Cowboy Smithx is in the business of reminding people.
A filmmaker and brainchild of Redx Talks, Smithx has spent the last decade bringing together all walks of life to have town hall-like discussions around issues affecting Indigenous populations in Canada and abroad.
His upcoming discussion, which focuses on the theme of “Full Circle,” happens July 27 at the Vancouver Playhouse Theatre as part of the Drum is Calling Festival — a nine-day festival celebrating Indigenous arts and culture beginning July 22.
“Part of the point of Redx Talks is to remind the rest of society that we have treaties and agreements that predicate all the privilege in this country,” Smithx said. “We have to remind everybody that there would be no Canada if there wasn’t Indigenous support.”
Utilizing Smithx’s background as a youth support worker in the Downtown Eastside and his experience in filmmaking, Redx Talks got going in earnest four years ago. A spin-off of the Tedx Talks, Smithx’s conversations cover the full gamut of the Indigenous experience: reconciliation, education, traditional food and more.
He schedules four talks across Western Canada a year, and the crowds are a veritable cornucopia of the Canadian social fabric: seniors, young people, immigrants, fourth-generation Canadians and everyone in between. He’s in the process of incorporating his speaking series into a non-profit society and has previously turned down corporate money from the oil and gas sector that could have kick-started his career long ago.
“It’s a small sacrifice to make knowing our ancestors went through 1,000 times more grief than I ever will,” said the 35-year-old.
Smithx’s Redx Talk on July 27 is a homecoming of sorts. He’ll be speaking alongside artists Nyla Charpentier, Kevin Loring, David MacMurrray Smith and Margo Kane.
Each of the four presenters are alumni of Kane’s First Nations Performance Ensemble Training Program, which helped set them on the paths they’re currently navigating.
“This is just part of our responsibility,” Smithx said. “We are not only obligated to do this for each other and for newcomers and settlers, but we also have a treaty with the Earth, with the land, with the animals, with the universe and with the sun. If we screw that up, we can be wiped out in a matter of a few years.
Taran J. Kootenhayoo is also taking part in the eight-day festival, and like Smithx, he’ll also rely on spoken word to get points across. In Kootenhayoo’s case, hip hop will be the preferred method of discourse. The 23-year-old Vancouver resident is organizing the Rhymes for Resistance — Rappers Collective show happening July 29 at Larwill Park. The gig includes four different hip hop groups who’ll speak to their experiences via turntables, beats and boomboxes.
“Hip hop for Indigenous people helps get the message out in terms of the struggle,” he said. “If someone’s on a reserve and they may not have much, they can still write down lyrics and get a track together online and throw it together. You get an insight of what that life is like because of how accessible the format is.”
The acts performing during the 45-minute bill include Miss Christie Lee, Chief Rock, Apt Exact and Manik1derful. Each group is of Indigenous descent from across Canada.
“Some people probably have no idea that there are hip hop artists from Canada who are Indigenous and doing really well,” Kootenhayoo said. “These artists are there to show off the fact that Indigenous hip hop is credible.”
Smithx’s Redx Talk runs from 7 to 9 p.m. on July 27, while the hip hop show goes from 5 to 5:45 on July 29. A full list of Canada150+ events can be found online at canada150plus.ca.
