ONIYA WAKAN

The lyric for “Oniya Wakan,” a work for SATB Chorus, was adapted by the composer from the poem “Sacred Breath” by Mona Susan Power. The music and the lyric reflect on the forced removal of indigenous children to residential boarding schools.
The music was composed akin to one long breath of sound, in four segued sections (without stops). Analogous to a river of air, a steady hemiola (duple against triple) between the upper and lower voices was fostered for a sustained rippling effect; The rhythmic two-versus-three feel of the rhythm floats the music along a course of both moonlight and indigenous history.
Special thanks to Mona Susan Power for her spirited poem, and to Wayne Kivell, Peter Schleif and the I Cantanti Chamber Choir for the Oniya Wakan commission. - Brent Michael Davids
Lyrics ©2022, Mona Susan Power. Used with Permission.
Music ©2022, Brent Michael Davids. All rights Reserved.