Ancient songs and new compositions from Inuit-style throat singing duo PIQSIQ will grace the Shadbolt Centre for the Arts on Oct. 13.
The group PIQSIQ (pronounced “Pilk-Silk”) is made up of sisters Kayley Inuksuk Mackay and Tiffany Kuliktana Ayalik, who hail from Yellowknife, N.W.T. and have roots in Nunavut.
The group’s name comes from the Inuktut word “piqsiq” meaning “a type of storm where winds blow in a very specific way, making it look like the snow is falling back up towards the sky,” according to PIQSIQ’s website.
Due to systemic colonization and shaming, throat singing almost went extinct by the 1960s, according to PIQSIQ.
Out of that history, their art arises not only as music, but as a “a political act of decolonization and cultural revitalization.”
PIQSIQ blends the traditional art form with new technology for concerts that ring with creativity and spontaneity.
For more information about PIQSIQ, see their website.
PIQSIQ in concert
When: Thursday, Oct. 13 at 8 p.m.
Where: Shadbolt Centre for the Arts (6450 Deer Lake Ave.)
Cost: $15-35, tickets available online
