Songs of the Voyageurs

Where and when was the fur trade era? Who were the voyageurs?​ Why did voyageurs sing?​ What are the best-known voyageur songs?​ Are these the songs sung in the period?​ Who sings these songs today?​ Come learn about the fascinating canoemen who paddled across Canada for four hundred years in song and story. We will sing paddling songs in the French-Canadian tradition from the era of the fur trade. These songs are freshwater chanteys for paddling, portaging, and traveling great distances by canoe: great for a canoe trip in Maine or the Adirondacks! No French language experience needed, Francophones welcome. 

Visit the standalone Lisette's Journey blog to read about the fascinating life of fur trader Lisette Laval Harmon, who crossed the continent by canoe in 1819 from British Columbia to Vermont. Lynn's roleplay of Lisette got this remarkable Métis woman named as the Official Voyageur of the Canadian Heritage Rivers System.