New Song: The Huron Carol/'Twas in the Moon

"When people move to new places, they usually take their holidays with them. Canadians know about many holidays because we have people who come from all around the world.

Long before Canada was a country, when the first people from Europe came to explore and live here, they brought clothes, and food, and tools and weapons ---but they also brought their ideas, their songs and their stories. Sometimes the new D people wanted to tell their stories to the aboriginal people who lived here. e c Jean Brebeuf left his friends and family in France because he wanted to tell the e aboriginal people about his religion and his special days. But this was a long time m ago, the aboriginal people didn't have tv or the internet to show them what life was b e like in other places --no snow, deserts instead of forests. r Jean Brebeuf was a Christian. He wanted to tell about how was born in a stable and how shepherds and kings came to see the new baby. He knew that the aboriginal people would have a hard time imagining the story --they didn't have stables or kings. So, Jean Brebeuf changed some parts of the story of how Jesus was born to make it feel more real to the people who already lived in Canada.

Jean made the story into a song. This is the very first song that was written in Canada. Listen carefully for the words and ideas that you think Jean Brebeuf W e added to the story to make it part of Canada." e k O Play Music Play verses 1 and 2 only. n e Gather the ideas that are signs of a native community in the L story. List them on chart paper or white board. e s Check the library for a copy s Listen again to the story-song. o of Frances Tyrell’s book n OR Show the song-video for 'Twas in the Night. T h e H u r o n C a r o l . 13 Beautiful illustrations follow the words of the A Use the echo/rote-learning version of the song to teach the words and melody to students. song. If the book is not available, check out http://www.francestyrrell. Give students a copy of the song (later to be put in their music com/the-huron-carol.html books) and ask them to sing with either the song-video or the and project a few of the sing-a-long music track. illustrations.

Visual Arts & Music "What ideas in this song could be part of a picture?" List ideas on chart paper. Give students the remainder of the music time to draw an illustration for the carol. This project may be as simple as sketching something today, or extended into the next lessons P to give time for a more elaborate drawing. White crayon or chalk outline drawings, a painted over with a dark blue water colour wash make effective visuals for the story. g e 222 New Repertoire 'Twas in the Moon We Wish You a Happy Holiday - cumulative Canada Key Gm, first note D(low mi) The Huron Carol circa 1640 a cappella count-in: 1,2,3, 'Twas... Jean Brébeuf English words chords Dm Gm F Gm Dm Gm J.E. Middleton 1926

1. 'Twas in the moon of win-ter-time when all the birds had fled, That D 2. With - in a lodge of bro-ken bark the ten-der babe was found, A e 3. O child-ren of the for-est free, O all of Man - i - tou, The c e m Dm Gm b e r Migh-ty Git - chi Man - i - tou sent an - gel choirs in - stead, Be - rag-ged robe of rab - bit skin en-wrapp'd His beau - ty round, And ho - ly child of earth and heav'n is born for you to - day, Come

F Gm Dm Gm

W e e fore their light the stars grew dim, and wand'ring hun-ters heard the hymn____, k as the hun-ter braves drew nigh, the an - gel song rang loud and high_____, O kneel be-fore the ra - d'ant Boy, who brings you beau-ty, peace and joy______, n e chorus Dm Gm Dm Gm Dm Gm L e s s o n Je - sus our King is born, Je - sus is born, In ex - cel - sis glo - ri - a______. 13 Es-ten-nia-lon de tson-ou-e Chrétiens, prenez courage, A Wendat Jesous a-ha-ton-hia, Jésus Sauveur est né! French On-naou-a-te-ou-a d'o-ki Du malin les ouvrages N'on-ouan-da-skoua-en-tak; À jamais sont ruinés. En-non-chien skou-a-tri-ho-tat, Quand il chante merveille, N'on-ou-an-di-lon-ra-cha-tha, À ces troublants appas Jesous a-ha-ton-hia, Ne prêtez plus l'oreille: Jesous a-ha-ton-hi-a Jésus est né: In excelsis gloria!

Jean Brebeuf, a Jesuit missionary wrote the Wendat words in 1642. The melody is based on a traditional French folk song, "Une jeune Pucelle". The English lyrics were written by Jesse Edgar Middleton in 1926. Missionaries struggled to connect aboriginal people with biblical stories and often used the ideas from the stories couched in settings that would be more familiar to new hearers. stable lodge of broken bark P swaddlings cloths robe of rabbit skin a kings chiefs from afar g shepherds hunters e gifts fox and beaver pelts 222 God Gitchi Manitou Georges de La Tour, Nativité datée de 1644 Aucune description disponible.

Ojibwa Camp Northern Shore of Lake Huron, by Frederick A. Verner (1873)

Indian encampment on Lake Huron, by Paul Kane (1848–50).

John Richard Coke Smyth, Hurons de la Jeune-Lorette, Archives du Canada Hurons de la Jeune Lorette, Hurons-Wendat, Québec, Canada. Lithographie de John Richard Coke Smyth (1808-1882)

Chasseur Huron-Wendat, Cornelius Krieghoff Estampe, Un chasseur huron-wendat appelant l'orignal, par Cornelius Krieghoff (1815-1872), Vers 1868, 28.6 x 23.8 cm « Chrétiens, prenez courage, Jésus Sauveur est né! Du malin les ouvrages À jamais sont ruinés. Quand il chante merveille, À ces troublants appas Ne prêtez plus l'oreille: Jésus est né: In excelsis gloria! Oyez cette nouvelle, Dont un ange est porteur! Oyez! âmes fidèles, Et dilatez vos cœurs. La Vierge dans l'étable Entoure de ses bras L'Enfant-Dieu adorable. Jésus est né: In excelsis gloria! Voici que trois Rois Mages, Perdus en Orient, Déchiffrent ce message Écrit au firmament : L'Astre nouveau les hante. Ils la suivront la-bas, Cette étoile marchante: Jésus est né: In excelsis gloria! Jésus leur met en tête Que l'Étoile en la nuit Qui jamais ne s'arrête Les conduira vers Lui. Dans la nuit radieuse En route ils sont déjà, Ils vont l'âme joyeuse. Jésus est né: In excelsis gloria! Pour l'Enfant qui repose Comme eux, l'âme ravie, Dans un petit berceau, Chrétiens, suivons ses pas, Humblement ils déposent Son amour nous convie. Hommages et cadeaux. Jésus est né: In excelsis gloria! » The original words of the carol in the Wyandot language (Huron). Ehstehn yayau deh tsaun we yisus ahattonnia O na wateh wado:kwi nonnwa 'ndasqua entai ehnau sherskwa trivota nonnwa 'ndi yaun rashata Iesus Ahattonnia, Ahattonnia, Iesus Ahattonnia. Ayoki onki hm-ashe eran yayeh raunnaun yauntaun kanntatya hm-deh 'ndyaun sehnsatoa ronnyaun Waria hnawakweh tond Yosehf sataunn haronnyaun Iesus Ahattonnia, Ahattonnia, Iesus Ahattonnia. Asheh kaunnta horraskwa deh ha tirri gwames Tishyaun ayau ha'ndeh ta aun hwa ashya a ha trreh aundata:kwa Tishyaun yayaun yaun n-dehta Iesus Ahattonnia, Ahattonnia, Iesus Ahattonnia. Dau yishyeh sta atyaun errdautau 'ndi Yisus avwa tateh dn-deh Tishyaun stanshi teya wennyau aha yaunna torrehntehn yataun katsyaun skehnn Iesus Ahattonnia, Ahattonnia, Iesus Ahattonnia. Eyeh kwata tehnaunnte aheh kwashyehn ayehn kiyeh kwanaun aukwayaun dehtsaun we 'ndeh adeh tarrya diskwann aunkwe yishyehr eya ke naun sta Iesus Ahattonnia, Ahattonnia, Iesus Ahattonnia. The "Huron Carol" (or "Twas in the Moon of Wintertime") is a Canadian Christmas hymn (Canada's oldest Christmas song), written probably in 1642 by Jean de Brébeuf, a Jesuit missionary at Sainte-Marie among the Hurons in Canada.[1] Brébeuf wrote the lyrics in the native language of the Huron/Wendat people; the song's original Huron title is "Jesous Ahatonhia" ("Jesus, he is born"). The song's melody is based on a traditional French folk song, "Une Jeune Pucelle" ("A Young Maid"). The well-known English lyrics were written in 1926 by Jesse Edgar Middleton, and the copyright to these lyrics was held by The Frederick Harris Music Co., Limited, but entered the public domain in 2011.

The English version of the hymn uses imagery familiar in the early 20th century, in place of the traditional Nativity story. This version is derived from Brebeuf's original song and Huron religious concepts. In the English version, Jesus is born in a "lodge of broken bark", and wrapped in a "robe of rabbit skin". He is surrounded by hunters instead of shepherds, and the are portrayed as "chiefs from afar" that bring him "fox and beaver pelts" instead of the more familiar gold, , and . The hymn also uses a traditional Algonquian name, Gitchi Manitou, for God. The original lyrics are now sometimes modified to use imagery accessible to Christians who are not familiar with Native-Canadian cultures.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D 6IG6F6E5Ac