Land of the Silver Birch

Ontario

Although many consider it to be a traditional Canadian folk song, the Jubilee Songbook (1993) credits the arrangement of “Land of the Silver Birch” to John Cozens, a British watercolor artist.

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The song has been criticised for its historical context and portrayal of Native civilization as superior to Western culture, posing questions surrounding Indigenous appropriation.

Its past popularity with the non-indigenous majority in Canada, particularly as an elementary school choir song, is declining with greater awareness of the impacts of colonization and cultural appropriation.

While it does not have racist intent, the subject matter does romanticise native people and culture as pre-modern and connected to nature, while justifying colonisation and the superiority of western culture. Janet Rogers, a Haudenosaunee poet, believes that the song is simplistic and romanticizes ideas of the land while erasing Indigenous people.

The song’s lyrics are commonly misattributed to native poet Pauline Johnson, with her poem “The Song My Paddle Sings”. Johnson was born in the mid-1800s in Six Nations. While having native heritage, she largely performed for non-native audiences, and performed in a style that was popular at the time in order to make a living and support her family. Many of her works are considered "subversive, extremely political for the time." Bonita Lawrence, a Mi'kmaq professor of Indigenous Studies at York University, said it's "patently false" to suggest Johnson's work replicated colonial ideas.

"Johnson was a complex writer and was certainly trying on different ideas about how Indigenous peoples could find a way to survive in Canada, but she certainly never depicted that native civilization was to be replaced by a so called 'superior civilization."

While there are some culturally inaccurate references in the song, members of the Indigenous community suggest focusing attention on addressing deeper Indigenous issues. The water issue and mould in housing are two notable examples.

It is important to recognize that this is not the lived experience of Indigenous people under colonialism, and we can take the time to learn about and recognize the history and experiences of the Indigenous groups of our own communities when we sing and interact with it.

In the song, verses are sung in alternation with the chorus, often in a round. It is sometimes sung at campfires or to keep time while canoeing. It is in Aeolian, or natural minor, but may be sung with a raised sixth, creating a Dorian feel.

Score of Canadian folk song Land of the Silver Birch.

Lyrics

Land of the Silver Birch,

Home of the beaver,

Where stands the mighty moose,

Wanders at will,

Blue lake and rocky shore,

I will return once more,

Boom didi ah da,

Boom didi ah da,

Boom didi ah da,

Boom.

My heart is sick for thee,

Here in the low lands,

I will return to you,

Hills of the north.

Blue lake and rocky shore,

I will return once more,

Boom didi ah da,

Boom didi ah da,

Boom didi ah da,

Boom.

Swift as a silver fish,

Canoe of birch bark,

Thy mighty waterways,

Carry me forth.

Blue lake and rocky shore,

I will return once more,

Boom didi ah da,

Boom didi ah da,

Boom didi ah da,

Boom.

Here where the blue lake lies,

I’ll set my wigwam,

Close to the water’s edge,

Silent and still.

Blue lake and rocky shore,

I will return once more,

Boom didi ah da,

Boom didi ah da,

Boom didi ah da,

Boom.

Like other traditional songs, the lyrics vary slightly, with possible alternative verses. Alternative melodies may use lyrics in songs such as “My Paddle’s Keen and Bright”, written by Margaret Embers McGee (1889–1975) in 1918.

My paddle's keen and bright

Flashing with silver

Follow the wild goose flight (other known colloquial versions of this line exist, including: Follow the pale moonlight, and Follow the waters light.)

Dip, dip and swing

Dip, dip and swing her back

Flashing with silver

Swift as the wild goose flies

Dip, dip and swing

Sources

https://www.rcinet.ca/en/2017/12/08/racist-allegations-involving-iconic-canadian-folk-song/

https://myvirtualsongbook.wordpress.com/2012/04/24/land-of-the-silver-birch/

MacDonald, Margaret; Winifred Jaeger. The Round Book: Rounds Kids Love to Sing. North Haven, Conn: Shoe String Press Inc., 1999, Page 14. ISBN978-0-87483-786-5.