William C. Wikcemna Yamni Ake Wanzi n'est pas une personne réelle: il est la personnification d'un soupir ou d'un grognement collectif, en fonction de l'humeur. Il reflète ce qui se dit intérieurement et prudemment à voix haute, injectant souvent son propre sens de l'humour dans le reflet. C’est ainsi que ses aînés avaient dit qu’il devait être, pour montrer que rien ne devrait être trop sérieux, en particulier son existence. 

 

William est obsédé par la transformation de l'art en instrument, utilisant sa musique pour mettre en évidence les complexités de la vie autochtone. Sa musique reflète la multiplicité de l'existence autochtone qui imprègne chaque communauté qu'il a visitée, comme la peur, l'espoir, la colère et l'humour de ce que signifie vivre dans un pays qui cherche activement à éteindre sa culture.

 

Blagues à part, Willy C. est le personnage de Noel Habel, votre cousin Dakota. On ne peut pas traverser ce grand pays aussi longtemps que Noel l’a fait sans accumuler des histoires. Ce qu'il essaie de dire n'est pas toujours évident, mais c'est souvent le but. Utilisant l'humour comme légèreté, il raconte une histoire de perte commune, dans l'espoir de créer une compréhension qui rapprochera les cultures.

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William is not the same as a real person: he is more the personification of a collective sigh or growl depending on the mood. He is a collection of emotions & experiences conjured up from the conjecture of others at the end of a long night of hard conversations. He emerges from the imagination as the villain you never really met, or the person you always wanted to be, or sometimes the victim you never hear about. He reflects what is said internally and cautiously out loud, often injecting his own sense of humor into the reflection. 

 

William is obsessed with turning art into instrument, using his music to put on display the complexities of Indigenous life; the injustice his relatives endure, the reasons for needing a difficult societal change, the hidden history of First Nation communities, the built-up frustration, generations of trust and hope piled up onto bonfires and burnt in one swipe of insensitive legislation. His music reflects the multiplicity of the Indigenous existence that permeates each community he has visited, like the fear, hope, anger, and humor of what it means to live in a country that actively tries to extinguish his culture. His hope is to become an instrument of the change. But even as a grown man he still tells so many jokes that he even makes other Indians get tired of his joking. Maybe he just needs to find a balance.

 

All joking aside, Willy C. is the artist persona of Noel Habel, your Dakota cousin. He worked as a public servant to help Indigenous artists in the pursuit of their project and career goals. One cannot travel through this big country for as long as Noel has and not accumulate stories. Through the persona of William C., Noel tells stories of arguments won and lost, of early bedtimes, bitter victories and what happens when we discover purpose in this life given. Using humor as levity, he is telling a story of communal loss, with the hope to create an understanding that will bring cultures closer together.

 

All those midnight stories told in the dark without hesitation or censor. They might not always be true, or nice, but damn they're fun to share.