This past summer, Canadians came together to celebrate the Tragically Hip, one of the country’s most iconic musical acts. In Dec. 2015, Gord Downie, the band’s frontman and key songwriter, was diagnosed with glioblastoma, a rare terminal brain tumour. In May, the band announced the diagnosis, as well as the dates for what would likely be their final tour, the all-Canadian Man Machine Poem Tour. Nearly a month after the Hip performed their final show in their hometown, Kingston, Ontario, with over 11 million people watching live on CBC, Downie announced a new multimedia project about one of the darkest parts of Canadian history: Indigenous residential schools.
Between the early 1880s and 1996, over 150,000 First Nations, Métis and Inuit children were removed from their homes and placed in residential schools. The purpose of this practice was to assimilate them into Euro-Canadian culture. Murray Sinclair, Canadian Senator and Chair of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, described the effort as “nothing short of cultural genocide”.
In residential schools, Indigenous children were prohibited from practicing their cultures and speaking their native languages. They were isolated from their families and forced to convert to Christianity. Disobedience resulted in severe physical, emotional, and sexual abuse. The conditions of residential schools were also incredibly inhumane. Children were sometimes underfed and malnourished, and were particularly vulnerable to many diseases, such as tuberculosis and influenza. An estimated 3,200 Aboriginal children died in residential schools.
Downie’s project, Secret Path, is a brand-new solo album packaged with a graphic novel, illustrated by Jeff Lemire, and an animated short film. It tells the heartbreaking story of Chanie Wenjack, an Ojibwe boy who was placed in the Cecilia Jeffrey Indian Residential School at the age of 9. In Oct. 1966, when he was 12 years old, he escaped the school and attempted to return to his home in Ogoki Post, Ontario, 600 km away. A week later, Chanie died of starvation and exposure to the cold weather. His body was discovered beside railroad tracks, 60 km away from the school.
On Oct. 18, Secret Path premiered in a multimedia concert at the National Arts Centre’s (NAC) Southam Hall. Despite requests for the audience to hold their applause until the end of the performance, they could not resist the opportunity to welcome Downie with a thunderous, long-lasting standing ovation. The illustrations, combined with Downie’s mellow, musical narration provided an effective, grim, and genuine portrayal of Wenjack’s tragic story. Lemire’s minimal use of colour in his illustrations provided a haunting visual portrayal of Wenjack’s journey.
This concert was Downie’s first since the final Tragically Hip concert on Aug. 20. He maintained the same strong, powerful vocals that he became well-known for during his time with the Hip, while moving slowly and gracefully across the stage, pantomiming Wenjack’s steps during his long walk home.
After the performance, there was a video introducing Wenjack’s family members, including his sisters, their children, and grandchildren. The video depicts Downie’s trip to Ogoki Post after the end of the Man Machine Poem Tour, where he met with the Wenjack family and continued his mission of bridging the gaps between Canadians and Indigenous groups.
The show ended with Gord’s brother, Mike Downie, introducing the entire Secret Path creative team, and the Wenjacks. After giving an emotional speech honouring Gord, and thanking his younger brother, Patrick, Mike gave the microphone to Chanie Wenjack’s sister, Pearl, who led a traditional Ojibwe prayer and spoke about her brother.
Gord said, “it’s just time to get started.” He paused as the audience laughed, and then continued, “it’s time to get going, okay?”
And that was it. Gord Downie and everyone else on stage slowly, and quietly made their way off, while audience members wiped away their tears and continued their last standing ovation.
To quote Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, “Gord Downie is a true original who has been writing Canada’s soundtrack for more than 30 years.”
With Secret Path, Downie has created a darker soundtrack for one of the most shameful periods in Canadian history. He gives an evocative message that while Canadian culture is worth celebrating, it is important to remember all aspects of Canada’s past.
The short film for Secret Path will air on Oct. 23, at 9 p.m. on CBC.
