Shebahonaning 1820 - Killarney, Ontario

Music from Shebahonaning / Killarney, Ontario Canada

On Georgian Bay, Lake Huron, Ontario

Shebahonaning (Ojibwe for "safe passage") is the traditional name for the village of Killarney, Ontario.

Located on the North Channel of Georgian Bay on Lake Huron, it was established as a fur trading post in 1820.

Today, it is a popular destination for boaters and nature lovers.

📍 Location & MeaningName Meaning: In Anishinaabemowin, the name roughly translates to "safe canoe passage" or "narrow water route".

Geography: Situated perfectly between the white quartzite peaks of the La Cloche Mountains and the pink granite shores of Georgian Bay.

Proximity:

Approximately 90 minutes southwest of Sudbury.

HistoryFirst Nations Roots: The area has been a travel route and fishing station for Anishinaabe ancestors—including the Ojibwe, Odawa, and Potawatomi—for thousands of years.

Fur Trade Settlement: The first European settler, French-Canadian fur trader Étienne Augustin de la Morandière, established a trading post here in June 1820.

Transition to Killarney: The exact date the name was officially changed to Killarney is unknown, though it appeared on postal stamps in the mid-1850s, replacing the Shebahonaning name.

From Drummond Island to Shebahonaning 1820

Du quai de Drummond Island
les avirons mordent l’eau
Quinze hommes, un vieux capot
et le sel sur le peau

On part pour le poste
du Nord-Ouest, loin du bruit
Avec le froid dans la paume
et le lac qui nous suit

[Pre-Chorus]
Tirez, mes frères, tirez
la nuit garde le chemin
Nimishoomis, écoute
on va là-bas demain

[Chorus]
Shebonaning, ho! (Shebonaning, ho!)
Garde nos noms sur l’eau
Shebonaning, ho! (Shebonaning, ho!)
On rame, on rame haut
Boozhoo, aki, bénis-nous
We bring the canoes home

[Verse 2]
La voile sent la résine
le lin, la fumée, le thé
Trombone au bout du vent
comme un rire déplié

Entre les pins et l’écume
on chante pour ne pas tomber
“Ah! la mer, ma belle mère”
et la soupe va bouillir

[Pre-Chorus]
Tirez, mes frères, tirez
le courant veut nos genoux
Aaniin, gigawaabamin
le ciel se penche sur nous

[Chorus]
Shebonaning, ho! (Shebonaning, ho!)
Garde nos noms sur l’eau
Shebonaning, ho! (Shebonaning, ho!)
On rame, on rame haut
Boozhoo, aki, bénis-nous
We bring the canoes home

[Bridge]
Là-bas, le poste attend
du fer, du sel, des mots
Mais ce soir, c’est notre route
et la lune sur nos peaux

Kwe, danse avec le vent
turn the bow, hold steady now
Nimino-ayaa, mon cœur
we cross this water somehow

[Final Chorus]
Shebonaning, ho! (Shebonaning, ho!)
Garde nos noms sur l’eau
Shebonaning, ho! (Shebonaning, ho!)
On rame, on rame haut
Boozhoo, aki, bénis-nous
Killarney, we come home