Uploaded February 2021 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
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Cheryl L’Hirondelle is a 2021 winner of the Governor General's Awards in Visual and Media Arts. Directed by Katrina Beatty.
A production of the Canada Council for the Arts. A presentation of the Canada Council for the Arts and the Independent Media Arts Alliance.
The Canada Council for the Arts is a federal, arm's-length Crown corporation created by an Act of Parliament in 1957 (Canada Council for the Arts Act) "to foster and promote the study and enjoyment of, and the production of works in, the arts."
For more information, visit:
en.ggarts.ca
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Transcript:
Always remember who you are and where you’re from.
That really is so important to everything I’ve ever done as an artist.
And that was something my mom always taught me.
I’m interested in listening to the land.
I’m interested in what you might think is no sound… there’s always sound. Whether it be the crunching of the snow. Whether it be the wind. The more still you can become and the more you can become one with your environment, the more you can start to discern.
In the arts you have to be an ambassador and your voice has to be for a good reason. In Cree, you say, “namoya pa-kwanta,” “not for no reason,” you know? So, I think that’s always been really important to me that all the work I make has to be making a stand, making a statement or revealing of something unique about Native people.
Indigenous languages are actually like an antidote for the woes of the world. I focus a lot on language. When I first started learning Cree, that’s when I first really started to understand who I was and I started to understand that there’s a different way to look at the world. If every concept in the language is sort of metaphorical, you’ve just got so much to play with as an artist, conceptually. And because my work is quite conceptual to begin with, it just allows me so much more opportunity to push things. So that really has informed my practice and it’s vital to everything I’ve ever done.
Lillian Allen, the dub poet, was an important mentor for me, and Lillian Allen used to always say, “Anybody can see that there’s a problem. It’s an artist’s responsibility to come up with at least two solutions.” And that’s a great charge.
Connect with us on social media:
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Facebook - facebook.com/canadacouncil
Twitter - twitter.com/CanadaCouncil
LinkedIn - linkedin.com/company/canada-council-for-the-arts
Website - canadacouncil.ca
Art Bank
Instagram - instagram.com/artbank_banquedart
Facebook - facebook.com/CCartbank
YouTube - youtube.com/watch?v=x9fGIx7hZYk
Website - artbank.ca
CCUNESCO - Canadian Commission for UNESCO
Instagram - instagram.com/ccunesco
Twitter - twitter.com/CCUNESCO
LinkedIn - linkedin.com/company/canadian-commission-for-unesco
Website - en.ccunesco.ca
Please like this video and subscribe to support the arts in Canada.
Cheryl L’Hirondelle is a 2021 winner of the Governor General's Awards in Visual and Media Arts. Directed by Katrina Beatty.
A production of the Canada Council for the Arts. A presentation of the Canada Council for the Arts and the Independent Media Arts Alliance.
The Canada Council for the Arts is a federal, arm's-length Crown corporation created by an Act of Parliament in 1957 (Canada Council for the Arts Act) "to foster and promote the study and enjoyment of, and the production of works in, the arts."
For more information, visit:
en.ggarts.ca
****
Transcript:
Always remember who you are and where you’re from.
That really is so important to everything I’ve ever done as an artist.
And that was something my mom always taught me.
I’m interested in listening to the land.
I’m interested in what you might think is no sound… there’s always sound. Whether it be the crunching of the snow. Whether it be the wind. The more still you can become and the more you can become one with your environment, the more you can start to discern.
In the arts you have to be an ambassador and your voice has to be for a good reason. In Cree, you say, “namoya pa-kwanta,” “not for no reason,” you know? So, I think that’s always been really important to me that all the work I make has to be making a stand, making a statement or revealing of something unique about Native people.
Indigenous languages are actually like an antidote for the woes of the world. I focus a lot on language. When I first started learning Cree, that’s when I first really started to understand who I was and I started to understand that there’s a different way to look at the world. If every concept in the language is sort of metaphorical, you’ve just got so much to play with as an artist, conceptually. And because my work is quite conceptual to begin with, it just allows me so much more opportunity to push things. So that really has informed my practice and it’s vital to everything I’ve ever done.
Lillian Allen, the dub poet, was an important mentor for me, and Lillian Allen used to always say, “Anybody can see that there’s a problem. It’s an artist’s responsibility to come up with at least two solutions.” And that’s a great charge.
Connect with us on social media:
Canada Council for the Arts
Instagram - instagram.com/canada.council
Facebook - facebook.com/canadacouncil
Twitter - twitter.com/CanadaCouncil
LinkedIn - linkedin.com/company/canada-council-for-the-arts
Website - canadacouncil.ca
Art Bank
Instagram - instagram.com/artbank_banquedart
Facebook - facebook.com/CCartbank
YouTube - youtube.com/watch?v=x9fGIx7hZYk
Website - artbank.ca
CCUNESCO - Canadian Commission for UNESCO
Instagram - instagram.com/ccunesco
Twitter - twitter.com/CCUNESCO
LinkedIn - linkedin.com/company/canadian-commission-for-unesco
Website - en.ccunesco.ca
