ecoaborijanelle | September 2021

“Over the month of September, Janelle will approach the RRR residency with a listening heart and thoughtful mind as she explores the nehiyaw spoken word custom, story and narratives of the prairies, and the many approaches to soundscape art. She intends on taking decolonial approaches to qualitative research by just visiting over tea and a meal, allowing the teachings to flow naturally, and following the spiritual protocol of the speaker’s visited. 

Janelle will create writings, play with sound and audio recording tools, as well as, envision works impassioned with social justice, Indigenous resurgence in the prairies, and honouring the resilient. Check out @_ecoaborijanelle on Instagram stories for the tea!”

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Image ID: Landscape portrait of Janelle “ecoaborijanelle” in a green kohkom scarf, beaded earrings, and black and gold framed specs. A whiteboard with her RRR goals in vibrant colours hangs in the background.”

Nov 2 -

It is the late Richard Wagamese that said, “All that we are is story...” (GoodReads.com)

My spoken word story was born in solidarity with Idle No More at their first community event in the core of Saskatoon, November 2012. I was inspired right from the first stanza from my first ever live poetry reading by spoken word artist and educator, Khodi Dill. It was months before I purchased my first notebook to write poetry and a bit longer to have the courage to read my work. It felt like I put my heart on a slab asking people to listen to my words. It was with great courage I decided to take my first time on the mic at the slam. I remember the fluttering of butterflies in my stomach and the quaking in my thighs under the weight of fear. My shoulders tensed and my eyes could see nothing but wooden stage floor and shadows among the booths and tables of strange poets and storytellers. It was the beginning of this poetic lifetime. It was the beginning of a healing journey.

The residency in September was an opportunity to look deeper into the art of storytelling and spoken word. It was time to explore the practice of listening to knowledge keepers speak about Indigenous spoken word and storytelling techniques, customs, and presentation. In learning more and practicing these techniques I have begun to see myself as a part of the nehiyaw Cree Oratory tradition. The recognition as belonging to my people of the past, the ancestors, and continuation of the practice of oral customs leaves me with grounding and empowering senses of identity. 

In finding belonging amongst the story, I compared this traditional knowledge to contemporary sciences understanding of sound. This exploration of the physics of sound, I've come to recognize sound as a type of energy made by vibrations created by objects ‘rippling’ from one source (or many sources) resonating in an oscillicious cone outwards to surrounding air molecules. The energy, often thermal, travels in waves, dispersing out to its environment. The energy transforms from part of what was into what will be, never being created or destroyed in this great existence. There is profound beauty in being part of the energy in this universe. 

To listen is to hear the sound, welcome the story and meaning into our bodies. To listen is to be open to seeing worlds from other lenses. I felt great privilege in being able to listen to knowledge keepers about our stories and techniques of oratory. 

“Your Words Matter” (0:30) is a stanza poem reflecting this teaching. 

“Nehiyawewin tells me in my language

Every syllable is a sound 

Both energy wave and rope in the net holding us 

The nourishment in the gathering

The strata building our pathways 

Nehiyawewin is knowing

Your words matter

Your words are alive

Let us tell our stories 

With care”

“All that we are is story. From the moment we are born to the time we continue on our spirit journey... It is all we leave behind.” - the Late Richard Wagamese (GoodReads.com).

Oct 31 -

September is the month of changes. From my tiny creation space here in the Prairies, I can watch the movement in nature, the gentle shifts in temperature, and approaching migration on the land right from my westward facing window. The floor cools as the sunlight dips farther into the south as the axis of mother earth leans away from the sun. The moon passed through virgo and pisces. Deep feelings with the space to pause and process the reflections and teachings of what I heard. As I reflect on the natural occurrence of life and the end-of-life in my homelands, I can’t help but resonate with the sense of nostalgia and grief as the elders of my family, the story keepers, have peacefully moved on in life.

My people, the nehiyawak (the Cree) are traditionally an oral storytelling culture. The loss of a knowledge keeper is the equivalent of a burned library. The stories they leave become our responsibilities as a sense of urgency ripples for those of us who have awakened to this role of being a nehiyaw artist and storyteller. As I reflected on the heaviness of grief, I did my best to balance myself with play, reconnecting with the inner child, and taking care of myself.

As a remote, reserve-based artist, care for wellness becomes a necessity as I moved throughout the month. Small treats and taking time to care for my body. Stretching my spine and squats to strengthen myself. Salads become intentional purchases with care and nourishment becoming the prize. One body this lifetime. “I am mine” becomes the affirmation, our words are affirmations. The intention of keeping our stories alive becomes empowering rather than an enormous task. It becomes my honour to be able to practice traditional ways and braid in contemporary tools and techniques into my practice. The teachings become part of our bodies. The rest becomes part of the work.

With the help of the RRR project, the H1N Zoom Recorder and accessories helped to collect natural sounds and found sounds. Listening to the land, to the storytellers, and to my intuitive self through a new device has been interesting. To increase the ‘gain’, we hear the layers and complexities of the sounds living in the land. To lower the ‘gain’, the focus comes to the intention, meanings and message. I was filled with wonder to hear my homelands in new ways. The listening became a meditation as I collected the sounds along the prairie walks, welcoming the lessons meant in the moment and in reflection.

The “Stepping Into Care” (0:45) recording is a sample of the work created using spacial reverb techniques to create a 360 degree sound experience using new skills with Audacity software. Listen with headphones to hear the 360 effect. Stepping into the tub, setting aside time to care for myself as I grieve and practice art, and the sounds of relief as I settle into the tub represent my time learning how REST and GRIEF also become part of the work. Rest is resistance. The rest also gave space to explore Audacity, a free and open-source digital audio editor and recording application software.

Oct 30 -

Spoken word, poetry, storytelling, genealogical legends, sacred stories, and historical accounts have been shared and passed on Turtle Island since time immemorial. It was told to me as the teller was told, through story, in person, over tea, across each other, holding onto moments as the warmth of the fire holds us. This is our tie to our past, as we have always done.

I started my residency with many questions. It was my intention to listen and be open to the lessons, reflections, and creativity as it comes throughout the month. I hoped to explore the depth of people’s storytelling style and find my place among that artform. I was searching for a sense of belonging and hoping to see myself in the ancient praxis of oral storytelling. Was I even a reflection of these traditional ways of knowing? How can I be respectful in presenting our stories in my artistic spoken word style? How can I be daring with my work where my existence is as unwelcome as the multitudes of memorializations of settler triumph over Indigenous resistance is prevalent in these prairie lands? Who can I ask? How long will I have with these knowledges? Will they be lost without us?

I had the privilege of virtually meeting with a wonderful visual and performance artist with a wealth of experience and knowledge in breaking trail, Peter Morin. Among the many treasures of knowledge they shared I especially appreciate the reminder about taking care of our relationships as we enter our performance, our space, and our communities. Sound, poetry, and performance is a wonderful way to build relationships, and we must care for our audiences as they join us in our performance. The words are important. Art becomes a way of being in our daily lives. It was so special to be reminded that we have “never not been in our ancestor’s imaginations”.

My time with Casey Koyzcan was also very impactful. We discussed exploring sound, digital art, grief, and he imparted much more technical sound wisdom. Casey had many interesting perspectives and experiences to share in our studio visit. I asked him about moving through art and grief concurrently and I am so grateful they had so much to share in all my inquiries of sound art, games, and inspiration in the potential of Indigenous perspectives in the arts. I reflect that this experience with Casey has encouraged me to play, explore, and experiment because you never know where the work can take you creatively!

With the help of RRR not only was I able to visit with these wonderful Indigenous artists, I was able to purchase a H1N Zoom Recorder plus have resources to offer proper protocol to my local Nehiyaw Cree knowledge keepers. The H1N recorder has been an important tool in my creative experimentation throughout the month.

It was the visit with my kin, theatre/performance professional Floyd Favel, where I began to learn more about nehiyaw spoken word techniques. Introducing the self as members of kinship systems, lands, and relationships to the moon is integral to this Nehiyaw Cree Technique. The speaker opens with speaking your traditional name, who they belong to (kin), and your territory/nation/lands, with some folks also including the matriarchy or moon they were born into. To begin speaking, the person would also ensure to humble themselves and ensure they are not intruding with their words. It was a sign of respect to their families, cultural names, and homelands.

The “nehiyaw introductions” (1:32) is a recording of my practice of my spoken word culture. To practice the nehiyaw introduction I also needed to learn how to introduce myself as the child of my parents, mother to my son, my homelands, and a welcome to listeners to my story at the end. Picking up the words, practicing their pronunciation, and translating these syllables into syllabics has been transformative. There was a connection built between my heart and my ancestors through this spoken word custom. I am honoured to learn and to continue this way.

It was shared by Floyd Favel that “The breath between our sentences is where our ancestors reside.” In this exploration I feel more part of the greater story that has been carried on since the gift of our voices. I am grateful.

ᑭᐢᑭᓄᐋᐧᓱᐦᑖᑫᐤ- kiskinowâsohtâkêw
(She learns by listening to people)

September 11 -

“Janelle “ecoaborijanelle” Pewapsconias is a multidimensional nehīyaw spoken word artist based in Little Pine First Nation of the Treaty 6 Prairies. Her dedication to honour the Earth inspires her to read, perform, and design to speak to Indigenous ways of being, knowing, and thriving, and interrupting ongoing settler colonial narratives of the prairies. Influenced by the poetry slam and Cree oral storytelling customs, ecoaborijanelle lives in her home community with her son and dog, surrounded by the endless living skies and rolling aspen parkland.

"Beginning my residency has been tough. I begin with the very real news of the loss of a friend by the tragic decision of her ex-partner to end both of their stories, leaving their children behind. I cannot help but see the connections between their tragedy and the ongoing stories of MMIP, settler colonial narratives and the erasure of the resilient story in these prairie provinces. As an election is called I feel pulled to remind folks of these important features of these lands now colonially known as Canada. My existence is a gift. These arts are a gift. This healing is a gift. I hope to use them, grow them and know them so I can be the voice we need to empower ourselves. I begin with processing the feelings, the real struggle to get out of bed and putting our bodies in motion. The practice of gratitude is where I begin..."

“It was a cool Wednesday morning

And the warm fuzzy blanket held me

In tenderness

A nest of faux mink and static electricity

A utopia of warm, soft, snuggles

In relationship to the chilly September morning 

Pulling the heat from our skin

Goosebumps to attention

The cold always wants more than heat can give 

Laying under layers is it’s own spa treatment

A steam of gentle lavender and dutch oven

Gentle blue glow sparks joy

Dopamine for late night likes and hilarities ensuring

Heartbeats move blood under blankets

Blood quickens heart beats per minute 

In the rhythm

Swipe, heart, swipe, beat, swipe, heart, heart, heart

Follow the iphone light down the rabbit hole

Hashtag spiraling, hashtag searches

Hashtag when did this bed get so hot

The cold always dares us

‘You take that one leg in,

You take the one leg out.’

Kissing milky, shy legs

Gasping for an awakening

Welcoming the frosty’s playful bite

Just in time for the morning bludgeoning

From the unplugged alarm that just won't quit

This power is unbroken

Except from forgotten scrolls of the ‘Einstruck Shuns’

In the discarded drawer we shall not name

Pressing the button the only relief

And what was once a sultry dance

Between us and the cold

Now a feast on vulnerable skin

In mere moments

In mad dash

Remembering utopias in faux mink blankets

Melting our buttery, oily human skin

Light static and shock as you slip back in

Goosebumps clenched as last dreams of cold air leaves

A bed at home 

A blanket in a bed

Safety in the sheets

We don’t all have that privilege

And it shouldn’t 

But that is 

The rude awakening”

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“Day one, rural residency”, by @_ecoaborijanelle

#dayOne #RuralResidency #TheRudeAwakening #ruses #homelessness #houselessness #spokenword #tiktok #accessgallery #RRR #RezBasedArtist 

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Video ID: Video of a window with light sneaking past the top and sides of the warm curtains. Gentle tugs on the left curtain pull light beams onto camera screens and a blue streak bats on the light side of the frame. Spoken word by @ecoaborijanelle in a baritone filter by TikTok.