Originally named the Ookpik Waltz, this tune was written in 1965 by British Columbian fiddler Frankie Rodgers (1936-2009). It is also known as the Eskimo Waltz because of rumors that it was composed by an Eskimo, probably as a result of the fact that Ookpik is an Inuktitut word for "arctic owl."
This waltz was written by Pete Sutherland but is sometimes incorrectly credited to Julee Glaub, who recorded it on her 2001 CD Fields Faraway. It was published in the book The Neighborhood Waltz: Original and Traditional Waltzes by Pete Sutherland, and included on the CD Sunday River (A Pete Sutherland Waltz Collection).
This waltz was written by harpist Bonnie Epstein, at the time a resident of Greenwich NY, to be played at the wedding of a friend. She explains its origin as follows: "This tune was written on Meriden Hill in Columbia, New Hampshire, for a cousin's wedding. The wedding was held outside at his cabin in the woods, with forty people and nine very large dogs attending. As the ceremony was starting, a guest had an epileptic seizure. The paramedics arrived but refused to get out of their car until all of the dogs were put into the house. So the dogs and I went in, all vying for a spot by the window. The guest was fine and when I was given the "all clear" I opened the cabin door and out raced the dogs, like a tidal wave. The wedding on the hill continued but the tune was never played that day!"