Passages Music Kiosk
Learn more about the musicians featured in Passages in American Art.
Juanita Muise
When I was thirteen, a traditional Mi’kmaq elder, George Paul from Metepenagiag Mi’kmaq Nation in Nova Scotia came to my home community in the Bay St. George area of Newfoundland. My community was just starting to revitalize our culture and I was part of one of the first Mi’kmaq youth groups on the Island to be gifted the teachings around the songs and dance. I remember singing the friendship song with my community on the land by the flat bay river where my ancestors would have traveled and hunted. I was fourteen and it was the first time I had gathered with my Mi’kmaq community on the land. I belonged to a community that was larger than my family. When we sang the friendship song and held hands in the circle, I felt my spirit soar. The friendship song is sung to welcome everyone together in friendship, Indigenous, Non-Indigenous, the animals and ancestors. The circle represents the connection we have, together and to the land. The drumbeat is that of a heartbeat.
Chris Newell
"A Canoe Travel Song uses a traditional song form that my dad preserved. The song recalls a canoe journey through Wabanaki homelands, visiting different communities, and reflecting on what was learned along the way. My father would often improvise lyrics as he was singing, which is an old Passamaquoddy song style. This recorded version is one way he sang it. He never sang it the same way twice. The end of the song are lyrics that remind us Passamaquoddy people to always be proud of who we are and to always put being Passamaquoddy first.
The song style was common for more than recalling canoe journeys. It was also a fun way to gather socially. Everyone in the communities from my father's generation and beyond grew up speaking Passamaquoddy as their first language. Everybody was fluent. Those generations didn't grow up with electricity or running water so they didn't distract themselves with televisions or radios. Instead, they visited each other socially. When they would get together, they would tell stories and sometimes they would start singing. I recall him talking about a favorite singer of his. She would start tapping her heel on the floor, and different singers would take up the song. They would tease each other, tell old fun stories, or make up jokes about each other as they sang. Such a beautiful tradition that kept the community well bonded and grounded in love."
