Native entertainers shine

Page 20

TORONTO - For five hours on a Thursday evening here at the end of June, more than

a thousand people crowded into a giant teepee to hear some of the finest Native talent available.

It was a time for uproarious laughter and gentle tears, subtle tweaking and blunt bashing in a humuorous vein, remembrance and celebration.

The occasion was a Native talent showcase at the Native Business Summit the Metro Convention Centre, headlined by international singing star and songwriter Buffy Ste. Marie.

But before Buffy appeared for her featured final spot, a variety of other performers had an opportunity to reveal their considerable abilities as they were called to the stage by the master of ceremonies, film and television star John Vernon.

One of the most moving performances was given by Alanis Obomsawin, one of Canada's best known Indian performers. An actress, singer, compose and storyteller, her moving tone poem accompanied by her own drumming and chanting, movingly, told the too-often repeated tale of what happens when a pretty young Indian girl leaves to reserves to go to the city.

Comedian Charlie Hill, an Oneida Indian from Wisconsin, had the crowd in stitches with his stories and one-liners, many of them not suitable for a family newspaper like this.

After high school, Hill trained in broadcasting and worked as a disc jockey; then studied acting at university and worked with a local Wisconsin theatre group, toured Europe, worked in the U.S. with the Red Earth Performing Arts Troupe, then moved to Hollywood.

A comedian from the time he was a schoolboy, in Los Angeles, Hill polished his act at the Comedy Store, before the toughest audiences in the world.

His many credits include the Richard Pryor, Mike Douglas, Merv Griffin and Johnny Carson Shows, and his album "Born Again Savage," is available through Headband Productions, a Winnipeg-based company specializing in the development, promotion and recording of Native entertainers.

Headband is headed by Curtis "Shingoose" Jonnie, one of Canada's best known performers. A singer, songwriter, recording artist and stage performer, he had the audience clapping and laughing with his own special brand of music when his turn came

at the Summit gala.

Fiddle champion Lee Creemo, a MicMac from Cape Breton added a dimension other than his foot-stomping fiddle music when he offered a greeting in Gaelic.

One of the delights of the gala was the appearance of Inuit throat singers who have thrilled audiences from across North America and Europe and caused them to marvel at their unique and entertaining performances.

But there was no doubt that the star of the show was Buffy, weaving her magic with the raw power of her voice and her magnificent control of it.

Bouncing with the beat, shifting from guitar to piano and back to the guitar, again, the tiny Cree who began her life on a reservation in Saskatchewan and rose to the heights of stardom, renewed her roots as she poured forth her talent to an audience composed mostly of her people.

For more than 90 minutes it weas Buffy at her best, Buffy the music maker and Buffy the activist of the 70's, renewing her concerns for the people and the land.

In addition to her music, she had a message for the hundreds of Native business people in her audience- that the children depended on them, and they should not become so caught up in the corporate world that they forget the children.

The evening closed with a rousing standing ovation that brought Buffy back for encores, but was in honour of the outstanding efforts of all of the performers.