New Documentary Mini-Series "8th Fire" Premieres on CBC

The new CBC series 8th Fire, hosted by Wab Kinew and featuring Winnipeg's Most amongst many other talented Indians, challenges the relationships between "us" and "them".

Tonight debuts the first episode of 8th Fire, the new, four-part CBC series exploring relationship building between Indigenous and settler society in Canada. Geared towards a much larger, non-Indigenous audience, the first episode is meant to introduce a broad cross-section of Aboriginal peoples to Canada and features rappers Winnipeg's Most, Taiaiake Alfred, and Evan Adams amongst others.

Winnipeg's Most, from Winnipeg, is no stranger to living in diverse communities. The city is known for not only its substantial Native population but also a wide variety of other ethnicities. Over the phone Jon-C states "we are hip-hop artists that are doing something that appeals to everyone, to people in other cities going through similar things." The group cleaned up at the Aboriginal People's Choice Music Awards last November leaving with 6 major recognitions, but they are a mixed group themselves with Jon-C and Brooklyn (both Aboriginal) and Charlie Fettah (Irish).

Jon-C says the group was excited to be approached by CBC to participate in the documentary but they didn't realize the depth of what the show was about culturally until they had completed shooting. "We do US, make music, do shows. So we were just answering with honesty." Winnipeg's Most is honoured to attend the premiere screening party at IMAX Portage Place in Winnipeg tonight, and be able to share their story and their lives. "We came from rapping about the street and somehow we ended up being role-models. It feels good to be looked at as achievers, after coming from a place where under-achievement was expected 100%."

The host of 8th Fire, Wab Kinew (Ojibway from Onigaming First Nation) is an accomplished musician in how own right and became interested in dispelling myths after working on a personal piece for CBC's The National chronicling his father's residential school experience, the impacts in his family and later resolving its effects. Wab states in an article on cbc.ca "The big lesson I had learned, and that I shared with the producers, is that Canadians WILL empathize with Aboriginal people if we let them walk a mile in our moccasins." After going through the process of filming 8TH Fire he reflects "my Aboriginal side and my non-aboriginal side are getting along better than ever."

Featuring a score by Cris Derkson and a wide range of other interesting characters, get the full deal at the comprehensive cbc.ca/doczone/8thfire.

The first episode airs Thursday January 12 at 9 pm on CBC-TV and Friday January 13 at 10 pm ET/PT on CBC News Network.

Watch the 8th Fire preview and below that, check out the 12 minute story CBC's The National aired last night on Winnipeg's Most:

Troubled Past, Promising Future:

CBC's 8th Fire Screening At WAFF

The Winnipeg Aboriginal Film Festival is presenting a preview screening of CBC's new documentary mini-series 8th Fire.

With an original score composed by Cris Derksen, tracks by Winnipeg's Most, and hosted by Wab Kinew, the series focuses on the urgent need to reframe the 500 year old relationship with Indigenous inhabitants and the settler culture in Canada.

8th Fire is scheduled to air on CBC in January 2012, but those in Winnipeg can catch the debut episode this Thursday, November 17th, as a part of the Indigenous In The City program of the Winnipeg Aboriginal Film Festival.

From facebook.com/8thfire, the show is described as:

...a provocative, high-energy journey through Aboriginal country showing you why we urgently need to fix Canada’s 500 year-old relationship with Indigenous peoples, now mired in colonialism, conflict and denial. Our title grows out of the Anishinaabe Seven Fires prophecy that now is the time for Aboriginal peoples and the settler community to come together and build the 8TH FIRE of peace, justice and harmony.

For more details on the screening and the rest of the Winnipeg Aboriginal Film Festival, check out waff.ca/indigenous-in-the-city.

Also check out our post about the meeting of Indigenous hip-hop minds in Winnipeg to form a coalition against negative stereotyping, Winnipeg Indigenous Hip-Hop Coalition: 8th Fire.

Winnipeg Indigenous Hip-Hop Coalition: 8th Fire

Indigenous hip-hop artists in Winnipeg recently gathered to create a coalition against the negative stereotyping of Indigenous rappers. The process will be a part of a new documentary series, 8th Fire, that will air on CBC Television.

Hiphop has faced some negative stereoptyping over the years. From being a fun, dance oriented art form to the corporate labeling of "Gangster Rap", it's hard to hear the term "hip-hop" and not think of the image that is portrayed in mainstream media. The same goes for the Indigenous contingent of hip-hop in North America.

Banding together in the centre of Turtle Island, a group of Indigenous hip-hop artists are aiming to battle the negative stereotyping of the beloved artform. Led by Winnipeg's Most – quite possibly the most popular Indigenous hip-hop act at the moment – members of  Winnipeg's Indigenous hiphop scene met on September 8th, 2011 to talk about the future of Indigenous rap and hip-hop. Specifically, they gathered to discuss the steps they can take to keep themselves unbounded by negative stereotypes and classifications.

This process of coalition building will also be documented by CBC's 8th Fire — a four part TV series set to air on CBC Doc Zone beginning in January 2012 — bringing us into this unique creation of a partnership between artists aspiring to keep the art form pure.

Creating music in a climate of heavy commercialization and over promotion of negative lifestyles, this initiative proves to be a great opportunity for Indigenous hip-hop to resurge and reframe itself for the future, ensuring that it can be sustainable and healthy for all who create and enjoy this particular genre of music.