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Women's Jingle Dance - Pow Wow Song (With Fun Facts)
Here is our song that we sing for women's jingle dances. This is a better recording than the one I gave a few weeks ago. The song is in an Algonquian dialect. Some people sometimes ask us what the songs are saying and so I think I should actually write something about that.
Originally pow wow songs were all in vocables, meaning syllables like "hey" "yah" "yoh" "wey" etc. This was done so that songs could be learned between different tribes without the language being an issue. This way various tribes of differing languages could all hear and recognize a song and could sing along with it.
However, there was a systematic attempt by the US and Canada first to wipe all of us out; men, women, and even little children; and then later those in my grandfather's generation and the generation before his were put through boarding schools that were designed to "kill the Indian and save the man". Many of these children were tortured or beaten, and sometimes even killed, if they were caught speaking the language or practicing any sort of religious ceremony that they had known growing up in their tribes. This left a generation that was not able to teach their children their culture or language.
In recent decades, there has been a massive effort by tribes all over the US and Canada to bring back the languages through many different programs that are teaching our people everything again, including our culture and our religious practices. Most important, many of our children are now going to bilingual schools that are teaching them both English and their Native language. One of the ways that are being used to reintroduce languages are by putting language into these songs now.
Now many of these songs that are sung have one small phrase or a series of phrases that keep the language alive. It's not totally vital, as you listen at a pow wow to know the meaning of the words that are spoken, more so that it is important to let the music send the good energy your way. Most songs however are very similar in text and say something along the lines of "It is a good day to dance." or "It is great to be together as a family." Or something similar. Some songs speak very specifically about young warriors or other types of things; but most are simple phrases about being together as a family.
That being said, here is this song and I hope you enjoy it!
Originally pow wow songs were all in vocables, meaning syllables like "hey" "yah" "yoh" "wey" etc. This was done so that songs could be learned between different tribes without the language being an issue. This way various tribes of differing languages could all hear and recognize a song and could sing along with it.
However, there was a systematic attempt by the US and Canada first to wipe all of us out; men, women, and even little children; and then later those in my grandfather's generation and the generation before his were put through boarding schools that were designed to "kill the Indian and save the man". Many of these children were tortured or beaten, and sometimes even killed, if they were caught speaking the language or practicing any sort of religious ceremony that they had known growing up in their tribes. This left a generation that was not able to teach their children their culture or language.
In recent decades, there has been a massive effort by tribes all over the US and Canada to bring back the languages through many different programs that are teaching our people everything again, including our culture and our religious practices. Most important, many of our children are now going to bilingual schools that are teaching them both English and their Native language. One of the ways that are being used to reintroduce languages are by putting language into these songs now.
Now many of these songs that are sung have one small phrase or a series of phrases that keep the language alive. It's not totally vital, as you listen at a pow wow to know the meaning of the words that are spoken, more so that it is important to let the music send the good energy your way. Most songs however are very similar in text and say something along the lines of "It is a good day to dance." or "It is great to be together as a family." Or something similar. Some songs speak very specifically about young warriors or other types of things; but most are simple phrases about being together as a family.
That being said, here is this song and I hope you enjoy it!
Category Music / Other Music
Species Mouse
Size 120 x 106px
File Size 4.2 MB
This is wonderful...and a great (and sad) capsule history too. I am glad to see many of the American tribes trying to bring back their language. So much has been lost and hopefully it's not too late.
The use of those vocables (which has been used in American stereotypes of Native people) is a very interesting adaptive strategy too!
The use of those vocables (which has been used in American stereotypes of Native people) is a very interesting adaptive strategy too!
Love me some pow wow songs!
Even though I dont belong to my family's tribe since we are sadly disconnected, Im trying to learn the Lenape language. Its the language that some of my ancestors would of spoken and it feels good to hear the elders recorded telling stories in the language. Im not sure if its disrespectful for me to learn since my family and I are displaced, and were mixed with african american too, and Id stop if it wasnt right for me to do, but I have to admit, it feels really good to hear what my ancestors would of spoken before english was forced onto them.
Even though I dont belong to my family's tribe since we are sadly disconnected, Im trying to learn the Lenape language. Its the language that some of my ancestors would of spoken and it feels good to hear the elders recorded telling stories in the language. Im not sure if its disrespectful for me to learn since my family and I are displaced, and were mixed with african american too, and Id stop if it wasnt right for me to do, but I have to admit, it feels really good to hear what my ancestors would of spoken before english was forced onto them.
I'm part Lenape, too, but there is basically no one left in Lenapehoking who is full blooded Lenape. Only those who were in Kansas/Oklahoma in 1903 can even be federally registered with the tribal nation that's out there. Those Lenape who were left behind in NJ often are mestizo (mixed with black or even caribbean background) or white skinned. There's a certain amount of diaspora, considering how early many Lenape bands left NJ, or chose to stay, but chose to assimilate or were forced to in order to survive.
Learning is great! There's lots of lessons for Unami, at least, since it's the main dialect, but you might find it strange to know that your ancestors likely spoke a mix of Dutch and Lenape, not English. NJ was a Dutch colony before it became an English one, after all, and there was actually a lot of legal trading and purchase of land between the two nations (Lenape and Netherlands immigrants). I have a far off Scottish ancestor who was actually one of the first people to legally purchase land from the Lenape, heh. But yeah, don't feel bad about learning, just do it in the proper manner and never speak over someone who lives on rez or grew up in community.
Learning is great! There's lots of lessons for Unami, at least, since it's the main dialect, but you might find it strange to know that your ancestors likely spoke a mix of Dutch and Lenape, not English. NJ was a Dutch colony before it became an English one, after all, and there was actually a lot of legal trading and purchase of land between the two nations (Lenape and Netherlands immigrants). I have a far off Scottish ancestor who was actually one of the first people to legally purchase land from the Lenape, heh. But yeah, don't feel bad about learning, just do it in the proper manner and never speak over someone who lives on rez or grew up in community.
Thats interesting! My grandmother told me very specifically that our Lenape ancestors were from the Lehigh Valley in Pennsylvania. But yes, I had no idea that the Lenape as a whole were very mixed!
Thats cool that the Lenape lived in relative harmony with the Dutch before stuff went bad, Im guessing this was before the Walking Purchase (not too sure what state the walking purchase happen in). But Oh yes, I would never speak over people who live n the rez or grew up in their community, I sit and listen to what they have to say.
Thats cool that the Lenape lived in relative harmony with the Dutch before stuff went bad, Im guessing this was before the Walking Purchase (not too sure what state the walking purchase happen in). But Oh yes, I would never speak over people who live n the rez or grew up in their community, I sit and listen to what they have to say.
It's dependent on the band, but yeah, because of early colonization it happened earlier than in other tribes.
Relative. There was still bad stuff in some areas, but there were legal exchanges and people learning both languages to do trade with one another. The Walking Purchase was much later. You gotta understand that people were in America from Europe from the 1500s onwards, so well before "America" was a thought as a nation really.
Relative. There was still bad stuff in some areas, but there were legal exchanges and people learning both languages to do trade with one another. The Walking Purchase was much later. You gotta understand that people were in America from Europe from the 1500s onwards, so well before "America" was a thought as a nation really.
Let me just say that you're in a part of the country where reconnecting is easier in terms of your appearance not being as much of an issue. Up in the Northeast where most Native people have at least one non-Native ancestor, and many have some significant percentage of African or White, you have one less barrier you have to climb. It's harder in areas like Arizona and California where so many Indians are still "full blooded" where it can be very intimidating to be among your own people if you stick out too much; and even there I have luckily found that this isn't as much as an issue as it may seem. Now, I'm about 3/4 Native, with 1/4 White (Italian). I still "look Native" by most accounts, but because of that 1/4 white, my skin tone, while still darker than a white person, is considerably lighter than most other of my fellow Arizona Indians who tend to be VERY dark in that part of the country. Despite still looking Native, I stick out a lot among my Arizona brothers and sisters, which makes even ME self-conscious. I've found out though that people don't look at my skin tone as much as I had feared they did. Even when I'm on the rez back home, I look around and I notice that people are not staring at me or looking at me like I'm from somewhere else. I think this is more because of how I walk, how I look at people, how I talk to people, and the mannerisms that seem to characterize us. Really, I feel like, at least in my experience, Indians don't care as much as you have been made to think, about physical appearance. So the reason I am telling you this is that you can venture out a little more than you have, and you can connect with your local community. Heck I know you're near Shinnecock and I know a few people from there. I know for certain that you can definitely get involved. I'm involved here in New England, despite not being Wampanoag or Narragansett. I'm an Arizona Indian, but still, this community has allowed me to be a part of them, and I am convinced that you can be involved in your surrounding communities as well if you want it enough, if you want to become a part of their family.
-Juniper 'Stands Firm'
-Juniper 'Stands Firm'
Thats good to know hehe *breaths a tiny sigh of relief*, but ya know Ive never though of that, helping out the Shinnecock folks, but Id love to help. Ive wanted to get involved in *some* way with a community but I didnt know how to go about it and I didnt want to end up overstepping my bounds in some way. I dont want to seem like some random outsider commin in and be that awkward person haha. But I would definitely love to help if I could in some way, so ill have to do a little research! Thank you for that!
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