Take Me Home

by Diane Barbarash

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Two months ago, my father came to me in a dream. I’d been waiting for him to show up for 13 years. Now at last, there he stood with classic resolute, par for the course for this giant legend of a human who left such a profound mark on so many.

In 1965, CBC-Radio (Canada’s government funded national radio broadcaster) decided to air a new program called “Indian Magazine” with the intention of educating the Canadian public about First Nations communities in the northern regions of Ontario. My father was hired as producer, the first of many such titles in a long and vibrant career with the CBC. Always one step ahead, he insisted that the show’s on-air host had to be indigenous, a ballsy move for that time. My father was a quiet rebel; when he believed in something he stood his ground. And so it went that Johnny Yesno was hired for the job. Although the show itself was a mere 15 minutes-a-day spot, John Barbarash and Johnny Yesno rocked it, and people took notice.

By the early 1970’s Indian Magazine had evolved into Our Native Land, and my father was given an assignment that I believed changed him forever - he was tasked to travel across the country to visit reserves and document their stories. In true form, my father took his role seriously, travelling from Eastern Canada all the way to the West Coast. I remember him describing how deeply humbled he felt each time he was allowed on a First Nations reserve, and the profound warmth with which he was welcomed. During those trips, he made long lasting friendships, one of whom was Chief Dan George, who as the story goes, awakened him in the middle of the night from his hotel bed, then hurried him into a van that drove for many hours through forest and off roads, arriving finally at a longhouse fire ceremony where dancers were waiting to celebrate him. Years later, he shared with me his shock during those travels of discovering firsthand the extent of the ongoing genocide and the profound disappointment of not being allowed to speak about it freely on air, due to the politics that governed his show.

In my dream my father appears with his hair in two braids woven with white leather and fringes. I gaze at him in awe, but he downplays the honor, not wanting that kind of attention. Ever humble, he is my constant reminder that recognition does not define one’s choice to stand in your truth.

In Memory of John Barbarash and Johnny Yesno.

lyrics

oh lord when you see me take me home
lost from the pleasures I have known
don’t you make me wait so long
oh lord take me home
oh lord take me home

now John’s my father keep him safe
his love was selfless his eyes had faith
hold him strong in your embrace
oh lord keep him safe
oh lord keep him safe

oh lord when you see me take me home
I lost my child in the Irish fold
and Dunmore boys light up like gold
oh lord bring her home
oh lord bring her home

my prayers are silent my heart is worn
this earth won’t promise the love I hope for
don’t you make me wait so long
oh my heart is worn
oh my heart is worn

oh lord when you see me take me home
lost from the pleasures I have known
don’t you make me wait so long
oh lord take me home
oh lord take me home
oh lord take me home

credits

released September 5, 2022
written and produced by Diane Barbarash
clawhammer banjo - Diane Barbarash
violin - Cameron Wilson

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Diane Barbarash Vancouver, British Columbia

Thank you to the ones who inspire me daily to be true to myself when I write... Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, Steve Earle, Sigur Ros, Kathleen Edwards, Kacey Musgraves, Julie Miller, Rhianna, Future, Bon Iver, Yellawolf, Lights and to songwriters everywhere ... more

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