Tobique First Nations musician Mike Bern, best known for his work with award-winning bands Krotch and District Avenue, has released his first new single, “First Mother,” inspired by a Wolastoqiyik legend.
The story behind “First Mother” is pulled from Life and Traditions of the Red Man, a collection of legends that were compiled, written and published in 1893 by Joseph Nicolar, a Penobscot Native, about his own people.
According to Bern, the story goes that a mother who is unhappy with her life wants her husband to put her to rest so that she doesn’t have to see her children and others suffer any longer. After her death, she wishes to be placed in a field and for her family to return to the field after seven moons to gather all they can find and eat it, for it would be her flesh. Her husband fulfills the request.
“My song is an adaptation of the legend ‘The Story of the First Mother.’ I borrowed a book from my aunt who is a linguist at [the University of New Brunswick] in Fredericton,” says Bern.
“I was having a hard time finding inspiration to write this new album. Then I came across this story that inspired me to write ‘First Mother,’ carrying on the story.”
“I could relate to the story,” continues Bern. “A mother sacrifices so much to give to their children. In the story the mother was unhappy with her life. She wanted her husband to slay her. She didn’t want to see her children and people suffer no more.”
Lyrics “I watch the rain, I feel your pain, I hear the wind screaming insanely” suggest that the First Mother’s spirit still lives on through the many facets of nature and that her pain is still felt by many in the intensity of the rain and the wind.
Musically, the song almost feels as though it were recorded in the 90s. The vocals take us back to the days of Pearl Jam, Incubus and Soundgarden.
“These are legends that were carried down generation by generation. […] I believe it is very important to share these stories for future generations. It is such a powerful story. And in today’s world women do this on a daily basis and are never given the recognition.”