Saltwater Hank
G̱al’üünx wil lu Holtga Liimi
When I saw the name Saltwater Hank, it immediately made me think of a guy playing songs for the locals down at the beach bar. That may not be too far from the truth, but the locals are in the village of Kxeen in British Columbia and are mostly members of the Ts’msyen, First Nations community. Hank sings mainly in the local language, Sm’algyax, and the tunes are about local traditions and concerns. I have no idea what he’s singing about most of the time, but he does slip into English for a bit on “Dm Yootu Stukwiiin,” where he sings about trapping rabbits.
Saltwater Hank plays in a old-timey country style. Several songs have weeping pedal steel guitars that remind me of listening to the Green Valley Jamboree when I was a kid. Hank blends these country sounds with traditional Ts’msyen songs.
The choice to write and sing in his community’s language is an overtly political action. It’s pushing back against generations of forced assimilation by the Canadian government, (to “kill the Indian in the child,” as Canada’s first prime minister John Macdonald once bluntly put it). Writing and singing in Sm’algyax is a way to connect with other Ts’msyen looking to understand and appreciate their language. Hank is also demonstrating that this language and their traditions are still viable in the 21st century.
G̱al’üünx wil lu Holtga Liimi isn’t intended to break out big with the Nashville crowd. Sharing this music with the wider world seems to be an afterthought in Saltwater Hank’s plan. I am glad he did get this album into wide release because I like getting a glimpse into how other people live, think, and relate to their world.
