Keenawint

Released in 1985, ‘Keenawint’ by Wawatay is a rare 7-inch single that captures an important early chapter in Indigenous-controlled media in Northern Ontario. Issued by the Wawatay Communications Society, the Sioux Lookout-based First Nations media organization founded in 1974 to serve the communities of Nishnawbe Aski Nation, the record reflects a broader mission of preserving Indigenous language, culture, and identity through modern communications at a time when such representation was still largely absent from mainstream Canadian broadcasting.

Rooted in Oji-Cree language and culture, ‘Keenawint’ stands as more than a local recording — it is part of the wider media movement that saw Wawatay build Indigenous-led radio, print, and eventually television services across the North. By 1987, Wawatay had launched its first weekly television program, underscoring the organization’s growing role as one of Canada’s most important Indigenous media institutions. In that context, this scarce single survives as an early and evocative document of cultural self-determination through music and media.
-Robert Williston

Engineered by Kerry Hannah
Recorded by Sunshine Sound Studios