Hope, Heaviness, and Responsibility: Settler Listening to Female Inuit Singer-Songwriters

Abstract Inuit female singer-songwriters in Canada use truth-telling and narratives to offer settler listeners insight into Inuit perspectives on social issues affecting Inuit. A sensitive issue that Elisapie Isaac, Kelly Fraser and Susan Aglukark engage in their songs and social commentary is the suicide crisis of Inuit. Addressing Inuit suicide, its prevalence and the community’s response to it, these musicians unsettle listeners and challenge settlers to engage with and better understand difficult issues during this period of state-sanctioned reconciliation between Indigenous and settler peoples in Canada. This article explores the ethics of listening and responsibility that listening holds for settler audiences.