OH MOTHER
Rachelle van Zanten
by Cynthia Rondeau
It’s just past nine in the morning and Rachelle van
partner Mae Moore, an award winning singer/songwriter Zanten is at the breakfast table with her family. We’re on and social/political activist, has always had a special place the phone. I can hear her little one in the background and in van Zanten’s memory. She recalls filling the woodshed I see mine eating his cereal. It all seems very natural: two as a teenager while listening to Mae Moore’s music. mothers talking about the mothers of us all. I Fight For Life, a song van Zanten is using The critically acclaimed musician and outspoken to support conservation efforts in northern BC, was activist grew up in the Francois Lake area and attended originally a speech written to present to the Northern the Grassy Plains church. There, on her grandmother’s Gateway Joint Review Panel but when she was not lap she learned to harmonize. Her own mother, Diane, allowed to deliver the speech, she instead composed played guitar and piano. Her grandfather played guitar. the song. This indomitable artist’s music has become a The aspiring young singer stole her mother’s guitar and powerful and effective weapon in the fight to protect our the rest, as they say, is history. land. Music and melody spreading out across the land like Earlier this year, van Zanten released the our waters. album “Oh Mother”, beautifully produced by multi- The Canoe Song was co-written by van Zanten instrumentalist Joby Baker. The album was born from and Kispiox artist Roy Henry Vickers. Each wrote a grief and joy. It came from the void that her mother left version of the Canoe Song and the two blended their when she passed away, the birth of her own daughter, and interpretations. Fred’s Sweat Drum Group and Fred her passion to protect our Mother Earth. Oh Mother is Roland’s vocals will give you goose bumps. Lillian an inspiring collection of music that speaks to love, life Campbell, a Tahltan Elder, spoke at a gathering after and family. The opening song, bearing the same name as Shell pulled out its proposed developments in the “Sacred the album, was written with Jean Christian who had also Headwaters” region of northern BC. Part of her speech is recently lost her mother. The song reminds us all of the added to the song. The words are inspiring and powerful, fragility of life and how we all need our moms. the words of a Tahltan grandmother who also “fights for It’s not all heart-rending stuff, though. One song life”. is called CT1 Star Pole. I had to ask van Zanten what a Our conversation is wrapping up and I mention CT1 star pole is—I had no idea. Her partner is a skier and the Skeena Watershed Conservation Coalition (SWCC) apparently a CT1 star pole is the inspiring through the power of “lightest carbon ski pole” one can the grizzly bear. Grizzly spirit I Fight For Life buy. The song is a funny romantic reminds us of courage and ode to their love. strength. We laugh because our Rachelle’s I Fight For Life single from the Oh Mother album is just one of many ways The slide guitar in the kids roll around like little cubs. As the singer and activist is contributing to blues song Troubled Town is mothers we both feel that if our ?????????????U????????????????????????????????Q?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
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