Based loosely on George Orwell’s Animal Farm and written “as a tribute to the animals of past, present and future,” Trappers Cabin 2006 release For My Friends tells the story of an animal nation and their struggle for equality.
Take a listen to the third track called “The Wandering Mirabel” [mp3] and read along to the story which inspired the song.
A long time ago a Mare and her filly, Mirabel, lived free in the western plains. They ran free and lived off the land. As they traveled northwest they came upon the mighty Rocky Mountains, they thrived and lived life in the mighty mountain land. One day a group of humans happened upon them and captured them. They brought them back to their farm and tamed them. They began working and using them to make their farm successful; however, the humans were cruel. They’d work them endless hours and isolate them. As the years came and went, the Mare got sick and died. With the loss of her mother, Mirabel began thinking about the past and about life in general. Why were we once free and now slaves to this farm? The sadness began to set in and Mirabel decided she would attempt an escape and leave the farm to return to her mountain freedom. She successfully escaped; however, was caught and returned to the farm. Throughout the years she attempted multiple escapes but was always caught, returned and punished. She was not much of a runner - she observed too much and would get easily distracted with the beauty of the mountains.
She felt helpless and thought she would never again be free. One night she snuck out of the farm and decided to go up to Old Red Canyon Creek. The Northern Lights were out that night and helped guide her all the way there. She sat for awhile and watched the lights and then decided to lay herself in the creek and drown herself. The story goes that her spirit floated up to the sky and the Northern Lights took it and guided it to the next chapter. It may sound strange but on a good night with the Northern Lights out you can see Mirabel running free in the sky. -Trappers Cabin
So, are animals sentient beings or are they simply instinctual beings? That is, do animals have personality traits and exhibit feelings like humans or do they merely react in a survivalist mode? Attitudes towards animals vary culture from culture as do accepted levels of anthropomorphism and these types of questions tend to be a more recent phenomenon in both philosophical and scientific debate.
Trappers Cabin shared, “I’m not smart enough of a man to truly comprehend what animals feel or understand but deep down inside me I feel a connection. For me, that connection demands that I respect and appreciate every living thing on the planet!” Thanks Trappers Cabin for reminding us of the importance of our animal friends!
"For My Friends" was released in 2006 on Mountain Man Records hidden deep in the mountains of North Georgia and is available through CD Baby here:
http://cdbaby.com/cd/trapperscabin2
Visit Trappers Cabin on the net here:
http://www.trapperscabin.net/
If you are interested in reading and thinking more about animal sentience here are a few links to articles for suggested further reading:
Animal Sentience and the Evolution of Emotion
http://www.awionline.org/pubs/Quarterly/05_54_2/542p67.htm
Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/consciousness-animal/
Envirolink
http://www.envirolink.org/resource.html?itemid=200307020334440.223737&catid=5
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