Member of the Order of Canada
Awarded on: 2016-11-18
Invested on: 2017-08-25
Tanya Tagaq Gillis is an award-winning and internationally acclaimed Inuk throat
singer who has reinvented this traditional singing discipline. Her music fuses
contemporary Inuit themes and sounds with urban beats, pushing the boundaries
of diverse musical genres. A vocal proponent of Indigenous rights, she uses her art
to highlight issues affecting Inuit communities and to promote the seal hunt as a
critical component of Inuit culture. She continues to empower an entire generation of
Indigenous youth throughout the Canadian Arctic and beyond.