Eleventh Anniversary of Norval Morrisseau's Passing Into the Spirit World

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Ozaawaabiko-binesi ~ Copper Thunderbird ~ Miskwaabik Animikii

/1931-2007/

By marakakore-
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"COPPER THUNDER BIRD"


Will the red, blues, and yellows, flow again soon?

Echoes of dawn sun, whispers of day moon

Your life hangs like a leaf deep in November

The raging fire of spring do you remember?


CHORUS: Ozawa Pug Nesi, Copper Thunder Bird

Ozawa Pug Nesi, Copper Thunder Bird


Ozawa Pug Nesi, they once named you

Thunder bird of copper, yes, they called you

Tossed by winter winds, scorched by a fire

You spread your wings and flew higher and higher.

Bear and serpent essence dancing

Spirit of the loon so softly singing

And Jesus with his ragged black hair, bending

His mouth down to the Earth a message sending.


How can your pale patrons understand you

Shaped by dark forest green and crystal sky blue?

Like a lone and restless wolf watching them playing

With songs deep from your soul you can't help singing.

Will you sail a canoe caught in a bottle?

Or on the deep river of your People?

Or do your pictures come deep from the storm sky?

And will they disappear when the wild winds die?


© 1990 by David Campbell /All Rights Reserved/



"Around the end of the eighties... I was writing songs about Native American heroes... and wrote this song about Norval Morrisseau... who I considered to be one. After... I met him and told him I'd written a song about him. He didn't say much... but he didn't disapprove. In today's newspaper... I read that he had passed on... yesterday... and thought that I should pay tribute with this song... to Norval... one of the master painters of the world.

Rest In Peace... Norval."

David Campbell


© 1990 David Campbell - a self taught song-writer/singer, poet, painter, writer and guitarist. He was born and raised in Guyana, South America. His father was Arawak Indian and his mother was Guyana Portuguese. He is a Canadian citizen who now resides in Vancouver, BC, Canada.
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