Program Notes
In the Anishinaabe (or Ojibwe) tradition, women have a sacred responsibility to respect, honor, and express gratitude to the water. Through ceremonies, prayer, and song, they bring healing and balance to their communities. NibiWalk, an organization based in Minnesota, continues these traditions. Dorene Day, one of the Water Walkers, wrote the Nibi (Water) Song at the request of her grandson, who also wanted to sing to the water. The words are ones that she believes should be sung to the water every day and freely shared: "Water, we love you. We thank you. We respect you." This choral arrangement uses her melody and the composer hopes that through its performance, more people will be informed of the powerful work of these women who bring physical and spiritual healing to our waters. For more information about NibiWalk, their mission, music, and upcoming projects, visit www.nibiwalk.org
The story of The Water Song
(as told by Beatrice Menase Kwe Jackson, Migizi Clan)
This song was written by Dorene Day at the request of her grandson.
She attended a conference about the water in which the internationally known speaker,
Dr. Masaru Emoto said, the very least we should do every day, is to speak to the water:
Water, we love you.
We thank you.
We respect you.
So she did this. Every day on their drive to drop Mashkoonce (Little Elk) to school,
they passed a body of water. And every day they said these words to the water as they drove by.
They made games by saying it in different voices and then would say it as fast as they could.
Then one day Mashkoonce, said, “Nokomis why can’t we say this in our language?”
So, Dorene asked her daughter’s language teacher to write it in Ojibwemowin.
Dorene had the words taped to the car visor as they learned the words.
One day this grandson Mashkoonce said, “Nokomis why don’t we sing the words,
don’t you think the water would like it to be sung?”
So, she thought about it and came up with the tune.
They sang this song to the water every morning on their drive to school.
It is sung like a lullaby and we don’t use shakers or drums.
Dorene and her grandson, Mashkoonce, give permission for everyone to share this song…
sing it to the water every day.
Lyrics
Ojiwbemowin*: English:
Ne-be Gee Zah-gay-e-goo Water, we love you
Gee Me-gwetch-wayn ne-me-goo We thank you
Gee Zah Wayn ne-me-goo We respect you
International Phonetic Alphabet**:
ni-be gi sa-ge-i-go
gi mi-guɛ-tʃɛ-ueɪn ne-mi-go
gi ʒa ueɪn ne-mi-go
* text as printed on NibiWalk website
** pronounciation as sung by Dorene Day
Full Score
In the Anishinaabe (or Ojibwe) tradition, women have a sacred responsibility to respect, honor, and express gratitude to the water. Through ceremonies, prayer, and song, they bring healing and balance to their communities. NibiWalk, an organization based in Minnesota, continues these traditions. Dorene Day, one of the Water Walkers, wrote the Nibi (Water) Song at the request of her grandson, who also wanted to sing to the water. The words are ones that she believes should be sung to the water every day and freely shared: "Water, we love you. We thank you. We respect you." This choral arrangement uses her melody and the composer hopes that through its performance, more people will be informed of the powerful work of these women who bring physical and spiritual healing to our waters. For more information about NibiWalk, their mission, music, and upcoming projects, visit www.nibiwalk.org
The story of The Water Song
(as told by Beatrice Menase Kwe Jackson, Migizi Clan)
This song was written by Dorene Day at the request of her grandson.
She attended a conference about the water in which the internationally known speaker,
Dr. Masaru Emoto said, the very least we should do every day, is to speak to the water:
Water, we love you.
We thank you.
We respect you.
So she did this. Every day on their drive to drop Mashkoonce (Little Elk) to school,
they passed a body of water. And every day they said these words to the water as they drove by.
They made games by saying it in different voices and then would say it as fast as they could.
Then one day Mashkoonce, said, “Nokomis why can’t we say this in our language?”
So, Dorene asked her daughter’s language teacher to write it in Ojibwemowin.
Dorene had the words taped to the car visor as they learned the words.
One day this grandson Mashkoonce said, “Nokomis why don’t we sing the words,
don’t you think the water would like it to be sung?”
So, she thought about it and came up with the tune.
They sang this song to the water every morning on their drive to school.
It is sung like a lullaby and we don’t use shakers or drums.
Dorene and her grandson, Mashkoonce, give permission for everyone to share this song…
sing it to the water every day.
Lyrics
Ojiwbemowin*: English:
Ne-be Gee Zah-gay-e-goo Water, we love you
Gee Me-gwetch-wayn ne-me-goo We thank you
Gee Zah Wayn ne-me-goo We respect you
International Phonetic Alphabet**:
ni-be gi sa-ge-i-go
gi mi-guɛ-tʃɛ-ueɪn ne-mi-go
gi ʒa ueɪn ne-mi-go
* text as printed on NibiWalk website
** pronounciation as sung by Dorene Day
Full Score
Other Resources
Nibi (Water) Song performed by Dorene Day, Waubanewquay, Marten Clan, Produced by Stephen Lang
Episode 106 of Choir Chat, where John C. Hughes interviews Jonathan Posthuma about the Nibi (Water) Song and its premiere at the Green Lake Festival of Music in July 2017.