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.