Broken Walls was conceived in 1995 by Jonathan Maracle (a Mohawk from Tyendinaga Territory in Ontario, Canada), while attending a conference called the Sacred Assembly in Ottawa/Hull. As different First Nations speakers shared, they spoke about the walls of bitterness that have been built up between the newcomers to this land and the First Nations people, Jonathan began to see the need for these walls to be broken and wrote the song “Broken Walls” on the spot and performed it on the drum at this gathering.
Meet the Band
Bill Pagaran (Tlingit)
from Palmer, Alaska
Drums, Percussions & B/U Vocals
Jonathan Maracle (Mohawk)
from Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory in Ontario Canada
Lead Vocalist, Guitars, First Nations Windflute
Josh Maus
German-Austrian from Eagle River, Alaska
Bass and Back Up Vocals
Broken Walls base many of their songs on the ancient sounds of the First Nations People of North America and often perform around their large Pow Wow drum, singing songs of, and to, the Creator. The band has a team of First Nations Dancers that often accompany them in full regalia when they perform.
Broken Walls travels year round and has toured worldwide since 1998 performing in places such as Peru, Mexico, China, Hawaii, France, Germany, Switzerland, Australia, Israel, Costa Rica, and extensively across North America. They have taken the healing quality of their music into many places where restoration and reconciliation were needed, with great results.
Broken Walls and Jonathan Maracle have released 15 albums to date. Their latest album, “The Call of the Drum,” was released in 2023 and beautifully blends the traditional sound of Native American music with a contemporary fusion of rock, reggae, R&B, latin and other world music. The instrumentation includes guitar, bass, native flute, keys, big drum, drum set, percussion, native chants and vocals.
