Welta'q “It Sounds Good”: Historic Recordings of the Mi'kmaq. Produced by Janice Esther Tulk. Research Centre for the Study of Music, Media & Place, Memorial University, St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada: MMaP-CD04 (2009).

Abstract

Welta'q-the closest equivalent in Mi'kmaq to the English word "music"-literally translates as "it sounds good," and this CD looks good too, with a beautiful cover image, clear track listing on the outside, and a sturdy sixty-four-page pamphlet of notes by producer Janice Esther Tulk. Mi'kmaq, meaning "friends"-a name acquired sometime after European contact-are the largest group of First Nations in the Maritimes. (Mi'kmaq is the plural noun, Mi'kmaw the adjective in the orthography used here.) Mi'kmaq communities are located throughout their traditional territories, which span parts of five Canadian provinces and the state of Maine. The Mi'kmaq language is maintained, and traditional cultural practices such as dancing continue, despite several centuries of oppression. Mi'kmaq and the other member nations of the Wabanaki Confederacy-an alliance dating from the late seventeenth century-are considered a distinct culture group also called Wabanaki. (Variant spellings due to the different orthographies currently in use include Wabenaki, as used in the notes.) This compilation will resonate throughout the Northeast because recordings from other Wabanaki nations can be compared to it. Archival materials from this cultural area are far-flung and thus not easily available; therefore Welta'q sets a commendable standard to follow. The CD contains twenty-four tracks, all selected from archives in Canada. The earliest dates from 1956 and the latest from 2008. Earlier recordings exist of Mi'kmaw songs, notably those made by Frank Speck between 1905 and 1911 and by William Hubbs Mechling in 1911. Most of Speck's recordings are of such poor quality that they would not be candidates for public release. Mechling's are generally good and have been remastered for use in various exhibits by the Canadian Museum of Civilization, where they are housed. By focusing on the later twentieth century, Welta'q bridges the tremendous changes in recording technologiesand methodologies-to the present day. The notes acknowledge that the original recordings are of varying quality, and none was intended for commercial release; yet bringing the existence of these resources to public attention is worthwhile in itself, and the presentation here is superb. Performers include "superstars" (Lee Cremo, Sarah Denny), and the legendary collector Helen Creighton is also represented. Other well-known Mi'kmaq musicians are listed in the discography. The recordings included on the CD were selected in consultation with Mi'kmaq communities, also following best practices for contacting subjects and their descendents. The accompanying booklet responds, in addition, to the requests of music educators. Obviously several layers of intersecting concerns shaped this collection, and if a more overtly "historical" arrangement were desired, for example, by including some of the earliest recordings, it might not be possible given the producer's appropriately high standards.