Fawn Wood
Fawn Wood’s deep connection to her family, Cree culture, and community is rooted within traditional music. She grew up immersed in the cultural and musical traditions of her parents: her father, Earl Wood, is from Saddle Lake Cree Nation and performed with Northern Cree; her mother, Cindy Jim-Wood, taught her the traditions and Salish chants of the Whonnock and Stl’atl’imx peoples.
Proudly continuing this legacy, in 2006 Wood was honored to be the first female to win the Hand Drum contest at the Gathering of Nations Pow-Wow. Several years later she performed in the televised 11th Annual Native American Music Awards (NAMMYS), and in 2010, along with her husband, Cree singer Dallas Waskahat, she opened the broadcast of the Aboriginal Peoples’ Choice Music Awards in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Wood released her debut solo album Iskwewak – Songs of Indigenous Womanhood in 2012, garnering her the Best Female Artist award at the 2013 NAMMYS. Her music has also earned her Best Hand Drum Recording at the 2013 Aboriginal Peoples’ Choice Music Awards and top spot on the iTunes New Release World Music Chart, remaining in the top 100 for weeks afterward. Wood’s latest album, Kâkike, received the first JUNO Award in the new category Traditional Indigenous Artist or Group of the Year (2022). With over a million engagements on TikTok, Wood has become a social media influencer who utilizes traditional music to revitalize languages and culture.
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Speak Up! is curated by David McLeod (member of the Pine Creek First Nation, MB), Indigenous programming consultant.