Morgan Toney (Canada)

Morgan Toney is a Mi’kmaq fiddler and singer-songwriter from the Wagmatcook First Nation in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. He began his musical life as a drummer before turning to fiddle in the late 2010s, developing a sound he calls “Mi’kmaltic,” a fusion of Mi’kmaq song and Cape Breton Celtic fiddling. Alongside longtime collaborator Keith Mullins, Toney released his debut album, First Flight, via Ishkode Records in 2021, funded partly through a community crowdfunding campaign. His subsequent albums, Resilience (2023) and Heal the Divide (2025), have been recognized at Canada’s Juno Awards, with Heal the Divide winning Traditional Roots Album of the Year in 2026. Toney continues to learn the endangered Mi’kmaq language partly through the songs he performs, connecting with elders and his father, a fluent speaker.

Featured Song:

“Ko’jua” (Celebration Dance) is based on a fast-paced style of Mi’kmaq circle dance performed at gatherings for generations. It is a humorous song about a little white-footed dog with a limp, which is mimicked by the dancers. Toney’s rendition has introduced the song to a new generation of young Mi’kmaq listeners.

Artist Website

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