The Farley Mowat

The Song My Paddle Sings

This playful summercraft immediately catches the eye upon entering The Canadian Canoe Museum, and is definitely one of the more unusual canoes that I discovered there when I visited Peterborough, Ontario recently. The boat was donated to the museum by Canadian author Farley Mowat, who was renowned for his love of nature and the environment. He may never have picked up the flute, but he must certainly have enjoyed this other ‘wind’ instrument, a delightful sailcraft of pale blue replete with brilliant orange sail.

This whimsical and cheerful colour combo is in stark contrast to images of the imposing black hull of the sea-worthy RV Farley Mowat currently in the news, which was recently seized by the RCMP in Sydney, Nova Scotia. Charges of interfering with the annual seal hunt suggest a different type of sailing altogether!

As the politics of the seal hunt - and especially this recent drama on the high seas - are hotly debated, the hunt carries on out on the ice flows. As much as my sympathies generally lean towards such organizations as Sea Shepherd Conservation Society at the eye of this kind of political storm, my heart goes out to the the sealers and their ‘traditional way of life’, their families and communities.

I find it difficult to come to an informed opinion about the situation, as the media doesn’t generally explore the underlying complexities of the situation. It is my understanding that at least a partial cull of the cute little seal pups is critical in part to reduce depletion of cod stocks (adult seals eat tons of fish!).Hyperpole on both sides!? As far as headlines are concerned, and Bridgitte Bardot notwithstanding, scientific evidence is as depleted as the cod stocks; I guess Bridgitte deserves a fair shake, however, so here’s the link to her Paris-based Fondation.

Politics aside, just a note about the music here…oh, right: the music! It was pointed out by one of my adult students that this lyrical piece is a musical setting of words by the famous poet Emily Pauline Johnson. Pauline Johnson was the first Native poet to publish works in Canada, and her story is a fascinating one: “My aim, my joy, my pride is to sing the glories of my people.”

This piece, arranged by James Gordon, can be found in The Music of Canoesongs, published by the Ottawa Folklore Centre. Sales of this book and accompanying CD help support the Canoe Museum.