Students from Kanien’kehá:ka community create music video

Four students from the Kanien’kehá:ka (Mohawk) community of Kahnawake recently created a music video exploring Indigenous identity. École secondaire régionale Howard S Billings in Châteauguay, Quebec issued the challenge for Indigenous students to create a music video. The four students – Mercadies Kawisenhtaj Deer, Phoenix Teironhiathe Lahache, Wahientha Katelyne Cross, and Lola Rosa Onekwen Taraonerate Mcquaid – wrote the single “They Fly” and worked with the not-for-profit N’we Jinan program on the video for five days. The video premiered in front of the school at the Academic Awards Ceremony and received thunderous applause. “This proves to people that that stigma isn’t true at all and that native people can accomplish big things,” said Cross, who is in Grade 11. “I just hope that the younger generations see this and have expectations of this nature when they’re older.” Global News reports that the students say they will walk away from the experience knowing that stepping out of their comfort zone can take them to new heights.