Coast Salish Anthem | Chief Dan George's Prayer Song

This arrangement of Chief Dan George's beautiful prayer song features Gordon Dick (Tchilaqs7tchila) of the Tsleil-Waututh Nation drumming and singing. Gordon taught the Coast Salish Anthem to Seycove's choir students in December 2019 and has graciously shared it with many other schools in North Vancouver. We look forward to acknowledging and honouring the traditional and unceded territories of the Coast Salish peoples - the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) and xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) Nations on whose land we live and learn by singing it as a choir, as a school, and as a district.
𝘾𝙝𝙞𝙚𝙛 𝘿𝙖𝙣 𝙂𝙚𝙤𝙧𝙜𝙚'𝙨 𝙇𝙖𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝘾𝙤𝙣𝙛𝙚𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣
How long have I known you, Oh Canada? A hundred years? Yes, a hundred years. And many, many seelanum more. And today, when you celebrate your hundred years, Oh Canada, I am sad for all the Indian people throughout the land.
For I have known you when your forests were mine; when they gave me my meat and my clothing. I have known you in your streams and rivers where your fish flashed and danced in the sun, where the waters said 'come, come and eat of my abundance.' I have known you in the freedom of the winds. And my spirit, like the winds, once roamed your good lands.
But in the long hundred years since the white man came, I have seen my freedom disappear like the salmon going mysteriously out to sea. The white man's strange customs, which I could not understand, pressed down upon me until I could no longer breathe.
When I fought to protect my land and my home, I was called a savage. When I neither understood nor welcomed his way of life, I was called lazy. When I tried to rule my people, I was stripped of my authority.
My nation was ignored in your history textbooks - they were little more important in the history of Canada than the buffalo that ranged the plains. I was ridiculed in your plays and motion pictures, and when I drank your fire-water, I got drunk - very, very drunk. And I forgot.
Oh Canada, how can I celebrate with you this Centenary, this hundred years? Shall I thank you for the reserves that are left to me of my beautiful forests? For the canned fish of my rivers? For the loss of my pride and authority, even among my own people? For the lack of my will to fight back? No! I must forget what's past and gone.
Oh God in heaven! Give me back the courage of the olden chiefs. Let me wrestle with my surroundings. Let me again, as in the days of old, dominate my environment. Let me humbly accept this new culture and through it rise up and go on.
Oh God! Like the thunderbird of old I shall rise again out of the sea; I shall grab the instruments of the white man's success - his education, his skills - and with these new tools I shall build my race into the proudest segment of your society.
Before I follow the great chiefs who have gone before us, Oh Canada, I shall see these things come to pass. I shall see our young braves and our chiefs sitting in the houses of law and government, ruling and being ruled by the knowledge and freedoms of our great land.
So shall we shatter the barriers of our isolation. So shall the next hundred years be the greatest in the proud history of our tribes and nations.

[@frenchpizza9725]

Honor family every day. First Nation's Texas here. I love you all

[@dinosaur1417]

Takes my soul to a peaceful place. Thank you.

[@user-ri2xu5tg7m]

So beautiful it makes me cry. Thank you.

[@nonestdubium]

Returning. This stirs my ancestors that hide. I easily forgive them.

[@anmiwoma]

Thank you 🙏🌿🌺🌿🙏 and blessings to all of you from Germany

[@northpole9311]

Growing up in the sixties early seventies mom always had a picture of this great leader on her wall

[@davekeeler7130]

I see the faces of my grandparents when I close my eyes, and ask for forgiveness from anyone I have done wrong in my life. Mostly ask for not being there more for my father. Harmony is learned

[@brianfraser9401]

Just about to share this with a group called Casa: An Experiment in Doing Church Online as my monthly prayer Thanks so much for this beautiful gift.

[@karenwasilenchuk1080]

This song is so moving. Sent chills down my spine.

[@tarashushtarian5822]

I cry each time... impossible to be unmoved.

[@Carmel2024]

Very beautiful. I sing this with my class at school. Instead of using drums, we get two sticks from nature

[@victorialeach6587]

I love chief dan george. he is the man. beautiful to the ears.

[@hyprhyp]

This is beautiful. I remember hearing this as a child while I would visit and I never knew the name of the song until now. Thank you for sharing .

[@agnesjoshiakar1283]

Very soothing and melodious. Thank you for sharing....

[@norte7549]

This is indescribably beautiful, like ethereal even. Thank you so much for sharing it.

[@martingarber-conrad8520]

Absolutely beautiful!

[@Candle-Light.]

This is beautiful

[@donnalangevin7738]

This put a tear in the creator's eye : )

[@Candle-Light.]

10th like Here's a comment to keep u company :)

[@donnalangevin7738]

@@Candle-Light. Thank you 😊

[@Candle-Light.]

​@@donnalangevin7738 np 😁 it really did put a tear

[@baguetteisyummy]

To any people who don't know what this means, the eagle signefice America and the wolf means something bad might happen happen. And by the way beautiful song every time I sing it, I always here my elders singing it too in my head❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@katieopenshaw2390]

This is so beautiful - thank you for sharing!

[@frenchpizza9725]

Gentle hug with the sounds. Beautiful

[@Beorthere]

I may be a descendant of those that settled this beautiful Cascadia, but I have so much respect for those who were here before me. I have so much joy in learning about the Native peoples.

[@Carmel2024]

oh, i got tears in my eyes. beautifully done

[@user-or5iy3tj6y]

Hauntingly beautiful!

[@carlenejoe3422]

I just luv this song thx u for sharing

[@charlottecox-wages636]

Beautiful

[@zanzompa]

Amazing..

[@ronduff4325]

Beautiful !!

[@existinghuman432]

we had to sing this in 2nd grade as a class. I still remember it to this day so i decided to find it on youtube. worth it

[@1234Qrzv]

Me too

[@awogbob]

This song came out in 2019 are you in grade 5 now?

[@existinghuman432]

@@awogbob no, i'm not. It might not have been second grade, i don't have the best memory

[@awogbob]

​@@existinghuman432 no worries, its a powerful song :)

[@existinghuman432]

@@awogbob it is, yeah

[@andyringdahl3237]

This is so beautiful. Thank you.

[@francismay821]

My spirit soars! Wela'lin

[@oli8167]

Hello, I am school teacher in BC, Canada. I respect that songs are part of Indigenous People's cultural property. Do I need to ask for permission to share this song with my students in the class when we do are morning land acknowledgement exercise? Thank you.

[@joedeweyn5771]

As a descendant of Takaya.( Mother Wolf) I am absolutely sure that my Grand Uncle Dan would be humbled and honored to have you teach this to future generations to come. Thank you for your respectful request Oli! 🐺

[@rainydayjane8257]

@@joedeweyn5771 My son just learned this song today at school in honour of National Indigenous People's Day. He was so moved by it, he wanted to share it with us older generation. I was in tears as I listened...its so beautiful and inspiring . ❤️❤️ Blessings to you, the descendants of Takaya and your Grand Uncle Dan!! Thank you for sharing. 🙏🙏

[@topshelflifestyle01]

​@Joe Deweyn Joe! I am a long relative, Dan George is my great uncle. Hope ur doing well brother!!

[@blukaiferries]

⁠@@joedeweyn5771Hi my honor, will it be possible to use this song for a video of my other fishing channel? We’re based in Coast salish and we honor all ancestors and legends of the native land of coast Salish.

[@frenchpizza9725]

Water is our whole Life

[@lol101love]

This is really beautiful

[@leotomma3494]

No one else should be allowed to sing his song except the family

[@carinafu-vq5wr]

i am smart!!!!!!!

[@teaganratzlaff9297]

Hi Ms. Eng

[@robinleung4200]

Beautiful! Is there any where I could use this song in a creative common licensed video?

[@kristenharvey3451]

Wow, this is Powerful, Beautiful. I acknowledge the damage done by white people, the foreigners who took everything. I am listening and learning. My kids are ALWAYS talking about Gord - the stories he shares. They describe his drum and his voice as he teaches them the songs of his people. I love hearing them singing these songs at home. We have missed Gord since covid and hope we’ll meet again. We wish strength and health to our Coast Salish neighbours.

[@erinfairweather5193]

This is a beautiful recording of a moving song; is it possible to get permission to use it in a class slideshow documenting our experience on the Salish Sea? We are looking at the cultural history of the area and interactions between humans and the sea ecosystem, encouraging the human's role as steward and caretaker.

[@frenchpizza9725]

Infinity. Sky world

[@eg8412]

Beautiful arrangement. I was wondering about permission to use this arrangement and reading of the lament for a project. Do I need Gordon Dick's permission?

[@analeon8530]

This is absolutely beautiful. I am a student at the University of British Columbia. I understand that Indigenous music is a part of Indigenous culturural property. I would love to use this song for a podcast in one of my classes that acknowledges the cultural repatriation of Indigenous history. Could I use this sound?

[@silaschew6369]

Real natives don’t die

[@dieterschrott7987]

Frau Sinzinger wenn sie das lesen,wie sind sie zu diesem Song gekommen??????😭😭😭😭😭😭💀💀💀💀💀