Ojibwe Traveling Song

Although some believe drum songs are for everyone to use, it is best to seek guidance from someone who is a drumkeeper or songkeeper, or who has more knowledge about the history and use of each song.

The Traveling song came to us from the Treaty 3 First Nation Territory of Ontario. The Ojibwe traveling song is sung as a means and a desire for people to have safe travels. It is also sung for times when the spirit of a person leaves this realm and makes the journey to the next realm. Ojibwe believe that the physical body is a vessel but the spirit is eternal, passing between realms.

Native American songs are comprised of a series of vocables and sometimes contain words in a First Nation language. Vocables are syllables that are sung on different notes mostly comprised of the audible sounds. of "wey", "hey", "heya". The pitch or melody of the song is more important than the vocables themselves.

The words for the Ojibwe traveling song are as follows:

Giin gosha naa

Mii sa wenji-bimoseyaan

It is because of you that is why we are walking in this way

*Walking in this context refers to the person moving on

*Information and song lyrics courtesy of RedBone Singers (Isiah Olson, Donald Blackhawk, Jake Littlejohn, Randy Gresczyk) a Twin Cities drum group made up of members of the Ojibwe, Lakota, Dakota, and Ho-Chunk Nations.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vB2WIggRjI4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=RDYasUDXVw_Us&v=YasUDXVw_Us