Ottawa-based Indigenous musician, radio host and youth advocate Cody Coyote released his latest EP on Nov. 18.

The EP is called Zaagi’idiwin, the Ojibwe word for “mutual love.” Cody Purcell, commonly known as “Cody Coyote,” has released three studio albums since his 2013 musical debut at an event called “Unity in the Community” in Vanier. Zaagi’idiwin is Purcell’s second EP.

Purcell is known for compelling lyricism which intertwines themes of anti-colonialism, trauma and Indigenous pride in his music. In Zaagi’idiwin, Purcell employs his powerful poetry to speak out about the complicated relationships he has experienced.

“In the previous years, and in the past, I learned a lot about what it means to love somebody and be loved, and what it really looks like,” said Purcell. “I went through my own hardships. I was in a relationship for years, and then it came to an end. And then I ended up in an abusive situation after that. That's where I started to really think about writing this project.”

Two singles from the EP, “Two Worlds” and “By My Side”, discuss both “the good and the bad" of Purcell’s previous relationships.

Cody Coyote performing at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa in 2017. Photo courtesy of codycoyotemusic.com.

“‘By My Side,’ obviously, focused on the good that was in that relationship,” said Purcell. “But the unfortunate side is that as somebody who is Indigenous, and was dating somebody who's not Indigenous, there were a lot of problems that came with that. Unfortunately, I experienced things like racism and having my voice as an Indigenous person invalidated on numerous occasions. And that's where ‘Two Worlds' came from.”

Purcell rose to popularity with the intensely personal themes he includes in his work. He is a member of Metachewan First Nation, a Cree and Ojibwe community located in the Timiskaming District of Ontario. Purcell was raised in Ottawa, but has spent years reclaiming his cultural identity. Through this process of reclamation,  he says has become familiar with his family heritage.

“My father was a part of the 60s Scoop,” said Purcell. “My grandmother was forced to attend St. Joseph's Indian residential school for girls, which was one of the Spanish Indian residential schools in Spanish Ontario. I didn't get to meet my family until I was 25. I’m 29 now. In that time, I've been reclaiming my culture, my language, and learning more about my identity. The more I learned about my family, the more I wanted to defy the oppressive nature that the Government of Canada has towards Indigenous folks.”

Purcell takes pride in his heritage, saying that by exploring his ancestry, he learned he is the four-times great-grandson of Metachewan’s first chief, who was a signatory of the James Bay treaty.

Purcell said that learning about his family history has inspired him to make music that celebrates his culture, but it has also brought him a deeper awareness of his own identity.

“The more that I discovered, the more I learned,” said Purcell. “It’s a process—sitting with it for a bit because there's emotions of hurt that come with it, and emotions of anger. Obviously, sadness is a big one. But I think that it's allowed me to find peace within myself. I know who I am. Nobody can take that away. I'm Bear Clan, I’m Ojibwe. I know that I'm from Metachewan First Nation.”

With the release of Zaagi’idiwin, Purcell is now working on a fourth full-length studio album. Although he is currently “focusing on creating,” fans can still look forward to some live events lined up in the near future.

“In terms of performances and such, I know that I'm going to do some workshops on the New Year out in Kamloops as well as Alaska,” said Purcell. “I'm very fortunate to be a part of a team called Warrior Within. We've been [to Alaska] before. We went to St. Paul Island, which is a very remote community in the middle of the Bering Sea. It was a beautiful experience to go there and be able to share this gift of hip-hop with the young people in the community.”

The themes of Zaagi’idiwin present a message about the importance of compassion and reciprocity in relationships, but they also emphasize self-love, according to Purcell.

“Understanding your worth goes a very long way,” said Purcell. “I often tell people, ‘how are you going to be able to offer love to somebody else if you don’t love yourself first?’ I do hope that people realize the importance of offering ourselves love before extending it to other people.”

Zaagi’idiwin is now available for digital download on codycoyotemusic.com. 

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