Ta’Kaiya Blaney
Singer,
Songwriter, Actor, Speaker
Native Children’s Survival Youth Ambassador
CONNECT
Ta’Kaiya Blaney as Tiss in “The Sound” (Photo courtesy of Children of the Setting Sun Productions)
“Activism doesn’t have to just look like one thing. It can be art, it can be creative resistance, it can be social-media-based. Do what you love to protect what you love.”
At the tender age of six, Ta’Kaiya embarked on an illustrious career in the film industry, captivating audiences with her performances in award-winning short films. Her portrayal of a First Nations child forcibly removed from her ancestral home and placed in government-run residential schools operated by the church resonated deeply with viewers. Her work in these films garnered her two Leo Award nominations for Best Performance by a Female in a Short Drama from the British Columbia film and television industry.
By the age of ten, Ta’Kaiya’s musical journey commenced with the release of her debut single, SAHLLOW WATERS, accompanied by a captivating music picture. This artistic endeavor catapulted her to national recognition, bestowing upon her numerous accolades and cultural honors.
THE SOUND, a coming-of-age television drama produced by Children of the Setting Sun Productions, premiered in January 2024 at the Pickford Film Center’s Treaty Day Film Festival. Ta’Kaiya’s film, MONKEY BEACH, was released in 2020. The film is an adaptation of the acclaimed novel of the same title by renowned Haisla-Heiltsuk author Eden Robinson. For her role in the 2018 film KAYAK TO KLEMTU, Ta’Kaiya received the Best Lead Performance by a Female at the 2018 Leo Awards for her portrayal of 14-year-old Ella. Ta’Kaiya’s music video, EARTH REVOLUTION, won the Best Music Video category at the 2016 American Indian Film Festival in San Francisco, California.
“I believe our generation does not see activism just as a necessity or obligation, but a beautiful opportunity to invent the unexpected and to spread our optimism that we can make a better world.”
From the Salish Sea to the United Nations, Ta’Kaiya has engaged in performances and speeches at grassroots Indigenous gatherings, rallies, and international conferences and forums throughout the world.
UNITED NATIONS CLIMATE CHANGE COFERENCE COP26
Glasgow, Scotland
Ta’Kaiya’s United Nations Engagements Include
2025: SOS Oceans! Paris, March 30th & 31st, to address pressing ocean challenges and facilitate preparations for the third United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3) 9-13 June 2025, to be held in Nice, France.
2022: UN Conference of the Parties (COP15), United Nations Biodiversity Conference (CBD) - Montreal, Canada
2021: UN Conference of the Parties (COP26) to the United Nations Framework Convention (UNFCCC) on Climate Change - Glasgow, Scotland
2019: UN Conference of the Parties (COP25) to the United Nations Framework Convention (UNFCCC) on Climate Change - Madrid, Spain
2019: UN Climate Action Summit, New York City, New York
2016: UN DPI NGO Conference Education for Global Citizenship – Gyeongju, Republic of Korea
2015: UN Conference of the Parties (COP21) to the United Nations Framework Convention (UNFCCC) on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the 11th Session of the Conference of the Parties (CMP11) to the Kyoto Protocol, Paris France
2014: United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII) Thirteenth Session, UN Headquarters, New York
2013: United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII) Twelfth Session, UN Headquarters, New York
2012: United Nations Rio+20 Conference on the Environment, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
2011: UNEP in collaboration with the Government of Indonesia, TUNZA International Children & Youth Conference on the Environment, Bandung, Indonesia
In 2014, Ta’Kaiya became the youngest keynote speaker at Powershift, an annual global youth summit dedicated to climate change policy, held in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and Victoria, British Columbia. In 2015, Ta’Kaiya made history as the youngest Indigenous youth to deliver an intervention at the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues in New York City. Her intervention introduced the Native Children’s Survival (NCS) Indigenous Children’s Fund (ICF) and underscored the urgent need for such a fund.
Ta’Kaiya delivered a keynote address and performed live with Robby Romero at The Parliament of World Religions on October 19, 2015. The conference featured esteemed spiritual leaders such as Chief Arvol Looking Horse and His Holiness, the 14th Dalai Lama. On November 5, 2015, Ta’Kaiya performed and engaged in a public rally at the Jack Poole Plaza in Vancouver, British Columbia, within the Coast Salish Territories. The rally was attended by Canadian author and social activist Naomi Klein. Both Ta’Kaiya and Naomi advocated for transformative changes in our interactions with one another and the environment in the aftermath of Canada’s federal election.
As part of the Native Children’s Survival (NCS) Project Protect Campaign, Ta’Kaiya’s inspirational music video, EARTH REVOLUTION, premiered at the Conference of Youth in Paris, France. The screening was preceded by a speech from H.E. Laurent Fabius, French Foreign Minister and President of COP21. The event coincided with the historic 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP21). EARTH REVOLUTION showcases children from various regions worldwide, urging them to take action to safeguard Mother Earth and ensure a sustainable future for future generations. The music video was performed by Ta’Kaiya and produced and directed by Robby Romero. The song “Earth Revolution” was composed by Ta’Kaiya Blaney and Aileen De La Cruz, with mixing and production handled by Joe Cruz, Warne Livesey, Steve Addabbo, and Robby Romero.
During the 21st Conference of the Parties (COP21), EARTH REVOLUTION was screened at the Rights of Nature Tribunal on December 5, 2015. Ta’Kaiya concluded the event with a new song titled TURN THE WORLD AROUND. The television news program Democracy Now captured her performance and garnered over 300,000 views on its social media pages.
Ta’Kaiya and Robby performed at various Mother Earth Day 2016 events, including those organized by Chief Leschi Schools and the Makah, Hoh, Quileute, and Quinault Youth Programs. Subsequently, Ta’Kaiya joined Robby at Standing Rock during the #NoDAPL and #WaterIsLife movement. Ta’Kaiya and Robby performed live at the 44th American Indian Film Festival in San Francisco, where they issued a call to action to #StandWithStandingRock.
In support of Standing Rock and the #NoDAPL #WaterIsLife movement, Ta'Kaiya joined Robby, Water Protectors, and fellow artists, including Dakhóta Romero, Raye Zaragoza, and the legendary Dennis Banks and Kris Kristofferson, on the single and music picture BORN ON THE REZ, at Capital Records Studios in Hollywood.
For more information visit: www.takaiyablaney.com
