Native - American Songs

Ritual Poetry

Song of the Earth (Navaja)

The Earth is beautiful.

The Earth is beautiful.

The Earth is beautiful.

Below the East, the Earth, its face toward the East.

The top of its head ist beautiful.

The soles of its feet are beautiful.

Its feet, they are beautiful.

Its legs, they are beautiful.

Its bod, it is beautiful.

Its chest, its breast, its head feather,

They are beautiful.

Below the West, the Sky, it is beautiful, its face toward the West.

The top of its head is beautiful.

The soles of its feet are beautiful.

Its feet, they are beautiful.

Its legs, they are beautiful.

Its bod, it is beautiful.

Its chest, its breast, its head feather,

They are beautiful.

Below the East, the Dawn, its face toward the East.

The top of its head is beautiful.

The soles of its feet are beautiful.

Its feet, they are beautiful.

Its legs, they are beautiful.

Its bod, it is beautiful.

Its chest, its breast, its head feather,

They are beautiful.

Below the West, the afterglow of sundown, its face toward the West,

Is beautiful.

Below the East, White Corn, its face toward the East,

Is beautiful.

Below the South, blue Corn, its face toward the South,

Is beautiful.

Below the West, Yellow Corn, its face toward the West,

Is beuatiful.

Below the North, Varicolored Corn, its face toward the North,

Is beautiful.

Below the East, Sahanahray, its face toward the East,

Is beautiful.

Below the West, Bekayhozhon, its face toward the West,

Is beautiful.

Below the East, Corn Pollen, its face toward the East,

Is beautiful.

Below the West, the Corn Beetle, its face toward the West,

Is beautiful.

The Earth is beautiful.

The Earth is beautiful.

The Earth is beautiful.

From The Mountain Chant one of the Awl Songs (Navajo)  ca. 1800

Thai Maid Who Becomes a Bear walks far around.

On the black mountains, she walks far around.

Far spreads the land. It seems not far to her.

Far spreads the land. It seems not dim to her.

The Holy Young Woman walks far around.

On the blue mountains, she walks far around.

Far spreads the land. It seems not far to her.

Far spreads the land. It seems not dim to her.

Last Song of the Exploding Stick one of the Awl Songs(Navajo)

Maid Who Becomes a Bear sought the gods and found them;

On the high mountain peaks she sought the gods and found them¬;

Truly with my sacrifice she sought the gods and found them.

Somebody doubts it, so I have heard.

Holy Young Woman sought the gods and found them;

On the summits of the clouds she sought the gods and found them;

Truly with my sacrifice she sought the gods and found them.

Somebody doubts it, so I have heard.

“One of the Awl Songs”: Wegen seiner Repetition als Gesang verstanden, dieser Gesang drückt den Stolz der Navajo über die Gewaltigkeit ihres Landes aus, welches sich über den grössten Teil des Südwestens erstreckte.

¬ The mountains are viewed as the place of the Navajo spirits; the speaker’s sacrificial ritual was intended to ensure that she found the gods in her journey to them.

The Dancing Speech of O-No’-Sa (Irokesen)  ca. 1850

Many winters ago our wise ancestors predicted that a great

monster with withe eyes

would come from the east and consume the land.¬

They advised their children to plant a tree

with four roots

to the north

to the south

to the east and to the west

and collecting under its shade

to dwell together in unity

and harmony­.

¬ Refers to European settlement.

­ The founding of the confederation of the Iroquios in about 1450, which was able to resist European expansion westward until about 1750