Nibi (Water) Song

Nibi (Water) Song

Dorene Day, arr. Jonathan Posthuma

The story of the Nibi (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.

Ojiwbemowin*: Ne-be Gee Zah-gay-e-goo Gee Me-gwetch-wayn ne-me-goo Gee Zah Wayn ne-me-goo

English: Water, we love you We thank you 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 Note about style: Grace notes are generally sung quickly, on the beat, and accented. But at Rehearsal A, they are longer, smoother and more free, in order to create a calm, water-like texture. Soloists should listen to a recording to match the vocal style and interpretation, as well as the character and diction of the Ojibwe language. Tenors at Rehearsal B, should sing with a resonant, vibrant, and full-throated tone, as in the traditional male singing of Native American music.

This arrangement can be freely copied and distributed, please notify the composer of any performances, see www.jonathanposthuma.com for more information

Nibi (Water) Song Dorene Day arr. Jonathan Posthuma (b. 1989) Slow, Tenderly; q. = 40 SOPRANO

9 8

12 8

ALTO

9 8

12 8

Solo

9 8

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9 8

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BASS

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pp

be be

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gay ge

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stagger breathe

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tch wayn t ue n

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12 8 © 2016, Jonathan Posthuma The Water Song by Dorene Day is licensed under a Creative CommonsAttribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.

International License.

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q. = 40

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-- Saint Paul, MN October 10, 2016