Reclaiming Identity Through Music
Inez Jasper is a singer and songwriter who blends pop and traditional music. She was born in Canada and comes from many heritages such as: Stó:lō, Métis, and Ojibwe (1). Most of her songs are upbeat, have a higher pitch, with a slightly fast tempo. Her music contains lyrics that hold the themes of identity and strength, all while still being able to tie in cultural roots. This is important because music can provide education and development in culture (2).
In the indigenous community, there is extensive history about women being mistreated, abused, and some going missing. Women and girls are the primary victims of violence and human trafficking among Native Americans (3). These events have influenced the music Inez sings and writes by containing strong messages through her lyrics. Women in this community are not protected, so they try to ultimately protect themselves. Her goal is to make these women safe, and provide them with physical, as well as mental support. In Canada, about 50% of sex trafficking victims are indigenous women (4). The community is trying to protect women by telling women not to draw attention to themselves, but Inez has a different approach. Rather than women hiding themselves, she wants them to reclaim and embrace their identities. Music is used as a way to represent one’s identity (5).
Inez is all about uplifting music as she tries to promote women to embrace their authentic selves safely. She is aware that western society has tainted their images by seeing that they are sexualized through different forms such as costumes. But Inez wants to take that and gather up indigenous women together to draw awareness for their culture and others as well, and to create positive discussions amongst all. Ultimately, she uses many experiences and events to sing and create songs that hold strong themes of identity and strength overall.
References:
(1) Lacroix, Bruce. “Inez Jasper.” The Canadian Centre for Aboriginal Entrepreneurship (Indigenous) and The Canadian Centre for Accelerated Entrepreneurship, 16 Nov. 2020, ccae.ca/stories/inez-jasper/.
(2) Cole, Malcolm. “Context and culture in music education: lessons from last century.”Australian Journal of Music Education, no. 3, 2015, pp. 59-72. ProQuest, http://proxy.lib.ohio-state.edu/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/context-culture-music-education-lessons-last/docview/1788570674/se-2.
(3) Native Hope. “Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW).” Native Hope, www.nativehope.org/missing-and-murdered-indigenous-women-mmiw. Accessed 15 Dec. 2023.
(4) Peters-Mosquera A, Bingham-Hendricks C, Woods C, Aronowitz T. The Role Nurses Can Play in Addressing and Preventing the Prevalence of Missing or Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG). Journal of Transcultural Nursing. 2023;34(6):431-442., https://journals-sagepub-com.proxy.lib.ohio-state.edu/doi/10.1177/10436596231198274
(5) Saunders, J.A. “Identity in Music: Adolescents and the Music Classroom.” EBSCO Host, web-p-ebscohost-com.proxy.lib.ohio-state.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=0&sid=87713299-e220-4b91-9d92-0c99dd79353e%40redis. Accessed 15 Dec. 2023.