FROM AWAY

By Jennifer Armstrong

"From Away" is a celebration of settlers to Maine in song and story from local musician/storyteller, Jennifer Armstrong.  With the aid of her drum, bagpipe, dulcimer, fiddle, thumb piano and banjo, Jennifer brings to life songs and stories from the Wabanaki, French, English, Irish, Swedish, Finnish, Thai and Somali settlers to our state.  How long are you "from away" when you move to Maine?  Till the last person who knows where you're from forgets! 

From Away Program

Native American
1. Passamaquoddy Song of Greeting
Creation STORY - DRUM
2. From Away  FIDDLE

Franco-American  (in 1763 France lost all claim to territory in Maine)
3. Du Nanane  -  FIDDLE
1604 first settlement French
4. Good Fish Chowder  - BANJO
5. Virgie and the Mermaid  - Down East STORY
6. BAGPIPE

Swedish Is Maine next to Texas?  Are there crocodiles or wild horses? (in 1870 WW Thomas brought 51 to  New Sweden. Population diminishing in Maine and NH after Civil War. Thomas convinced Maine lawmakers to give Swedish
settlers a log cabin and 100 acres free to settle in Aroostook County)
7. Stephen Stalla Drang - BANJO/Dulcimer?
Finnish and lumbering (early 1900 came to Maine to avoid being conscripted
in the Russian army. Couldn't own land in Finland. Dreamed of owning land,
potatoes and a cow.  carved puppets "lumberjacks")
8. How The Bear Got  A Stumpy Tail  -  Finnish STORY
9. Lumberjack (dancing puppet)/Sit Down Dance - FIDDLE
Thai
10. Thai Baby Rocking Song - ACC
Maine 98.7% white In 2001 Somali refugees chose Lewiston. Sent out 7 young men in every direction to find a good place to live. This is known as sahan, an ages old practice used to find water for the cattle back in arid Somalia.
11.  The Lion's Whisker -  Somali STORY  (Jamal)
12. Finest Town By The Sea  BANJO  C