LES COPAINS DU SAMEDI AU CAFÉ CANADIEN-FRANÇAIS

 

This title translates into: "Saturday buddies at the French-Canadian Café". Inspired by TeemuL, who every week generously opens the door of Finland to us, I thought that I could offer some small glimpses into French-Canadian culture using songs. Every week, I will play a song in the café and offer some historical background.

Chanson de voyageurs.

The voyageurs were mostly of French-Canadian ascent and were hired to paddle canoes roughly from Montréal in the East to Winnipeg in the West, between 1784 and 1880, going through the Great Lakes and rivers of Manitoba. To help them keep the pace, they would sing songs known as "chanson de voyageurs". 

"C'est l'aviron qui nous mène" [It's the paddle that leads us] is probably the best known voyageurs song. Imagine you have been paddling a fully loaded canoe for 8 hours, your arms are really tired, your shoulders are aching and the only thing that keeps you moving is a song... You will note that in the first few lines there is a reference to "La Rochelle", a town in France, where the voyageurs probably never have been to. Many of these songs were originally from France and were adapted by the voyageurs.