Charlie Panigoniak (, 7 March 1946 – 6 March 2019), born in
Chesterfield Inlet
Chesterfield Inlet (Inuit: ''Igluligaarjuk'')Issenman, Betty. ''Sinews of Survival: The living legacy of Inuit clothing''. UBC Press, 1997. pp252-254 is an inlet in Kivalliq Region, Nunavut, Canada. It is an arm of northwestern Hudson Bay, and the ...
,
Northwest Territories
The Northwest Territories (abbreviated ''NT'' or ''NWT''; french: Territoires du Nord-Ouest, formerly ''North-Western Territory'' and ''North-West Territories'' and namely shortened as ''Northwest Territory'') is a federal territory of Canada. ...
in what is now
Nunavut
Nunavut ( , ; iu, ᓄᓇᕗᑦ , ; ) is the largest and northernmost territory of Canada. It was separated officially from the Northwest Territories on April 1, 1999, via the '' Nunavut Act'' and the '' Nunavut Land Claims Agreement Act'' ...
, Canada, was an
Inuk singer-songwriter and guitarist whose albums reflect on northern life.
[
]
He began recording in the early 1970s, including projects for broadcaster
CBC North
CBC North ( iu, ᓰᐲᓰ ᐅᑭᐅᖅᑕᖅᑐᒥ, lit=CBC Northwest, translit=, SiiPiiSii Ukiuqtaqtumi; cr, ᓰᐲᓰ ᒌᐌᑎᓅᑖᐦᒡ, label=cr, SiiPiiSii Chiiwetinuutaahch; french: Radio-Canada Nord) is the Canadian Broadcasting Corpora ...
ern Service. His
Inuktitut
Inuktitut (; , syllabics ; from , "person" + , "like", "in the manner of"), also Eastern Canadian Inuktitut, is one of the principal Inuit languages of Canada. It is spoken in all areas north of the tree line, including parts of the provinces o ...
language rendition of "
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is a fictional reindeer created by Robert L. May. Rudolph is usually depicted as the ninth and youngest of Santa Claus's reindeer, using his luminous red nose to lead the reindeer team and guide Santa's sleigh on ...
" (, ') with Lorna Tasseor was featured on the 1996 compilation ''A Northern Christmas'' (, ').
Biography
Charlie Panigoniak was born on 7 March 1946 in the town of Chesterfield Inlet, Northwest Territories. By the time he was 30, he was already a prominent performer of
Inuit music
Traditional Inuit music (sometimes Eskimo music, Inuit-Yupik music, Yupik music or Iñupiat music), the music of the Inuit, Yupik, and Iñupiat, has been based on drums used in dance music as far back as can be known, and a vocal style called ''k ...
in many different Inuit communities around what is now Nunavut. Panigoniak is an interesting artist because he has taken mainstream music and songs and covered them using his own unique style of music. Perhaps the most well known example of this is Panigoniak's cover of "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer", a popular children's Christmas song. Panigoniak has collaborated with his partner Lorna Tasseor for the past 30 years. He is not only the lead singer and song writer but also plays guitar and keyboard with Tasseor as an accompanying singer.
Panigoniak was born in the north of Canada. This meant that he was cut off from the majority of the mainstream cultural happenings in Canada and would have been heavily influenced by the traditions of his community. In the late 1950s the Canadian government decided to settle starving inland Inuit in a variety of coastal communities. With these new immigrants to the area came new thoughts and ideas and, perhaps, a potential to hear mainstream Canadian music.
Panigoniak's father gave him his first guitar when the musician was 21. This guitar was made from a tin can. It allowed Panigoniak to become a "skillful manipulator of the country music idiom". In 1967, Panigoniak had to travel to
Brandon, Manitoba
Brandon () is the second-largest city in the province of Manitoba, Canada. It is located in the southwestern corner of the province on the banks of the Assiniboine River, approximately west of the provincial capital, Winnipeg, and east of the ...
to receive treatment for tuberculosis. This excursion to a big city not only opened the musician's eyes to new forms of music. It also gave him the opportunity to buy his first real guitar. Since getting that guitar Panigoniak has developed a
country folk
Contemporary folk music refers to a wide variety of genres that emerged in the mid 20th century and afterwards which were associated with traditional folk music. Starting in the mid-20th century a new form of popular folk music evolved from tradit ...
style of music. His songs often concern his friends, family and everyday occurrences and events from his life. These songs are written in the Inuktitut language. This shows how important traditions and his northern home are to Panigoniak.
While playing at
Rankin Inlet
Rankin Inlet ( iu, Kangiqliniq; Inuktitut syllabics: ᑲᖏᕿᓂᖅ or ''Kangirliniq'', ᑲᖏᖅᖠᓂᖅ, or ''Kangir&iniq'' meaning ''deep bay/inlet'') is an Inuit hamlet on Kudlulik Peninsula in Nunavut, Canada. It is the largest hamlet an ...
, Northwest Territories in 1973 Panigoniak was overheard by Doug Ward. Ward was a producer with CBC and liked Panigoniak's sound so much that he arranged for a recording session in
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most pop ...
during the following summer. Panigoniak went on to record 3 records for the CBC Northern Service. These records include two EPs (11 songs) and the LPs ''Inuktitut Christmas & Gospel Songs'' (), ''My Seasons'' () and ''Just for Kids'' ().
[ The children's album was recorded with Tasseor, Panigoniak's "frequent partner" from this point on. This album shows Panigoniak's love of singing for children. Panigoniak has also made two CBC broadcast EPs.][
In 2012, he was awarded the territory's highest honour, the Order of Nunavut, along with artist Kenojuak Ashevak and they were both named "ambassadors for our territory and its people". The honour "acknowledges achievement and contribution to the territory, which has either a cultural, social, or economic significance".]
Panigoniak died 6 March 2019 at his home in Rankin Inlet, one day prior to his 73rd birthday.[Legendary Inuk singer Charlie Panigoniak has died](_blank)
/ref>[Nunavut says goodbye to a legendary Inuit musician](_blank)
/ref>
References
Bibliography
*Whidden, L. (1981). Charlie Panigoniak: Eskimo music in transition. Retrieved 5 October 2008, from http://cjtm.icaap.org/content/9/v9art4.html
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Panigoniak, Charlie
1946 births
2019 deaths
People from Chesterfield Inlet
Canadian folk singer-songwriters
Inuit from the Northwest Territories
Canadian male singer-songwriters
Inuit musicians
Members of the Order of Nunavut
Musicians from Nunavut
Inuit from Nunavut
20th-century Canadian male singers
21st-century Canadian male singers
People from Rankin Inlet