Music Cape Breton's Diversity in Unity

Ko’jua is the most popular genre of traditional Mi’kmaw song and dance. There are more than fifteen different songs that fall into this category and employ vocables such as Ko’jua enna’. This particular Ko’jua variant is popular today at powwows as a Grand Entry song.

This field recording was collected by Ronnie MacEachern in 1978.

Ko’jua (Grand Entry), 1978. Noel Pol Denny. T-1076. Beaton Institute, Cape Breton University.

Artist

Noel P. Denny

Noel P. Denny was born in February, 1910, and was the son of Peter Denny of Eskasoni and Helen (Sylliboy) Denny. Noel was known as Noel Pol and was a kind and well respected elder of Eskasoni. He was the brother of the late Annie Cremo, and like Annie and others within his family, he was well versed in Mi’kmaq Prayers and traditional Mi’kmaw songs. He was well known for singing Ko’jua, the traditional Mi’kmaw dance song and he shared his knowledge of traditional songs and prayers with anyone wishing to learn. Ko’jua is a song genre meant to encourage everyone to come on the floor and dance. This song is significant to Mi’kmaw social gatherings and is still widely sung today.

Noel Pol died on March 26, 1981 at the age of 71.