'The feeling that something wonderful was just beginning'

Award-winning artist Jeremy Dutcher's latest gig was a triumphant reminder of the power of community, language and culture, writes Jenny White

- Jenny White

> Award-winning artist Jeremy Dutcher performs at Ystradgynlais Welfare Hall

THE numbers at Jeremy Dutcher's gig in Ystradgynlais Welfare Hall were greater than they appeared because he had summoned the ancestors via century-old recordings found in the archives of the Canadian Museum of History.

Dutcher was directed to these beautiful recordings by his teacher, Maggie Paul, an Indigenous Passamaquoddy elder who has been collecting Wolastoqey songs for four decades.

Wolastoqey, Dutcher's native language, is now only spoken fluently by 100 Wolastoqiyik people, whose land, the Wolastokuk territory, occupies what is currently more commonly known as the east coast of Canada.

The name Wolastoqiyik means 'the people of the beautiful river', and Dutcher's music is like living water: translucent, soaring vocals, crystal-clear piano, songs that lift and dive, flowing like a river sparkling with stars.

A two-time winner of the 2018 Polaris Music Prize (Canada's equivalent to the Mercury Prize), his presence in Wales as part of this short European tour was a result of his deep affinity with the Welsh people, their language, and the work done to protect and nurture it.

Speaking of his drive through the Welsh countryside following his Bethesda gig, he described it as a beautiful land, "worth fighting for", and a model of linguistic revitalisation that provides hope for the future of Wolastoqey.