American Awareness of Canadian Culture

As humble Canadians, we often take our culture for granted.... Or we take it for granted that others pay as much attention as we do. But we forget how large and consequently how uninterested in outsiders, our American neighbours can be. It seems they are sometimes stunned to find that other countries have our own interpretations of American content, or even our own original work, and how powerful those manipulations can be in extending the range and meaning of any creation.

I was at an outdoor folk music festival several years ago, and attended a workshop held on a small stage, featuring 3 American musicians who were covering in tribute the songs of the Oklahoma-born songwriter and activist Woody Guthrie. They were very versatile and original artists, and we were an extremely appreciative audience, the weather being fine and the energy upbeat. The musicians took turns playing a Guthrie composition, and accompanying each other, and for the last number, they began a rousing rendition of 'This Land is Our Land, This Land is Your Land.' They sang the original version, written by Guthrie almost 70 years ago, with the American place names "... from California, to New York Island..." and we all tapped our feet appreciatively.