I’ll be honest: I knew about The Tragically Hip, I listened to a few of their songs, and I liked what I heard. I knew about Gord Downie’s terminal brain cancer – my favourite artists were inspired by him and shared the unfortunate news. But I can’t just jump on the bandwagon and brag about being a fan. That would be disingenuous and do a disservice to Gord’s legacy.
With that being said, I’ve been listening to Secret Path all day and it’s a wonderfully written and composed. The storytelling is masterful, telling the heartbreaking story of Chanie Wenjack. Chanie was an Ojibway boy who had run away from one of many Canadian Residential Schools. He wanted to return to his father, but didn’t understand that he lived hundreds of miles away. In the end, his body was found near CPR railroad tracks – he tragically died from exposure to the cold and hunger. He was found alone with only a jar of matches on him.
I have yet to watch the film and I haven’t read the graphic novel. I don’t know if I can adequately articulate all that I’m feeling about this entire project and I’m not the best person to explain Indigenous issues.
What I can say is that everyone should give this project a listen and should read about Chanie Wenjack’s story. It’s just one of many truly heartbreaking stories about Canada’s legacy in its mistreatment of OUR Indigenous peoples. It’s not just OUR history, but we continue to destroy Indigenous culture and lives today.
And there are many other artists that are Indigenous, and are making great music and art, like A Tribe Called Red, Tanya Tagaq and Joseph Boyden. That it takes someone of Gord Downie’s status to bring attention to this issue is a testament to how much more Canada needs to do to reconcile ourselves with our Native peoples.