Band supports band
The all-female musical group Eastern Owl has released a parody of Weezer’s “Say It Ain’t So” in solidarity with recently rejected applicants for the Qalipu Mi’kmaq band.
The all-female musical group Eastern Owl has released a parody of Weezer’s “Say It Ain’t So” in solidarity with recently rejected applicants for the Qalipu Mi’kmaq band.
“This song is in support of the Qalipu band and members who are struggling to gain recognition under the federal government’s Indian Act. We love and support you,” Eastern Owl posted on its Facebook site with the video over the weekend.
More than 10,000 members of the Qalipu First Nation had their status revoked last month, after their applications were rejected by the federal department of Indigenous and Northern Affairs.
The applicants, who were on the founding members list, were deemed by an enrolment committee to not meet criteria under the 2013 Supplemental Agreement for Founding Membership.
They will keep their membership until the amendment of the Qalipu Mi’kmaq First Nation Band order in the spring of 2018, and are entitled to appeal the decision.
Some of those who are no longer eligible for a founding membership may be able to register as a descendant of a founding member.
Eastern Owl — Jenelle Duval, Natasha Blackwood, Stacey Howse, Rebecca Sharr, Kayla Stride, Jaime O’leary and Danielle Benoit — began as an offshoot of a weekly drum session held at the St. John’s Native Friendship Centre, and broke into the mainstream over the past couple years, earning a reputation for their unique fusion of traditional music with original folk.
They released their debut album, “Not Quite Like You,” last December.
“This letter means nothing/ we don’t need your approval/our fathers, grandfathers, stood up so we could carry on,” the women sing on their version of “Say it Ain’t So.” “Trudeau is a heartbreaker. Trudeau is a card taker.”
The video can be viewed online at www.facebook.com/ easternowlmusic/.