Tales, songs and indigenous drumming / Mi'gmaq culture
With Valérie Ivy Hamelin
In memory of my ancestors
Valérie Ivy Hamelin offers you:
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Traditional songs
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Mi'gmaq tales and legends
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Conference and animation on Mi'gmaq culture
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Conference or panel on environmental themes, women, history...
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Medicine Wheel Workshop
Storytelling show/ Young audience: In memory of my ancestors
It is through the word, the chant and the drum that Ivy presents us, in this astonishing, moving spectacle, The legend of Glooscap, the story of the creation of the world according to the Mi'gmaq teachings. Glooscap was the first Mi'gmaq to whom the Great Spirit gave life on earth. This fabulous legend speaks of the origin of the world, the values of Mi'gmaq culture, of the link to the territory and to the Great Spirit, of respect of Mother Earth, animals, nature and humans. In this version aimed at young audiences, Ivy adopts a fun and educational approach.
Show grand public
In this show designed for an adult audience, Ivy is accompanied by Sadio Sissokho on the kora, an african harp with 21 strings. Sadio comes from a lineage of griots, from the mandinka tradition of Senegal. His presence and his music give a universal and ancestral dimension to the tale. The tone is more solemn and slow, giving the audience the opportunity to immerse themselves in the music, the history and the teachings that inhabit this tale.
Biography
Valérie Ivy Hamelin is a member of the Micmac Nation of Gespeg. A multidisciplinary artist performing on the flute, singing, storytelling, indigenous drumming, percussion and gumboots, she has been performing on stage since 2005. Ivy is an involved member of her community. She enjoys listening to the stories of elders and deepening her connection to her culture and language, through singing, drumming and storytelling. She likes to share the traditional tales and songs of her nation, which she favors. She presents her stories to a youth audience, with a fun and educational approach, and to an adult audience with whom she also offers conferences. She likes to create an intimate space where cultural encounters take place in simplicity. She shares her stories in libraries via the Les Zanimés program ,of the Laurentides Library Network and in French-speaking schools in Quebec. In 2020-2021, she is a mentor for the national Water Speaks / Paroles d'eau competition, a storytelling competition on water and the environment with the Waterlution organization.
In 2003, she produced an album inspired by world music, Entre terre et femme, as part of the Young Volunteers program. She then led the Mamalua troupe, a troupe of women celebrating dance, singing and percussion. In 2005, she began teaching dance and gumboots and led small groups, schools, festivals and corporate events. In 2009, she studied classical music at Collège Lionel-Groulx. At the end of her studies, she won a scholarship following a competition organized by SODET of Ste-Thérèse, which allowed her to start her company, Les Productions Mosaïculture. Since 2012, she is part of the Artist at School program, with her colleagues Sadio Sissokho and Cheikh Anta Faye. Her journey as a dancer and musician in the world of world music gave her the opportunity to rub shoulders with countless artists from different ethnic communities, and to discover diverse and rich musical traditions. She has been performing since 2008 with Mafrica, directed by Sadio Sissokho, as a dancer., chorist and flautist. In 2019, the project is merged and becomes Mi'gmafrica, presenting the musical encounter between Mi'maq and Mandinka cultures.
She sang in various contexts, uniting her art with her activist values, for the protection and health of water and the territory, peace and the unification of peoples including: Forum against extractivism in Québec, Thematic Social forum in South Africa, Eau Secours and Amnesty International. She has served on the board of directors of Eau Secours since 2020 and was elected vice-president in December 2022. Eau Secours is a pro-active organization that works to protect our water against pollution and privatization.