Thanadelthur
THANADELTHUR
(Words & Music: Mike Ford)
From the album “Canada Needs You - vol. 1” - MapleMusicRecordings
In your caribou hide Thanadelthur
And the fire inside Thanadelthur
And your songs of thanks to the land
That my West Highlands heart
Could not understand
When worlds collide Thanadelthur
Where the tundra meets tree You commanded
And made peace with the Cree Single-handed
Teenage Dene girl
Who spoke from her heart
And fought for her world
And lit a fire in me Thanadelthur
You escaped the beast that shackled you down
Then you walked across a continent’s crown
You saw the look I gave when you said gold
But you never lived to see what took hold
The fur-lust and the coming of the misguided fools
With their sickness and guns and kidnapping schools
Between the borealis and the Wolf Star
Oh Thanadelthur that’s where you are
Now your young body fades Your voice is quiet
Within these dark palisades And I try to deny it
And pray your language to learn
Before The Great Spirit calls
For you to return
But you smile unafraid Thanadelthur
6
The Story of Thanadelthur:
(From Manitoba Culture, Heritage and Tourism website:
http://www.gov.mb.ca/chc/archives/rearview/thanedelthur/1.html)
Thanadelthur (d. 1717) was a Chipewyan woman who, with other members of her tribe,
was captured by Cree people in the spring of 1713. She and another Chipewyan woman
escaped that fall, and after trying to get back to their own people, were forced by weather
and hunger to reach the Hudson's Bay Company post at York Fort. Thanadelthur reached
the fort on 24 November 1714. Her companion, however, had already perished from
starvation. James Knight, in charge of York Fort, was happy to receive Thanadelthur
(who was called "Slave Woman" in HBC records), as he wished to establish trade with
her people, which had not been possible due to fighting between the Cree and the
Chipewyan.
At the request of Knight, Thanadelthur accompanied William Stewart, another HBC
officer, and a party of 150 York Factory Cree in 1715 on a peace mission to the
Chipewyan so that they could be encouraged to trade with the HBC without fear of
violent encounters with the Cree. After successfully negotiating a peace between the two
groups, due mostly to Thanadelthur's influence among her people, they returned to York
Fort in May 1716. On their return, however, they came across the bodies of Chipewyan
who had been murdered by a small group of Cree. In order to prevent further attacks
between the two groups, Thanadelthur went in search of the Chipewyan who had escaped
the attack, brought them back to the party of Cree who had been on the peace mission,
and established a truce between them.
To facilitate trade with the Chipewyan, Knight decided to establish a post at Churchill
River, closer to their lands, which Thanadelthur strongly supported. Tragically, she
became ill in December 1716, and died on 5 February 1717. The post at Churchill was
built later that year.