Tâpwê: Songs of Truth
I. WELCOME, WAACIYE
Ambe Cory Campbell / Andrew Balfour
Come in, two-legged beings. Come in all people. There is good life here.
Vision Chant Andrew Balfour
Gaze Upon the Trees Lyrics Duke Redbird / Music Andrew Balfour
Love is like a waterfall that happens in the spring
When the snow has melted in the mountains and rushes to the sea
Noopimiing, noopimiing
And just you happened on it when you walked out in the forest
Just to gaze upon the trees
Mitigoog, mitigoog
And you find a wisp of loveliness floating in the magic and the leaves
Yôtin (The Wind) Sherryl Sewepagaham
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II. INTERCONNECTED, WAHKOHTWIN
Sleepy Song Sherryl Sewepagaham
All That We Are Beverley McKiver
All that we are, all that we are living.
All that we breathe, all that we are giving.
All we receive, all that we are knowing.
All that we grieve, all that we rejoice in.
All that we share, all that we do.
All that we dare, all that we are dreaming.
Flute: Aruni Samarabandu Cello: Michael Inman
Commissioned by Amabile Choirs of London, Canada for Carnegie Hall 2025
Grateful Heart Hussein Janmohamed
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III. GRATEFUL, NANÂSKOMOWIN
Tâpwe Andrew Balfour
Commissioned by Amabile Choirs of London, Canada for Carnegie
ABOUT THE PROGRAM
Through song, this program celebrates the rich tapestry and history of the Indigenous peoples, the first caretakers and keepers of Turtle Island, now known as North America.
In the language of the Plains Cree (y-dialect) people, the concept of Tâpwê represents Truth. Truth is a noun we often use when we agree with someone – you speak the truth – or when we believe what we see and hear. However, in Cree, it has deeper meanings. Tâpwê requires us to examine and reflect on our ways of knowing, our ways of being, and our ways of doing in our speaking and in our actions.
We have a painful history of tâpwê with respect to Indigenous peoples. In 2007, the Government of Canada created the Truth & Reconciliation Commission (TRC) that was tasked with discovering and revealing past wrongdoings and current injustices inflicted on the Indigenous peoples of Turtle Island in the hope of resolving and healing conflicts from the past. The TRC spent 6 years travelling to all parts of Canada and provided those directly or indirectly affected by the legacy of the Indian Residential Schools system with the opportunity to share their horrific stories and experiences. The TRC heard from more than 6,500 witnesses. The outcome of the TRC was – and continues to be – to engage and to educate people about the history and legacy of the residential school system, and to share, to learn the truth, and honour the experiences of former students and their families.
In this concert, the music of Andrew Balfour, Sherryl Sewepagaham, Beverley McIver, and Hussein Janmohamed transports singers and audiences to honour and acknowledge the past and present, provoking us to unearth and reveal the painful truths of the past. The repertoire is rooted in social action and justice, leading to heightened awareness and reconciliation.