Tulugak soars during final Ottawa shows

Mathew Nuqingaq and Laakkuluk Williamson Bathory perform a drum dance together in a photo taken about a month ago at the Banff Centre. (PHOTO BY DONALD LEE)

Hans-Henrik Poulsen, left, and Klaus Geisler in Tulugak, during a performance at the Banff Centre in April. (PHOTO BY DONALD LEE)

OTTAWA — There’s a moment, about halfway through “Tulugak: Inuit Raven Stories,” when Greenland’s Else Danielsen, dressed in a black suit and feathers as “Mrs. Black,” gives a quirky and political speech about Inuit and the north, about pride and land claims, about politicians and resources and even world peace.

Then suddenly, she is silenced. Ravens used to have the power to talk, the narrator says. Now they just squawk.

The next scene features a bunch of bobbing, screeching, gurgling ravens tipping over a garbage can and distributing the loot. Then Greenland’s Mike Fencker Thomsen launches into an English-Inuktitut version of Bob Marley’s Three Little Birds.

“Don’t worry, about a thing,” he sings, “cause every little thing, gonna be alright.”

This short sequence shows not only the kind of variety contained in this unique and mesmerizing play but highlights a theme that recurs often throughout: the raven is like us — smart, playful and sometimes muzzled.

Tulugak, which was written, reworked and perfected over a period of 30 months or so, including a final workshop at the prestigious Banff Centre, was performed twice on May 4, for two final, sold-out shows at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa.

Audience members, who ranged in age from toddler to elder, sat enthralled for 70 minutes as the cast sang, drummed, pranced about in wings and feathers, climbed over the laps of audience members and told stories in English and Inuktitut about the raven who is, in the words of director Sylvia Cloutier, a trickster, scavenger, manipulator and shape shifter.

In other words, a creature not unlike humans.

“The raven dances, the raven sings,” Cloutier wrote in the program’s director’s notes. “The raven always has something to say.”

Tulugak was part of the NAC’s Northern Scene, a festival of art and performance that included some 250 artists in 50 different events.

The NAC, in downtown Ottawa, focuses on a different region of the country every two years and this year, it was northern Canada’s turn. The festival wrapped up an extraordinary 10 days this past weekend.

It was fitting that Tulugak form part of the finale. More than just a play, the multi-media show has to be experienced to be understood. Images and videos of ravens and northern landscapes, both urban and rural, came and went on the back screen and clever lighting constantly shifted the energy and tempo on stage.

But the real power of the show, other than its engaging and creative storytelling, was the music. A multi-talented five piece band sat at stage left playing guitars, mandolins, cellos and various percussion instruments to accompany the action on stage.

Angu Motzfeldt, a popular indie musician and artist from Greenland, added to the atmosphere with his beautiful, rich voice.

Laakkuluk Williamson Bathory of Iqaluit won the prize for being the most convincing shape shifter. Despite the large cast, it seemed like she was always on stage in a different costume — narrating, drum dancing or playing the raven. With the vibrancy and passion of a seasoned performer, it was difficult to take your eyes off her.