Leanne Betasamosake Simpson
Noopiming Sessions, Gizhiiwe, gizhiiwe.bandcamp.com
Mashkawaji lies frozen, though conscious, under the surface of an icy lake. A keeper of myths and memory, they introduce seven other characters, each navigating the modern world through a lens of traditional beliefs. This audio companion to the novel Noopiming: A Cure for White Ladies melds haunting electronic textures (composed by James Bunton and Ansley Simpson) with the soothing voice of Michi Saagiig Nishnaabeg writer Leanne Betasamosake Simpson, who reads excerpts from the book. Are these characters fictional facets of Mashkawaji’s mind, or are they literal others, representative of a divided psyche? Simpson’s texts are intriguing, worthy in and of themselves, but there is a lasting lure to the meditative ambiance of Noopiming Sessions.