CBC
Sun, December 24, 2023
Terri-Lynn and sGannaGwa created a limited-edition Christmas album in the Haida language. (Farah Nosh - image credit)
A new limited-edition Christmas album with an Indigenous twist aims to introduce reconciliation to the holidays.
Terri-Lynn and sGaanaGwa recently released Haida Solstice, which reimagines Christmas classics through the lens of Haida culture.
"Christmas has come to symbolize everything that is commercial and capitalism, and I resisted it," said Terri-Lynn Williams-Davidson, lead singer and also a producer on the album, who says the project was requested by elders from the Skidegate Haida Immersion Program (SHIP).
"[But with the elders' persistence,] I thought this could be an opportunity to decolonize Christmas and add Haida world views and the Haida language."
From the artwork to the use of Xaayda Kil, the Haida language, to the Haida-centred interpretation of the original lyrics, Williams-Davidson says every aspect of the record features the coastal Indigenous culture.
She hopes the process of decolonizing Christmas traditions through music will engage more people to learn about the Haida way of life.
"For us, everything we do together is on the ground steps of reconciliation and learning more about each other and learning more about Haida culture," Williams-Davidson told CBC's Margaret Gallagher on North by Northwest.
Translation challenges
Williams-Davidson credits the translations on the album to elders with SHIP, an initiative focused on preserving and revitalizing the Haida language.
"It takes them a very long time to translate. There are very few fluent speakers, less than 20 in the whole world," she said.
Haida Solstice showcases a variety of changes to Christmas classics, including lyrics in Silver Bells being changed from "it's Christmas time in the city" to specific locations in the Haida Nation, such as Skidegate and Masset.
The differences between English and Xaayda Kil created some challenges, Williams-Davidson said, explaining that Little Drummer Boy, for example, went through many changes because Xaayda Kil doesn't have male or female pronouns.
The album's songs were translated by elders in the Skidegate Haida Immersion Program, who are dedicated to preserving the Indigenous language.
(Skidegate Haida Immersion Program)
"We as a translator didn't say boy anywhere, and so we called [the song] Drummer," she said.
With translations in the works for other songs, Terri-Lynn and sGaanaGwa — who say they're inspired by jazz, blues, folk and rock — aim to record a full album for Christmas next year.
Meaningful concerts
Producer Bill Henderson said sGannaGwa first started when he and Williams-Davidson began performing together in the 1960s, with producer Claire Lawrence completing the co-founding trio.
Over time, musicians Jodie Proznick and Geoff Hicks, along with Bill's daughters Saffron and Camille Henderson on vocals, were enlisted to create the group as it is today.
The Haida Solstice album by Terri-Lynn and sGaanaGwa features art and the Haida language on its CD and liner notes. The CD artwork is by Haida artist Robert Davidson. (Arrthy Thayaparan/CBC)
Henderson said Haida Solstice offered him an additional challenge as he took on the task of singing in Haida for one of the songs.
"You've got to be really careful … because if you don't do it right then … it means something quite different," he said.
Lawrence said the biggest challenge of Haida Solstice was adapting the Christmas classics.
"[To] try to adapt them, add the Haida language and then to perform them in a way that other people don't … it was quite daunting," he said.
Williams-Davidson says she dreamed of singing at Carnegie Hall while growing up, but that aspiration has changed after sGannaGwa's recent December performances in Skidegate and Masset that featured songs from Haida Solstice.
"We wanted to present it to the elders who did the translations and to our two communities … It really was incredible," she said.
"After those concerts, I thought there's no greater meaning than performing right in the community with the elders."
"We as a translator didn't say boy anywhere, and so we called [the song] Drummer," she said.
With translations in the works for other songs, Terri-Lynn and sGaanaGwa — who say they're inspired by jazz, blues, folk and rock — aim to record a full album for Christmas next year.
Meaningful concerts
Producer Bill Henderson said sGannaGwa first started when he and Williams-Davidson began performing together in the 1960s, with producer Claire Lawrence completing the co-founding trio.
Over time, musicians Jodie Proznick and Geoff Hicks, along with Bill's daughters Saffron and Camille Henderson on vocals, were enlisted to create the group as it is today.
The Haida Solstice album by Terri-Lynn and sGaanaGwa features art and the Haida language on its CD and liner notes. The CD artwork is by Haida artist Robert Davidson. (Arrthy Thayaparan/CBC)
Henderson said Haida Solstice offered him an additional challenge as he took on the task of singing in Haida for one of the songs.
"You've got to be really careful … because if you don't do it right then … it means something quite different," he said.
Lawrence said the biggest challenge of Haida Solstice was adapting the Christmas classics.
"[To] try to adapt them, add the Haida language and then to perform them in a way that other people don't … it was quite daunting," he said.
Williams-Davidson says she dreamed of singing at Carnegie Hall while growing up, but that aspiration has changed after sGannaGwa's recent December performances in Skidegate and Masset that featured songs from Haida Solstice.
"We wanted to present it to the elders who did the translations and to our two communities … It really was incredible," she said.
"After those concerts, I thought there's no greater meaning than performing right in the community with the elders."
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