Taima is Élisapie Isaac and Alain Auger. It’s also the expression of visions that change according to the way you look at a person, an emotion, a culture or a place.

First off, a few words about Élisapie and Alain’s vibrant encounter.

Him: Caucasian, French-speaking Quebecer. The youngest child of a large family, he was born and raised in Rouyn-Noranda in Abitibiti – a region he also refers to as “Le Petit Nord”.

Her: French, English and Inuk-speaking Native American of Inuk descent. The child of an Inuk mother and of a father from Newfoundland, she was adopted at birth by an Inuit family, and was raised in Salluit, Nunavik - in the Great North. She now works as a cinematographer and singer-author.

Him: Curious, open-minded, enthusiastic, sociable, strongly interested in cultural diversity and concerned by social and environmental issues. He’s a multi-intrumentalist.

Her: Dreamy, audacious, intense and creative, deeply attached to her roots and to her culture, concerned by the future of her people. She’s multi-disciplinary artist.

Encounter of the best kind. Montreal, July 2000. A photo exhibit about the Great North. Alain Auger and Élisapie Isaac are both attending but do not know each other. They get introduced by a mutual friend. They exchange a look, a smile, a handshake, and then move on. It will take two more encounters for them to develop a deep friendship based on artistic affinities. Alain was struck by Élisapie’s voice, and knew he would finally found the person he wanted to work with. Élisapie felt the same about Alain as soon as she heard his music. They had found each other! They quickly got to work and had soon recorded the tracks that would become TAIMA’s first album.

What does TAIMA mean? “Taima” is a widely used Inuktitut expression that means “Enough! It’s over. Let’s move on...” TAIMA carries the idea of renewed and better relationships between “Whites” and Inuit people. The duo says “taima” to the time when Inuit felt victimized and repressed, when it seemed that their way of life was threatened or endangered. The Inuit people must be proud of the richness of their culture and their land. Together with the “Whites”, they must develop new bonds, new means of exchange where everyone is considered an equal. “Taima” to silence also! The time has come to speak up, to express ourselves! TAIMA is not a rejection of the past, it is the vision of a better tomorrow. It represents the actions of a people who takes the future into its own hands – and who builds a society that cherishes native tradition while embracing the useful aspects of the “White” culture, a culture that brought many drastic and rapid changes to the Inuit lifestyle. TAIMA is a bridge, it’s a dialogue, it’s a window on a culture that remains mainly exotic and foreign to most of us.

On February 21st of the year 2003, Taima received a special award from the Office Québec-Amériques pour la jeunesse during the Rideau 2003 celebrations. On April 24th, the group took part in the Arménie-Vie benefit concert with Lousnak, Lhasa De Sela, La Bottine Souriante, Yann Perreau and many other artists. Taima has also created a strong impression during the official opening of the Aboriginal Awareness Week on the 20th day of May at the Canadian Senate at Ottawa. During the Summer 2003, Taima is personally invited by the Consultate General of Canada in Chicago to show their musical repertory at the Calgary Folk Festival and at the Tall Ship Festival of Chicago. In January 2004, Taima did their first steps on the European territory by participating at the first edition of the Festival Les Déferlantes de Pralognan-La-Valoise in France. During Summer 2004, Taima took part in the 13th Edition of the International Indigenous Festival of Riddu-Riddu in Manndalen in Kåfjord (Norway). The same year, the group has also offered 3 performances (one on the Pyramide Stage) at the famous Glastonbury Festival in England (United-Kingdom).

Taima’s eponymous debut has been released by the Label Fullspin Musique (Yann Perreau) on February 24th, 2004. The album has been produced and recorded from June to December 2003 by Michel Pépin from the Studio Frisson in Montréal. On this album, Taima presents eleven touching, profoundly soul, heart and spirit moving pieces. Eleven different universes travelling across fire and ice to bring out all the possible finer points of their music, sometimes mind-blowing (Remaining For You), carnal (Ilunnut), sensual (Nalligigumavagit) and also abrasive (So You Say, Hard To Be). The themes exploited are very introspective and make a close or subtle reference to the relationship between men and women, parents and children, Whites and Inuits, human beings and nature, hot and cold.

Since its release in February 2004, Taima’s eponymous album has been well received by the critics and has sold over 20,000 copies to date. The album has also allowed Élisapie and Alain to introduce themselves as artist to a wider public. In October 2004, Taima is in nomination at the Gala de l’Adisq as an “Artist who excelled in another language than French during the year”. One month later, in November 2004, Taima won the award of Best Folk Album and Best Album Design, and obtained a nomination for the Best Album of the year at the Canadian Aboriginal Music Awards. This multi-ethnic duo also emerged at the 2005 JUNOs, broadcasted on CTV April 3rd from the MTS Centre in Winnipeg, by winning the award of the Aboriginal Recording of the year. From their musical repertory, two videos have been created: Innutulunga produced in Novembre 2004 by Robin Aubert and Inuusivunga produced in October 2005 by Aviva Communications (David Lahaye). It is also possible to hear the sensual Ilunnut in the French Canadian film produced by Robin Aubert, Saint-Martyr-des-Damnés (Septembre 2005).

The year 2005 has been filled with great projects and adventures within cold (Great North, Yellowknife, Greenland), warm (Brazil) and legendary areas (France, Switzerland). For 2006, Taima will still take part in tour show but also take some time to consider their second album, so eagerly expected by their fans located everywhere in the World.