Elisa Harkins

When

  • February 28, 2026 - Showtime: 9:00pm

"An act of Indigenous Futurism, Wampum / ᎠᏕᎳ ᏗᎦᎫᏗ is the electronic
music project of Elisa Harkins. Singing in Cherokee, Muscogee, and
English, Harkins becomes a language guardian, fighting extinction
whilst crafting a head-bouncing beat. Combining disco and phonological
preservation, Harkins strives to decolonize expectations of how pop
music should look and sound, while bringing Indigenous representation
to the field. In Harkins’ cosmos, pressed vinyl, and radio play become
radical tools of language conservation and transmission.

This performance of Wampum / ᎠᏕᎳ ᏗᎦᎫᏗ refers to wampum belts and
Indigenous peacekeeping, as well as the Cherokee use of wampum beads
as currency. ᎠᏕᎳ ᏗᎦᎫᏗ, pronounced a-de-la di-ga-gu-di, can be
translated to “money on a string.” The intention of this Wampum / ᎠᏕᎳ
ᏗᎦᎫᏗ performance is to create a metaphorical peacekeeping agreement
between the spectators of the piece, regardless of tribe or race.

Presented by Unheard Sound collective in collaboration with the Remai
Modern Art Gallery and supported by PAVED Arts, PR Productions,
Nokomis Craft Ales, and BlackFlash Magazine. Photograph by Ian
Byers-Gamber and poster design by Parker Thiessen."

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