Michele LeTourneau
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Feb 21/00) - Music...how long has it been around?

Forever. Certainly as long as the Arctic has been -- which is certainly just about forever.

Sir Thomas Browne, an obscure writer who roamed this earth from 1605 to 1682, said a wise thing:

"For there is a music wherever there is a harmony, order or proportion..."

Well, harmony, order and proportion exist everywhere, which means music is everywhere. Whether it be traditional drumming or a karaoke machine, a hired band or a make-shift band, from Tsiigehtchic to Trout Lake, in the Northwest Territories, music thrives.

In Tsiigehtchic, in fact, there is "a little band," according to Agnes Mitchell. "We're called Lonesome Indian," she says.

"We don't have a date that's set. We get together whenever we can."

The band, composed of two fiddlers, two guitar players, one keyboardist and a bass player, will play for the public when the requests come.

Paulatuk's Bill Kudlak says they have no actual bands, but..."Every so many months, like Easter and Christmas, we have old-time dances, just the guitars and fiddlers ... We don't have any bands here."

Paulatuk, according to Kudlak, has about half a dozen musicians. Karaoke nights are held held two or three times a year at the school.

A few communities, such as Rae Lakes and Trout Lake, have drum dancers. They gather when the community celebrates an occasion. The way Trout Lake's band manager, Ruby Jumbo explains it, the community gathers, the drummers drum and the people dance.

Lawrence Nitsiza, from Wha Ti, says there aren't any bands in the community, but there are three people who play occasionally.

"Especially in the summertime," he says. "They do what they call band sessions outside the house all summer, in the evening. They sound good."

Nitsiza adds that on this very night they have a group coming in from Rae. "They want to do some jam sessions. Anybody can come up and sing."

And, as Nitsiza explains, next month's carnival offers the perfect opportunity to get the music happening.

In Jean Marie River, there isn't a band, but Jonas Sangris does play with a band formed out of Fort Providence.

"And Jonas plays guitar and sings with them when they do travel," says band manager Fred Norwegian.

"On occasions like New Year's and during our carnival," adds Norwegian, "we do have karaoke for the younger generations."