Keshagesh

Keshagesh is a greedy puppy, a Cree word for 'greedy guts', and is featured in the chorus of a new Buffy Sainte-Marie song. I know this because she has told me and she can tell you if you'd like to listen.

Buffy undertakes speaking engagements throughout the year and these are sometimes reported in newspapers, so I know that Buffy talks about the absence of colleges of peace and reads a poem called 'The War Racket'. But I've never heard one of her speeches - until this evening.

A couple of weeks ago Buffy was a guest speaker at the national conference of the Canadian Union of Public Employees and the union recorded that speech and posted it as an mp3 on its website - click here for a short article about Buffy and the mp3 file (which lasts for 27 minutes).

Buffy has been in the peace business for over 40 years so she's worth listening to. Her analysis is incisive, "war is money-laundering". And you can hear the outrage and disgust in her voice as she says it. She also talks about the Creator, about being a young singer with too much money so she set up an education foundation, about 1492 and native Americans being slaughtered by alcoholics. There is pain in her speech. But there is hope and forgiveness and joy. There is laughter. And lots of applause.

Buffy is a powerful speaker, a very creative speaker, and she takes us on a journey. Take a short journey with Buffy and take a listen.

And thanks to Michael for pointing me in the direction of CUPE.