Indigenous Performing Arts Alliance to Honour Susan Aglukark at Luncheon on Six Nations; Celebrating New Memoir KIHIANI and 30th Anniversary of ‘THIS CHILD’

The Indigenous Performing Arts Alliance (IPAA) will host a special luncheon on Wednesday, March 25, 2026, from 12:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. at Yogi’s Barn in Ohsweken, Ontario, to honour acclaimed Inuk singer-songwriter Susan Aglukark. Lunch will be provided for attendees as the community gathers to celebrate Aglukark’s groundbreaking career and the release of her deeply moving new memoir, KIHIANI (HarperCollins), which has already reached the Top 10 on Amazon’s Composer & Musician Biographies charts. The event features an esteemed panel of speakers, including Chief Sheri-Lyn Hill of Six Nations of the Grand River; Sara Kae, IPAA Grand Council Member and Youth Ambassador; Andrés Mendoza, Vice President of CARAS/The JUNO Awards; and Jesse Kumagai, Director of Programming, Marketing, and Business Development for the Corporation of Massey Hall & Roy Thomson Hall. Attendees will experience live performances by Amanda Rheaume, Julian Taylor, Manitou Mkwa, and Susan Aglukark herself.

Tracing her path from Fort Churchill, Manitoba, to the global stage, KIHIANI is a courageously honest exploration of navigating trauma and reclaiming identity through the redemptive power of art. Within moments of its debut, the book surged into the #1 on Amazon and Indigo Books in numerous categories, including Composer & Musician Biographies. Aglukark, an Officer of the Order of Canada and the first Inuit artist to ever win a JUNO Award, crafts a narrative that is both a personal lifeline and a cultural milestone.

“Writing poetry at fifteen became a lifeline, and eventually music carried me into a career that would reshape Canadian arts and culture,” Aglukark reflects. Her artist statement is best captured in the lyrics and spirit of her work: “This Child was my artist statement, my call to personal action… write who you are so you never forget where you come from, who you are, and why you left.”

In tandem with the memoir, Aglukark celebrates the 30th anniversary of This Child. Remastered from original source tapes and available on vinyl for the first time, the record features the historic #1 single “O Siem,” which established Aglukark as the first Inuk performer to achieve a Top 40 hit. The album remains a cornerstone of Canadian music, certified triple platinum with over 300,000 copies sold.

The Indigenous Performing Arts Alliance (IPAA) will further honour this legacy with a special luncheon on Wednesday, March 25, 2026, at Yogi’s Barn in Ohsweken, Ontario. The gathering will bring together cultural leaders, including Chief Sheri-Lyn Hill and representatives from the JUNO Awards and Massey Hall, to celebrate Aglukark’s enduring influence on Indigenous music and storytelling. The event will feature live performances by Aglukark alongside Amanda Rheaume and Julian Taylor.

THIS CHILD 30TH ANNIVERSARY VINYL TRACK LISTING