Daron Letts
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (June 29/05) - Inuit and First Nations women were featured on stages throughout the city this past weekend.

The Baffin Island Throat Singers entertained the audience, and themselves, at the Raven Mad Daze main stage on Friday afternoon.

Seporah Ungalaq (Iglulik), Nanasee Leblanc (Iqaluit) and Goota Ashoona (Cape Dorset) performed several throat singing demonstrations.

The smiles spilled into the audience.

Sandy Scofield, a Metis songwriter of Salteaux and Cree descent from Vancouver, also performed on the main stage.

On Saturday the Native Communications Society hosted a concert in Sombe K'e Park for the APTN board.

Sisters of the Drum sang several original songs, including a blues ballad about slavery and a song about resisting the Mackenzie Valley pipeline.

One of their most moving moments on stage came during an honour song for the more than 500 missing Aboriginal women in Canada recognized by the national Sisters in Spirit campaign.

Sisters of the drum are Joanne Erasmus (Cree, Chipewyan), Rita Chretien (Cree/Metis), Leone Erasmus (Cree, Chipewyan), Lila Erasmus (Cree, Chipewyan) and Reanna Erasmus (Hupacasath).