Drum circles and community music: Reconciling the difference

Abstract

Abstract This article is a contribution to reconciliation between Indigenous and Settler peoples in Canada through the creation of space for Indigenous voices within the practice of community music. Colonization and policies to assimilate Indigenous peoples have had devastating impacts and have served to undermine their communal way of life and cultural identities. Many urban Indigenous peoples are searching for ways to ‘re-member,’ ‘re-connect,’ and ‘re-claim’ a sense of community and connection to their traditions. This article takes anchor in the stories of urban Indigenous youth and women and what their drum circle means to them.