By Will McGuirk
Lot to unpack; Amanda Rheaume, Métis singer/songwriter, co-founder of Ishkōdé, and activist for Indigenous rights, has a new single, and an album due out, and a tour which includes a show at TD Music Hall in Toronto May 21 2025.
The tour is diverse and includes stops in North Bay, Washington D.C, Winnipeg, Orillia, and of course Toronto among the seven dates.
The single ‘One of These Days’ co-written with Terra Lightfoot relates the story of Agawa Bay and the displacement of Métis people of the area. Its trucker convoy driven rocker, with the cut of the fiddle.
The album, The Truth We Hold’, is a collection of songs inspired by the Métis lived experience across history and geography. Its release day is April 11. The PR includes a guide, its important to add it
"I Won’t Hide "- Released September 19, 2024 to mark Powley Day, named for Steve and Roddy Powley of Sault Ste. Marie and the Métis Nation of Ontario
"One of These Days" - Features the words of Dolores Pinder, granddaughter of Dave Bussineau, set in Agawa Bay, Ontario.
"Unforgettable" - Based on a conversation with Michif Manitoban author Chantal Fiola (“Rekindling the Sacred Fire: Métis Ancestry and Anishinaabe Spirituality”) about what the next generation of Michif/Métis children need from us now.
"#44 "- Set in Île-à-la-Crosse, SK (“where the rivers meet” in its Cree name), the location of Île-à-la-Crosse Residential School for over 150 years. This song and “Dream If You Want To” tell Robert Merasty’s story, shared with his permission, who attended the Ile-a-la-Crosse Residential school and is still alive today.
"Distant Drum "- A traditional composition by John Arcand, ‘Master of the Métis fiddle,’ and Member of the Order of Canada, whose compositions and playing have carried the spirit of the Métis fiddle tradition.
"Big John McNeil" - A popular reel across the Métis Nation, known as the ‘Métis National Anthem’ in Manitoba, attributed to Peter Milne.
"Flossie's" - The story of Aunt Flossie of Lac Ste. Anne, Alberta, originally called Manito Sahkahigan (Cree for “Lake of the Spirit”). Every Sunday after mass, the community would head over to Flossie’s for a Métis kitchen party with fiddles, dancing, and the popular Métis dish “bullets and bang”.
"Annie’s Whip" - Anne Bannatyne was a 19th century Métis woman and Rheaume’s ancestor from the Red River. This is one of many stories on The Truth We Hold centering Métis women.
"Can’t Make Us Gone" - Another little-known story in Métis history about the many Métis families who lived near what is now called ‘Rivière aux Îlets de Bois,’ near Carman, Manitoba.
"Steps Of The Old Ones" - Original composition by Alyssa Delbaere Sawchuk, about Métis homeland and ancestors.