SHANNON THUNDERBIRD, M.A.

I am 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'). I am Gispudwada (Blackfish/Orca) Clan and 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. 

I bring my many years of entertainment and senior management expertise to Teya Peya Productions a company I founded in 1991. My main vision is to elevate the human spirit using a dynamic combination of Arts, Entertainment and Education from an Indigenous perspective.

I am based in Ontario, Canada and travel extensively celebrating with people all over the world the passion of my life - Turtle Island's Indigenous Cultures.

Message from Shannon about Sandy: "2010 will the eighth year of collaboration between Sandy and I. My life changed for the better when my little sister walked into my life in 2002. It all started when we met at a sweat lodge. She thought, at first, that I didn't like her. But, then, she'd yet to learn about 'stoic Native people'. She got it pretty quickly and before I knew it we were working on recording the soundtrack for my dramatic stage production, "Thunder Rolling In The Mountains."  We didn't do a lot of performing together right away, but as our friendship grew I just knew that my days of working alone were done. What a relief, it can be lonely on the road.

I'm not going to lie to you, I was a little shy in asking her to play her bass and sing some backup on my album, "May Your Spirit Be Strong'. I mean, after all, she is a famous 'SPOON'! She didn't hesitate, she just did it, offering valuable suggestions that made the songs better. One of our first musical performances together was at the launch party for the CD. Now, the skies the limit, we've become stronger songwriters working together, and our new album, "Wind Centre" reflects that strength. I am a classically-trained singer, Sandy is a pop singer. It is often remarked how beautifully our two voices seamlessly blend together. She even bravely sings in other Indigenous languages including Sm'algyax which is one of the most difficult languages. I have developed a system of phonetics to teach her proper pronunciation, and away she goes.

She is now such an integral part of my life, that I don't embark on a new project without first calling her. Her first comment, after the groan, when I cheerfully tell her I have a new idea is, 'what's it going to cost." Isn't she cute? After that, she dives right in. She has a very special way of keeping me grounded, her creativity and practicality help my ideas fly. Our friendship and love for each other shows everyone who comes to our shows that two different cultures can come together in a way that makes our Ancestors sing. Love ya, Sandeee Wandeee!"

 SANDY HORNE

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

• Former 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

•  Sandy is the first in her family to go into music as a professional performer.

Message from Sandy about Shannon: "It has been such a thrill working with my 'sister of the heart', Shannon Thunderbird. Going on the road is our vacation and we have such fun working, creating, laughing and crying together. She is my mentor in terms of my Aboriginal education. I had been walking the Haudenosaunee path for a number of years before we met, but my knowledge level has simply skyrocketed since we've been together. Working with a sometimes demanding very artistic and creative Elder can be a challenge, (Comment from Shannon: "Hey, Wait a minute! I'm a pussycat, should I be putting this on the website?), but I just laugh at her and then she laughs at herself. She is very funny, with an energy level that would fell someone half her age. She works very hard and makes traditional knowledge relevant, often creating contemporary situations in which to do it. Our Medicine Wheel workshop is one such example; she has an uncanny way of reaching young people in a non-critical manner that has them in the palm of her hand in the first two minutes of meeting them.

I was so happy when she and her sister, Kate, agreed to preside at my wedding in September, 2008, it was a magical day. We've been through a lot in these last eight years, but the best is yet to come. Shannon's new project, "Sweet Thunder Medicine Wheel, Vocals and Drumming" (she always has another idea!) is going to be great. I'm looking forward to all my demanding roles for this production, principle performer, stage manager, sound engineer, co-producer of the soundtrack in my studio, Little Bear Recording Studio. I love you, you big gorgeous totem pole!"

Sandy and came together in a spirit of loving sisterhood. Our souls sing the same songs as we walk parallel paths I am a proud Coast Tsimshian woman, Sandy is a proud 'Second' Nations woman descended from John Butler, founder of John Butler's Rangers**. Our 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, the 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 Haudenosaunee. They even had a mission statement:  "To Serve With the Indians as Occasion Shall Arise."

More photos

"Songs and Music of First Nations Peoples sung and written by one of the
Pre-eminent Voices of First Nations Culture and Spirituality."  (San Diego Press)

Our original music blends ancient Indigenous rhythms with an eclectic mix of jazz, rap, folk, gospel, pop and 'sorta' classical sensibilities. I inherited 'the voice' from my Mother, Tsimshian Elder, Gandoox. I have sung light opera, musicals, blues and in pop bands and my  "virtuoso style" as someone once commented, "makes her one of the most compelling performers in contemporary First Nations music." (Jeepers!). Sandy is of the soft pop genre, but she can hit the high notes when encouraged to do so.

Between the two of us, we create captivating music, and because we are both 'real' singers, we sound just like our records when we are singing live! What a concept!

"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. " (King Weekly). Nice words, I am honoured and appreciative.

We are on the road a lot working at Conferences, Conventions, Theatres, Festivals, Educational Institutions galore.  Our shows include:  West Wind and the Woodland Sisters; Daughter of the Copper Shield, Great Circle Drumming & Thunder Rolling in the Mountains and the increasingly popular Sweet Thunder Medicine Wheel, Character Education & Environmental Workshop.

In the middle of all the busy-ness, we are working on our first album together, entitled "Wind Centre" which will be released in 2010. We are very excited, the songs are great, Sandy's husband Jeff, is a genius in the studio and plays a mean keyboard,. The CD will be uplifting and musically beautiful.

Click Fire to learn more about the shows 

CDs & Books for sale wherever we are performing

1. "May Your Spirit Be Strong", a compilation of traditional and contemporary First Nations music.

2. "Medicine Wheel Dreams", a meditation CD to calm your inner chatter and reintroduce yourself to yourself.

3. My Book, Medicine Wheel, Character Education & the Environment in the 21st Century. It is currently sold on CD.

4. My Novels, Spirit Mountain: Spirit Bears, Book 1, and Spirit Mountain: Passion of Panthers, Book 2. They are supernatural romance novels based on some of the Indigenous stories from the Pacific Northwest Coast. Not currently for sale until a publisher steps forward!!

 I educate audiences about First Nations Culture, History and Spirituality through my much in demand singing and storytelling skills. 

Drawing on ancient and contemporary Indigenous tales, original musings, wisdom from many Native Nations, our programs are imaginative and compelling and take audiences on incredible journeys of discovery about Turtle Island's First People.  We touch the spirit, honour the Ancestors, feed the funny bone, inspire the soul. 

My passion is my people and to tell the "real" story from a Native perspective.

I have been singing since I was five years of age (that is as far as I go in terms of my age!). Sandy since she was a teenager. Along with my extensive experience in the Arts, university education (it really helps to be a researcher), teaching skills and insatiable curiosity, I've been blessed 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.  All this is further enhanced because of what Sandy brings to our collaborations.

We tell stories about real people from all over Turtle Island, (Crazy Horse, Chief Joseph, In-Who-Lise, Black Shawl, Chief Dan George, Legeex, the Brant Family, Tecumseh.....). We use musical and narrative forms as entertaining ways to tell about their lives, loves, and lore both before and after European contact. 

I have performed across Canada, England, Germany, Sweden, Sicily, Japan and the United States.  Sandy, North America and Japan with me.

Incorporating the dynamics of live theatre borne from the great Feast ceremonies of the Northwest coast, (we call them Yaawk not potlatch) drums and music, we have a great time telling fantastic tales about the Secular and Supernatural worlds that both educate and uplift the audience. We offer universal messages about the inter-connectedness and endless possibilities that such connections make to the living world.

Our presentations 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, harmony, equality, dignity and respect for self, others and Mother Earth..  Wilwilaaysk, All My Relations.

"Shannon, I would like to thank you for an outstanding luncheon keynote presentation at the Human Resources Conference: Connect, Collaborate, Build Human Capacity. You engaged the hearts and minds of our attending delegates and opened them to embracing change and connectedness on a meaningful level....Your presentation, "Soul Speak and the True Self" was extremely well-received. [It] made a shift in people's perspectives and helped them to see and feel the need to build connections on a personal level to truly engage in a collaborative Community."
(E.M. Lengyel, Conference Board of Canada)

HUMAN DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOPS, KEYNOTES, LECTURES, SEMINARS , DRUMMING CIRCLES, EDUCATIONAL WORKSHOPS 

Workshops and Talks are Adapted to Individual Needs

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

Under the auspices of Teya Peya Productions, I present relevant, original, high energy, humorous, loaded in content programs. I offer pragmatic bear medicine in finding ways to get in touch with the art of living and working wise. I regularly speak 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 many years as a Senior Director in a large unionized, culturally diverse company I have seen how easy it is for individuals to lose their focus under the pressure of performance, longer hours and increased stress. My messages are conveyed 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.

• My 'Speaks' appeal to all Mother Earth's people as 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 for 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: I am an educator on most things First Nations.

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

Note 3: My teachings include correct definitions, correct historical information and facts, contemporary social and political issues all illustrated by dramatic and humorous stories. Audiences 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: Smalgyax, 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

WE WERE VERY PROUD TO REPRESENT CANADA AT EXPO 2005
IN NAGOYA, JAPAN

Three shows/day, 100 degree heat in regalia! We are professionals, do not try this at home! We had a fabulous time.