SINGER AND STORYTELLER

In My Voice is The Hope That Clings To Every Heartbeat

SHANNON THUNDERBIRD

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Shannon Thunderbird is proudly descended from the "Originals", the Coast Tsimshian People: Lax Kw'al'aams Band of the Royal House of Niis'gumiik, Giluts'aaw Tribe (also spelled 'Kilutsau'). She is Gisbutwada (Killer For Public Domain @ http://www.mediabuilder.com/cgi-bin/agif.pl?128 Whale) Clan. She is also descended from a powerful line of princess/matriarchs storytellers, spirit doctors, singers, actors, musicians and dancers.

The Lax Kw'al'aams Aboriginal people inhabit part of the 'Land of the Totems', Lakelse Lake (Lax Gyels), Lakelse River, and territorial camps in Lax kw'alaams (Port Simpson) and near the Tsimshian Peninsula close to Metlakatla, Northern B.C. The Coast Tsimshian Indigenous People are members of the "original six" tribes responsible for carving totem poles.

Thunderbird brings her many years of entertainment and senior management expertise to Teya Peya Productions a company she founded in 1991. As Teya Peya's Artistic Director, her main vision is to elevate the human spirit using a dynamic combination of Arts, Entertainment and Education.

Thunderbird & Teya Peya Productions are now based in Ontario, Canada; she travels extensively celebrating with people all over the world the passion of her life - Turtle Island's Indigenous Cultures.

Songs and Music of First Nations Peoples sung and written by one of the Pre-eminent Voices of First Nations Culture and Spirituality.

Thunderbird's acclaimed music blends ancient Indigenous rhythms with an eclectic mix of jazz, rap, folk, gospel, pop and classical sensibility. Her classically-trained virtuoso style makes her one of the most compelling performers in contemporary First Nations music.

Drawing on her Pacific Northwest Coast Tsimshian roots, her mesmerizing emotional impact on audiences arises from her three and a half octave vocal range, storytelling ability, and deep involvement with First Nations’ issues.

Her drumming, original music and lyrics, stirring repertoire, presentation, and luscious voice make her one of the most in-demand performing artists on the current scene.

She is also proud to be performing with Sandy Horne, renowned Bassist with the Canadian Rock Band, "The Spoons" in West Wind and the Woodland Sisters; Daughter of the Copper Shield, Great Circle Drumming & Thunder Rolling in the Mountains

Click Fire to learn more about the shows

HER CD, "MAY YOUR SPIRIT BE STRONG" IS ON SALE WHEREVER SHE IS
PERFORMING OR SPEAKING

Thunderbird is descended from a long line of singers, actors, dancers and storytellers. She educates audiences about First Nations Culture, History and Spirituality through her much in demand singing and storytelling skills.

Drawing on ancient and contemporary Indigenous tales, original musings, wisdom from many Native Nations, Thunderbird creates imaginative and compelling programs that take audiences on incredible journeys of discovery about Turtle Island's First People. Her performances touch the spirit, honour the Ancestors, feed the funny bone, inspire the soul. Her passion is her people and to tell the "real" story from a Native perspective.

Her extensive experience in the Arts along with her university education and teaching skills has provided her with a unique combination of talents that underlie the presentation of sometimes difficult subject matter in an educational, compassionate and entertaining fashion to audiences of all ages.

She is a weaver of stories about real people from all over Turtle Island, (Crazy Horse, Chief Joseph, In-Who-Lise, Black Shawl); she explains in imaginatively musical and narrative form their lives, loves, and lore both before and after European contact.

Her repertoire not only includes stories (and songs) from the Canadian Pacific North-West Coast, but also from a variety of other First Nations as well. She has performed across Canada, England, Germany, Sweden, Sicily, Japan and the United States.

Sing with Orca, Fly with Raven

Incorporating the dynamics of live theatre borne from the great Feast ceremonies of the Northwest coast, drums and music, Thunderbird weaves fantastic tales about the Seen and Unseen worlds that both educate and uplift the audience; she offers a universal message about the inter-connectedness and endless possibilities that such connections make to the living world; she speaks to the need for harmony, equality, dignity and respect for self and Mother Earth.

Her performances offer the opportunity of returning, re-examining, re-visiting, re-grounding the soul in those beliefs and values that have helped shape personal earth walks for thousands of years.

(Ms Thunderbird and her back-up singers!)

human development WORKSHOPS, KEYNOTES, LECTURES, SEMINARS , DRUMMING CIRCLES, educational workshops

(Workshops and Talks can be adapted to individual needs)

Under the auspices of Teya Peya Productions, Thunderbird presents relevant, original, high energy, humorous, loaded in content programs. She offers pragmatic bear medicine to the human family in finding ways to get in touch with the art of living and working wise. Thunderbird regularly speaks at Conferences, Post-Secondary Educational institutions (Social Work, Nursing, Music, Theatre, History, Politics), Conventions, Corporate Workshops and Seminar forums, and other Special Organization and Group Events/Presentations.

After a number of years as a Senior Director in a large company Thunderbird has seen how easy it is for individuals to lose their focus under the pressure of performance, longer hours and increased stress. She conveys her messages by combining a variety of elements:

Keynote Addresses, Talks, Workshops and Healing Drumming Circles are focused on topics that speak to the importance of being authentic; learning to recognize individual value, time-honoured traditional teachings set in contemporary contexts ("We matter. We so often feel that we don't").
Participants learn to access and understand the freedom and responsibility that owning their personal power brings to the dance of life; understand the 'tricky' laws of the mind, which includes recognizing self-defeating messages and negative attitudes.
Thunderbird's 'Speaks' appeal to all Mother Earth's people as she offers a universal message of interconnectedness. Participants learn to quiet their inner chatter, centre their minds and reconnect with themselves and others in a safe and self-empowered environment.

Globally people must be responsible or each other, and Teya Peya's Workshops and Talks are reminders that humans are "One People" and an integral part of an harmonious Universe.

Note 1: Thunderbird is an educator on most things First Nations. Her performances meet Canadian provincial curriculum requirements for units in Native Studies. As a result, she is a much in demand speaker and performer at educational institutions all across Canada.

Note 2: Her performances and teachings are geared to the specific grade requested (Grade 4 to University and Community Colleges).

Note 3: Her teachings include correct definitions, correct historical information and facts, contemporary social and political issues all illustrated by dramatic and humorous stories. Students of all ages have a lot of fun learning to drum on authentic Native hand drums and shakers as well as learning songs some of which are in the original Indigenous languages including: Sm�algyax, Seneca and Ojibwa.

"Shannon Thunderbird's ability to reach people with her 'soul speak' messages from all walks of life is truly amazing."
(A. Michaels, Engineer)

MORE ON TEYA PEYA PRODUCTIONS

Less Stress, More Balance, Love of Self, Spiritual Grounding and Personal Value - cornerstones of living wise and well.

Sandy horne

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SINGER,-SONGWRITER, FABULOUS BASS PLAYER

Principal Performer partnered with Shannon Thunderbird
Singer, Songwriter
Groundbreaking top female electric bass player
Owner, Little Bear Recording Studio, Co-Producer of all Teya Peya's recorded productions
Road Manager, Teya Peya Productions
Founding member of the Canadian Rock Band, The Spoons
The Spoons have been inducted into the Alternative Arts Hall of Fame, CBC Radio and continue to play occasional concerts across Canada
In the music business for over twenty-five years
Gold records, several Juno nominations and a string of pop radio hits
Co-Star of �Hardscrabble Road�, an original musical by Singer and Songwriter, James Gordon
Toured with James Gordon for several years through the United States and Canada
�Woman of Distinction for Arts and Cultures�, City of Guelph, ON

Both performers have come together in the spirit of sisterhood Their souls sing the same songs as they walk parallel paths Thunderbird a proud Coast Tsimshian woman; Horne a proud 'Second' Nations woman descended from John Butler, founder of John Butler's Rangers** who did their best to protect the Indigenous people; she has also embraced traditional Woodlands traditions. Their love of all kinds of music and all things Indigenous have created a really unique, one of a kind performance pair.

**In case you are interested, Butler's Rangers commanded by Lieutenant Colonel John Butler was raised in 1777 and served until the general reduction of the British Army in North America in 1784. A key factor in the successes of the Rangers was the close respectful co-operation of the various Native nations with which it served, including the Haudenasaunne. They even had a mission statement: "To Serve With the Indians as Occasion Shall Arise."

They are having fun & making beautiful music together

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Thunderbird and Horne are also currently collaborating on two upcoming projects:
(a) Their first joint CD due out early 2009; (b) Soundtrack for Thunderbird's new theatrical production, 'Daughter of the Copper Shield' which commences touring in October, 2008.

More often than not, enthusiastic audience members are invited on stage to drum and sing