Quebec folk music meets Innu traditions, reggae rhythms, and rock, as Shauit hits Mission Folk Festival
Performing in English, French, and Innu-aimun, singer-songwriter draws on his multifaceted heritage—and gets the crowd dancing
Shauit performs at the Mission Folk Festival’s Fraser Stage 1:40 pm and Mainstage at 9:55 pm on July 28
BLENDING REGGAE, ROCK, and dancehall styles with his Innu and Acadian roots, singer-songwriter Shauit invites audiences to participate in Indigenous and French-Canadian folk traditions at this year’s Mission Folk Festival.
Shauit’s distinctive musical style reflects the Canadian multicultural landscape, with songs in English, French, and Innu-aimun, his Indigenous language.
Cleverly blending cultural influences and folk practices, Shauit’s music is a testament to his cultural identity and sense of belonging. His newest album, Natukun, performed in Innu-aimun and French, blends both cultures sonically, integrating both Innu and Quebecois folk styles with an indie-rock flair.
Originally from Maliotenam, Quebec, Shauit was raised by his French-Canadian father before returning to his mother’s Innu community, where he began to learn the Innu-aimun language through his relatives.
“When I returned back to my mom, that's when I began to learn about my Innu culture,” Shauit says in a phone interview with Stir. “I really wanted to learn the Innu language because I couldn't understand my own friends and cousins, which bothered me a lot. I was 13 years old when I bought my first guitar, and that's when I began to sing Innu songs.”
“While I was living in Montreal, I discovered reggae and dancehall music,” he continues. “I started to think that I could play that style of music in my native language. So that's what I began to do, and when I was 21 years old I played my first show at a festival in my community.”
“I began to do my own projects and songs, mostly in the Innu language and in French,” he adds. “Later on, I was interested in integrating music from my native side, so I grabbed a hand drum and started to sing with that, and made a couple of songs that way. And then I returned back to the original music I was listening to as a teenager, which is folk. We listened to a lot of folk and trad music, as well as Quebecois music, with the violin and accordion and all that.”
Gaining recognition within his nation, Shauit began to perform in Innu communities before gaining wider acclaim. Since the release of his self-titled debut album in 2014, he has toured across Europe, Asia, and South America. In 2018, he won an Indigenous Music Award for Best Indigenous-Language Album and the Canadian Folk Music Award for Indigenous Songwriter of the Year.
Shauit says the impact of his music within his nation, as well as sharing his culture with a wider audience, has been a deeply fulfilling journey. By performing in Innu-aimun, his native language has become more accessible to his community and welcomes non-Indigenous audiences to gain a deeper understanding of his culture.
“I like to encourage the youth within my nation to learn our language, because it is dying right now,” Shauit says. “I like to promote the language and remind the young people that it's very important to keep our language alive, and by writing many songs in my language, I think it helps to make people feel proud again about our culture and our language.”
“In my show, you can hear reggae music, folk music, and traditional music all mixed up to create a very diversified show,” he concludes. “My goal is to bring people together to have fun and dance. In my culture, we only have one dance, and I often show the audience how to do the dance. It's really nice because many people come together and show interest in native cultures.” 
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