By Caitlyn Gerrish – Arts & Culture Editor

On Monday, Nov. 20, the English department’s ecocriticism class welcomed musician, artist and activist Kym Gouchie from the Lheidli T’enneh Nation (people where the two rivers meet) for a virtual guest lecture and performance. The discussion provided Indigenous perspectives on the environment and explored how music can be employed as a useful tool to address the climate crisis. Through a mixture of discussion and song, Gouchie shared glimpses into her life and how she uses these experiences as inspiration. “A lot of my personal stories are woven throughout my music.” 

A respected elder-in-training of the Lheidli T’enneh Nation, also known as Prince George, British Columbia, Gouchie explained the historical context of her home, specifically how the implementation of the railway caused the displacement of her ancestors from their native village. Looking out the window of the room Gouchie joined the class from, she reflected on how she lives directly in between the railway that forced the relocation of her family and of the intersecting river from which her nation gets its namesake. “It reminds me that I live in between two worlds.”

This story led to Gouchie performing her song “Every Mountain”, which the class reflected on afterwards, saying it was personifying nature, thus giving it a voice. Agreeing with this comment, Gouchie stressed how elements of the environment, such as mountains and trees, have been here for thousands of years, and are full of wisdom. “They are the ancient ones.” It is this way of thinking that she encourages society to consider when thinking about the climate crisis. The lyrics of the song reflect this message. “Mother Earth is calling on you and me / To protect what is left for the people to be.” 

Taught for the first time, the ecocriticism class aims to explore the changing attitudes towards the environment seen through literature. Prof. Shoshannah Bryn Jones Square shared some insight behind her approach to building the course: “I have always valued interdisciplinary approaches to teaching, and given that ecocriticism is itself an interdisciplinary field, I felt it was essential to provide a multitude of perspectives from a variety of disciplines.”

“Moreover, interdisciplinary thinking is critical when it comes to confronting and combating the climate crisis.” Prof. Jones Square stressed that “it was vital that I provide Indigenous voices and perspectives.” When asked how music fits within an ecocriticism’s scope, Prof. Jones Square provided some scientific reasoning. “The neurotransmitter dopamine is released when we listen to music, which is associated with happiness and motivation. Because of this, music is an extremely powerful vehicle for fostering care for others and for the environment—it gets us in sync, and it moves us.”

Kym Gouchie’s lecture and life mission are a testament to this. Through her music and art, she actively fosters change, whether that be to address the climate crisis or to bring awareness about First Nations and missing and murdered Indigenous women. 

In her final song of the lecture, Gouchie used a traditional drum, hand-crafted by renowned drum maker Norman Retasket who is also a residential school survivor. When asked what her favorite instrument was to perform with, she quickly responded that it was the drum. “It embodies everything that we are. It is the first sound we have ever heard. It connects us to the sound of our mother’s heart”, Kym explained. This universal connection between humans and the drum was accented in a beautiful anecdote she told to the class. When Gouchie performed at a Royal Canadian Legion, she shared a touching moment with a gentleman in attendance who was deeply moved by her song. When asked why music is so powerful, her response was simple but deeply moving. “It is as universal as a smile.”