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It Matters

from Brave Land by Raine Hamilton

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A few years ago, when the Winnipeg Jets were in the playoffs for the first time, local Indigenous elder Gramma Shingoose was totally on board. I would see her social media posts about the Jets, the players, and her predictions. She was stoked. One day she posted about how excited she was that she had gotten tickets to a city-organized street party, where one of the playoff games would be projected, and where people from all across the city would gather and celebrate. Amazing.

It Matters tells the story of what happened next: Gramma Shingoose, in her home-town jersey, so stoked to celebrate the Jets, was standing just outside the party, taking it all in. She was obviously there for the party, and she was standing, smiling, harming no one. She was targeted by security and police. The police escalated this encounter to the point that they ended up removing Gramma Shingoose from the event by putting their hands on her and physically moving her out. For what??!! Gramma Shingoose was standing – literally standing there and harming no one – on her treaty land, and she was treated in this way. I can’t even. This behaviour by police is unacceptable.

Gramma Shingoose explained something that I think is really important for us non-indigenous folks to understand: She explained that the experience of being handled by police in that way, for her that was once again the power of the colonial government and putting their hands on her, controlling her, harming her. It was connected with her experience of government control and abuse in residential school, and with all of Canada’s colonial history. It hurt her with the power of all of that history, not just with this one event.

All of that history, all of her past experience, that of all mattered in this encounter. That’s what the title of this song, It Matters means: The history of colonial harm matters, and contributes to Indigenous people being harmed today.

Gramma Shingoose and I talked about It Matters over Zoom, and I am happy to share this video along with the release of this new song. Thank you for sharing your story, Gramma Shingoose. Thank you for allowing me the honour of singing this song. I sing it with love and prayer in my heart, that we may create an excellent world.


Raine <3

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from Brave Land, track released May 21, 2021

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Raine Hamilton Winnipeg, Manitoba

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