A Wabanaki musician who grew up in Maine composed the score for an Oscar-nominated documentary about an investigation into abuse and missing children at an Indian residential school.
Mali Obamsawin, a jazz and folk musician who grew up in Farmington and who is a member of the Abenaki First Nation at Odanak, composed the score for “Sugarcane,” which was one of five films nominated for Best Documentary at the 2025 Academy Awards, held on Sunday. The Best Documentary award went to the film “No Other Land.”
Obamsawin was born in New Hampshire and was raised in Farmington, later attending Berklee College of Music in Boston where she studied double bass, as well as Dartmouth College. She was a member of the acclaimed folk-rock band Lula Wiles before releasing her debut solo album, “Sweet Tooth,” in 2022. In addition to work on the film “Sugarcane,” her music has also been featured in the acclaimed TV series “Reservation Dogs.”
Her second album, under the alias Deerlady with guitarist Magdalena Abrego, came out in January 2024. The score for “Sugarcane” was released by Hollywood Records in December.
Obamsawin is also a co-founder of Bomazeen Land Trust, which promotes social and environmental justice in Wabanaki lands by protecting and honoring culturally significant spaces through the return of ancestral land and the continuance of cultural practice and presence.
