Ted Longbottom - Celebrating His Métis Ancestors in Song and Story

by Wendy MacIntyre

The Winnipeg Free Press has described Métis singer/songwriter/ storyteller Ted Longbottom as "Manitoba's unofficial bard," while Philly Markowitz, host of CBC Radio's Roots and Wings, sees him as "a future Canadian legend."

With these kinds of accolades, Ted is well on the way to realizing the goal of his powerful songs and stories that dramatize 200 years of Métis history. "Valuing our ancestors is the message," he says of his desire to reinforce Aboriginal people's pride in their heritage.

His rich baritone has been compared to the voice of the late, great, Canadian balladeer Stan Rodgers. Ted and his backup band offer audiences uniquely "Canadian music," fusing Aboriginal rhythms with Celtic jigs and reels.

His first CD, Longbottom, brought together 12 songs celebrating the courage, adventurous spirit, skills, hard work and tenacity of Métis traders, buffalo hunters and veterans. Ted's co-writer is his uncle, Greg Pruden, a teacher/historian.

Cuts from his CD have aired on folk-oriented radio programs across Canada, in the U.S., Australia and Ireland. Ted's music can also be heard on the History Channel's Quest for the Bay series, and on the Discovery Channel Great Canadian Rivers.His second CD, River Road, to be released in 2002, "will honour the English-speaking Métis of Red River."

Now based in Selkirk, Manitoba, he has performed at many venues across the country, including Toronto's Harbourfront Centre, the Winnipeg Folk Festival and the Canada Day celebrations on Parliament Hill. But his favourite audiences are children. To teach young people about the history of the Canadian West from an Aboriginal perspective, Ted has developed an entertaining school program in song and story called Buffalo Tales. In traditional Métis clothing, he brings the fur trade era to life in schools, and at children's festivals Canada-wide. His greatest delight is when Aboriginal children come up to him after the show and proudly announce their heritage.

Although Ted has been making music as long as he can remember, it was in 1997 that he decided to turn a part-time hobby into a full-time career. That turning point was prompted by a revelation he had at his former job as a counsellor with the Manitoba justice system.

As a liaison between Aboriginal inmates and the Native Brotherhood, which helps Aboriginal people in prison connect with their culture, Ted was often asked by inmates why they had to go to jail to learn about their heritage. "Why wasn't it taught to them while they were growing up? That question still resonates with me," he says.

Through Buffalo Tales, his CDs, festival performances and website that links visitors to Métis cultural and historical resources, Ted will continue to bring his ancestors' achievements and cultural heritage to as many people as he can.

For more information, visit Ted Longbottom's website at www.mts.net/~tlongbot .

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