nêhiyawak ᓀᐦᐃᔭᐊᐧᐠ Pronunciation: neh-HEE-oh-wuk Meanings are Cree People, People of the Plains, Plains People, Exact People. Today, the Vancouver trio have shared the title-track “Starlight” off their EP, out November 27th via Arts & Crafts.

nêhiyawak hails from amiskwaciy in Treaty 6 Territory. The trio of Indigenous Canadian artists – Kris Harper (vocals, guitars), Marek Tyler (drums), and Matthew Cardinal (synths, bass) – transcends a new intersection of contemporary sound and the traditional storytelling of their ancestry. Their music is a resonant expression of indigeneity in the modern world.

The EP is described as “a collection of five songs that reflect the vast range of a band emboldened with the powerful inflection of its rich cultural connection.” Produced by Colin Stewart (The New Pornographers, Black Mountain, Destroyer).

Kris Harper on Starlight

“starlight shines a torch into the shadows of colonial ideologies. What is erasure? How is it manifest in society? What are the depths man will go to to hush the perspective of others? When tools of erasure are put to use on aspects of particular cultures, they are also applied to society as a whole. What are the symptoms and affects of these attempts at extinguishing culture? Recognition of the forms and techniques that impact indigenous, POC, LGBTQ, and our mothers, sisters, and daughters assist in the reformation and reparations sought by survivors in our day. The education of this is nêhiyawak’s endurance on starlight.”

nêhiyawak
starlight
tracklist

1. starlight
2. page
3. copper
4. somnambulist
5. open window

TOUR DATES
Nov 28 – Toronto, ON – Baby G
Nov 29 – Montreal, QC – Casa Del Popolo