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>> Good afternoon.  I am Denis Chouinard.  I'm the Head of the Public Affairs Section of the Embassy of Canada in Washington.  I'm talking to you today from home where I telework.  
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[ Foreign Language Spoken ]
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The Embassy of Canada and the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress have joined together to present a very talented Inuit throat singing duo PIQSIQ.  And the Library's Homegrown at Home concert series.  This year concert series is being presented online.  So, instead of being in Washington, D.C. at the Library of Congress Historic College Auditorium, the group PIQSIQ is coming from home, from their home in Vancouver, British Columbia.
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This Homegrown at Home concert is presented in celebration of the Native, the National Native American Heritage Month, which strives to recognize the enormous contributions of Native Americans and First Nations people to North America.  PIQSIQ is composed of two sisters; Tiffany Kuliktana Ayalik and Kayley Inuksuk Mackay.  Tiffany and Inuksuk come together to create a unique Inuit throat singing duo, performing ancient traditional songs and new compositions.  In this pandemic time, Tiffany and Inuksuk live and work in the household bubble in Vancouver.  The two sisters grew up in young life Northwest Territories, with routes in new network.  After years of hard work on their music, they have developed their own form, their own style of blending, evocative melodies, and, and, how would I put it, outworldly sounds.  As PIQSIQ, they perform their songs with live improvisational looping, creating a dynamic experience, a dynamic audience experience that changes with every show.  So, that means that what you will see and what you will hear today is unique.  Tiffany and Inuksuk perform in Canada and internationally, and also incorporate their music into real feel and recorded albums.  A PIQSIQ is a storm where winds blow in a specific way, making it look like the snow is falling back towards the sky.  Tiffany and Inuksuk see throat singing not only as a musical expression, but as a knack of cultural revitalization.  The music of PIQSIQ has delighted us at the Embassy of Canada, as well as our partners at the Library of Congress.  And we are proud to present them to you today.  The ancient traditional songs and innovative musicianship of this Inuit duo PIQSIQ are great contributions to the Canadian culture.  The Embassy of Canada hopes that you will enjoy this performance offered to a [inaudible] American audience, to you.  Welcome, PIQSIQ.
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[ Music ]
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Thank you for listening today.  You will be able to listen to this concert again and find all the concerts that have been part of the Homegrown at Home series on the Library of Congress website or on YouTube channel.  And be sure to take a look at the American Folklore Center's website where you can find lots of amazing sound recordings from cultures around the world, online to explore.
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Take care.
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