Squarely in the category of neat projects is a new collaboration from CBC called Collection: Canadian Songs for the Future Inspired by Our Past. As part of the project Canadian artists Dylan Menzie, Arkells, Lights, and Iskwé were all asked to participate by selecting an item from the Canadian Museum of History and to write a song about it. Prince Edward Island troubadour Dylan Menzie’s effort resulted in “Ivory,” a piece inspired by the story of a 600+ year old man and his infant child.
“The object I wrote about was the recreation of the face and body of ‘Nuvumiutaq – The Arctic Kayaker.’ He was a Thule man who lived sometime between 1200 and 1400 A.D. and whose remains were discovered along with those of an infant, plus 24 ivory bird figurines and an ivory bow-drill with a series of drawings of his life’s story carved into it,” says Menzie. “The part that really tugged at my heartstrings and curiosity was the fact that he was buried with an infant; subsequently, ‘Ivory’ focuses on the love of family, preserving that love forever through art, and wanting to feel a sense of home with you – even after death.”
The act of preserving something through art comes full circle as Menzie reinterprets the story of the man and his carvings as song.
Paired with the single is a piece of artwork by Alberta Rose W./Ingnuuk titled “Taimunga,” meaning “forever” in Inuvialuit, reflecting the relationship the Thule Man had with his infant child that endures timelessly.
“A parent’s love is forever,” shares the artist, “and this is how I imagined him holding the baby, surrounded by the bird figurines.”
While the single was recorded at The Hill Sound Studio in Charlottetown with producer Adam Gallant (Paper Lions, Sorrey), “Ivory” will also appear on Menzie’s upcoming studio album sometime in 2020, which will be produced and recorded with Romesh Thavanathan of Hey Rosetta!.