I think,” said Sutherland in a phone interview. “This is a good example of how people can make a difference, by taking action, taking matters into their own hands and trying to participate.”
After marking the first National Day of Truth and Reconciliation in 2021, a teacher from Beachburg Public School in eastern Ontario reached out to the Attawapiskat musician. The students had heard Sutherland's song Walk with Me and wanted to create a music video.
In his letter to Sutherland, teacher Steve Pritchard said students are genuinely interested in finding practical ways to be part of the healing.
“This past year has been an incredible journey. It’s amazing to see this video come together the way it has. More importantly, it is wonderful to see that it has raised awareness around injustices of the past. It has touched so many students' lives, and provides hope and next steps for the future. Thank you so very much for partnering with us on this journey," said Pritchard in a news release.
The video, which premiered on YouTube on Sept. 30 — the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation, features the children creating art with orange hand prints and footprints, as well as holding posters featuring the 94 Calls to Action from the Truth and Reconciliation commission.
Sutherland said since the discovery of mass graves at residential school sites across the country, the empathy and willingness of non-Indigenous communities to listen seems to be on the rise.
“When the truth finally came out, that’s when I started to see the shift, and more people reaching out to Indigenous communities. I think that’s what pushed it in the direction we need to be heading in.”
Sutherland was the lead vocalist and guitarist for Midnight Shine, a Canadian roots-rock band, and released his debut solo album When the Magic Hits in 2021, which features the song, Walk With Me, that the students worked with.
The album also earned Sutherland a Juno nomination in the contemporary Indigenous artist or group of the year category.
Recording for When the Magic Hits took place in a newly constructed studio in a 40-foot sea container on his land in Attawapiskat on James Bay.
“It’s such an important thing for me to have here at home, having space to create and capture ideas.”
Sutherland is now working on a follow-up album to his solo debut, and a book for Random House Canada about life in the Far North.
