Learn the Coast Salish Anthem
Originally created by Chief Dan George, Tseil wau-tuth Nation, as a prayer song while he waited for his younger brother to return safely from a hunting trip, this anthem has been gifted to all those living in the traditional territory of the Coast Salish. You will find that depending on who is singing and sharing, the anthem may be slightly faster, in a different key, or have a slightly different drum beat. We invite you to use the pdf below, Learn the Coast Salish Anthem Guided Song, to learn the words and sing along with Nathan on the Monday morning sessions.
We are grateful to learn and sing this song in the Delta School District. In this video, Victoria Williams (Skosswunson, Tsawwassen First Nation), sings the song.
Here is a power point presentation that breaks the song down and provides the vocables*:
Teaching and Learning the Coast Salish Anthem
*A vocable is a syllable or sound without specific meaning, used together with or in place of actual words in a song. The person listening to the song is meant to “hear” whatever message or meaning that comes to them personally.