Maggie Paul is an Indigenous

Passamaquoddy The Passamaquoddy (Maliseet-Passamaquoddy language, Passamaquoddy: ''Peskotomuhkati'', Plural: ''Peskotomuhkatiyik'') are a Native Americans in the United States, Native American/First Nations in Canada, First Nations people who live in northea ...

elder, teacher and song carrier who has travelled around the world to share

Maliseet The Wolastoqiyik, (, also known as the Maliseet or Malecite () are an Algonquian-speaking First Nation of the Wabanaki Confederacy. They are the Indigenous people of the Wolastoq ( Saint John River) valley and its tributaries. Their terri ...

and

culture. Also a

sweat lodge A sweat lodge is a low profile hut, typically dome-shaped or oblong, and made with natural materials. The structure is the ''lodge'', and the ceremony performed within the structure may be called by some cultures a purification ceremony or simply ...

keeper, Maggie Paul is known for her singing, and both performs and records traditional songs. Born in

Maine Maine ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the United States, and the northeasternmost state in the Contiguous United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Provinces and ...

, she has raised six children and lived most of her adult life on the Maliseet St. Mary's First Nation in

York County, New Brunswick York County (2021 population 105,261) is located in west-central New Brunswick, Canada. The county contains the provincial capital, Fredericton. Outside the city, farming and forestry are two major industries in the county, which is bisected by ...

Recordings

Maggie Paul has created two CDs that capture the traditional songs of the Passamaquoddy and Maliseet people. She uses song as part of traditional Indigenous ceremonies, and as a way to mentor young people who are looking to find their voice. In 2018 when

Jeremy Dutcher Jeremy Dutcher is a classically trained Canadian Indigenous tenor, composer, musicologist, performer and activist, who previously lived in Toronto, Ontario and currently lives in Montréal, Québec. He became widely known for his first album '' W ...

accepted the

Polaris Prize The Polaris Music Prize is a music award annually given to the best full-length Canadian album based on artistic merit, regardless of genre, sales, or record label. The award was established in 2006 with a $20,000 cash prize. The prize was inc ...

for his album '' Wolastoqiyik Lintuwakonawa'' he thanked elder Maggie Paul, who was one of his guests at the awards ceremony, for encouraging him to study the songs of his community. Work on Dutcher's album began when Paul asked him to listen to the archived music and language of the

Wolastoq The Saint John River (; Maliseet-Passamaquoddy: ''Wolastoq'') is a river flowing within the Dawnland region from headwaters in the Notre Dame Mountains near the Maine-Quebec border through western New Brunswick to the northwest shore of the ...

nation from over a century ago.

Awards

In 2014 Maggie Paul was awarded an Indspire Award in the category of culture, heritage and art. The Indspire Awards annually recognize Indigenous individuals who are leaders in their fields, having made extraordinary contributions to their communities and to Canada.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Paul, Maggie Passamaquoddy people Wolastoqiyik people Living people People from York County, New Brunswick 21st-century people from Maine Year of birth missing (living people)