Chubby Cree

Chubby Cree is a Cree hand drum ensemble whose main members are Noah Green and his grandmother Carol Powder. They are based in Edmonton, Alberta.^[1]

Origins

Powder and Green are members of the Samson Cree Nation.^[2] Powder was raised as a native Cree speaker and was first taught to sing by her grandfather.^[3] Powder reports that she first heard Green sing at the age of eight months, when he mimicked a tune she was singing to him as she put him to bed. She bought him his first drum when he was one year old,^[1][4] and he first performed in a group at the age of two.^[3]

In September 2024, Powder, her husband, and their 10 grandchildren found themselves homeless after being evicted because their landlord planned to sell the house they were renting, and they faced anti-Indigenous discrimination in finding a new home.^[5] They found a new home later that year with the help of an outpouring of community support, including from the charity Jordan's Principle, MLA Janis Irwin, and the bookstore Audreys Books.^[5][6]

Musical career

The group is named after a nickname given to Powder's younger brother Rick, who had died in 2016.^[1] The ensemble Chubby Cree was originally mostly women, comprising Powder, Green, and four of Powder's daughters;^[2] Powder has been a strong opponent of protocols that keep women from playing the drum at powwows.^[7] Powder and Green are the main members now, although they are sometimes still joined by Powder's daughter Robin or others.^[3] Powder and Green both sing and drum, and Green has been particularly acclaimed for his powerful voice.^[1][4]

Chubby Cree's first major performance as a duo was outside the Alberta Legislature Building before Greta Thunberg took the stage at the October 2019 Strike for Climate Action.^[1] Green was nine years old at the time.^[4] They have since played at numerous other events, including the commemoration of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation in Surrey, British Columbia in 2022^[3][8] and memorials for homeless people who died in Edmonton.^[9] Powder and Green play many traditional songs but also write their own, and in 2022 released their first single, "Rock Your World".^[10]

In 2023, the group was the subject of Jules Koostachin's documentary Chubby Cree: PiMahCiHoWin (The Journey), which was released through Telus Originals.^[1][3] In 2024, their story was the subject of a picture book, The Heartbeat Drum by Deirdre Havrelock.^[6]