'By and for settlers': Convocation ceremony prompts N.L. to re-examine its anthem

Icebergs are seen off Twillingate, N.L., on Monday, June 5, 2017. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Colin Perkel 

ST. JOHN'S, N.L. -

A decision by Memorial University has prompted a provincewide discussion about Newfoundland and Labrador's provincial anthem.

The Ode to Newfoundland is played in schools, at hockey games and at the beginning of some radio broadcasts across Newfoundland. But it was Memorial University's decision to not play the Ode at its convocation ceremonies in October that launched a passionate conversation on social media and within Newfoundland and Labrador politics.

"The ode was not written with a diversity of people in mind," said Catharyn Andersen, Indigenous vice-president at the university in St. John's. "It was written by a governor, and it was by and for settlers."

Andersen said in an interview that she has long heard from Indigenous and other students that they don't feel included when the Ode is played each year during Memorial's convocation ceremonies.

The Ode to Newfoundland was written in 1902 by Sir Cavendish Boyle, a British civil servant who served as colonial governor of Newfoundland. The music was written by British composer Sir Hubert Perry. Newfoundland was a British colony at the time; it didn't join Confederation with Canada until 1949.

The provincial government adopted the Ode as Newfoundland and Labrador's official anthem in 1979. The song speaks of "shimm'ring white" snow, "starlit" nights, and ends with "God guard thee Newfoundland."

Though the Ode is widely played across Newfoundland, Andersen noted that she didn't hear it much when she was growing up in the Inuit Nunatsiavut region of Labrador, except at the beginning of some television broadcasts. The Ode doesn't mention Labrador at all.

Much of the debate that sprang on social media and elsewhere when Memorial University omitted the customary Ode in October focused on Labrador's absence in the song. Andersen said that while that is an important aspect of the conversation -- Labrador is often left out of political and economic discussions about the province, she said -- it's the song's history and context that should be better understood.

The Ode, she said, was written at a time when Europeans were exploring Labrador with an eye to its resources and while Newfoundland's natural wealth was being extracted without thought to the island's Indigenous populations. Andersen said the song's sweeping romanticizations of Newfoundland's "pine-clad hills" and "smiling land" need to be appreciated in that context.

"When we think about truth and reconciliation, truth has to come first," she said. "And I think the truth piece often is just a better understanding of our history. A lot of the true history of our country and the different places that we come from in this country, is not always understood. Because it's been told from a certain perspective, and not all voices have been included."

Chris Andrews, lead singer of traditional Newfoundland band Shanneyganock, said he understands those who oppose Memorial University's decision, and those who support it. Shanneyganock often sings the Ode during their concerts, Andrew said, adding that it's an "amazing feeling" to have the entire crowd belt it out with him.

"If we stopped doing everything that makes us unique, we're going to be the same as everybody else, and that will make us a pretty boring place," he said in an interview. "We certainly should be proud of a lot of our culture and heritage, and continue to be unique, but we also have to remember that it's a changing place. We have to make sure we leave room for change for everybody to feel included."

Andrews said he wonders if the lyrics to the Ode could be changed to better reflect and include the province's diverse populations.

Meanwhile, some politicians have denounced the decision to stop using the Ode at Memorial's convocation ceremonies. Barry Petten, shadow minister for education with the Progressive Conservatives, tabled a motion last month to have the university include both the Ode to Newfoundland and the Ode to Labrador at its ceremonies.

Andersen, however, said the idea of changing the song's lyrics "might be a start."

"But it can't just be about adding in Labrador -- that would not be sufficient," she said. "The whole song would need to be looked at."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 19, 2022.