Native American Chanting

  • This topic has 16 replies, 17 voices, and was last updated 19 years ago by Kari.
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  • #42118

    Shayla Elizabeth
    Participant

    Tansei (Cree for ‘hello’) Actually, it’s both 🙂 The lyric line is simple, like ‘wolf is running’, in the language of the People, i.e., Cree, Lakota, Haida, etc. The number four is a power (read ‘sacred’) number in many peoples’ cultures, representing the four cardinal directions, the four quadrants of the Medicine Wheel (a circle divided into four) and so on. Depending on the song, a line could be repeated up to four times. [The Medicine Wheel can be adapted as a basis of policy to healing, government, education, etc. The quadrants represent the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual aspects of living a good life, and they need to be in balance with each other, no emphasis on one over another. The circle shows the continuation of life, from birth to death, as well as that we are all connected, not just as human beings but as all life forms.] What you are hearing are the syllables of say, wolf, being sounded out, with no emphasis being heard on first or second syllable. But just like in music, there are bridging words and/or sounds, along the lines of ‘be-bop-alooa’, which are more about moving the piece along then to convey any real meaning. Powwows are usually open to the public and one can find dancers or singers or callers there to answer your questions, so maybe drop by one! Chi-miigwich (‘thank you’ used by Cree and Objiwe Peoples)

    User Detail :  

    Name : Shayla Elizabeth, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Bisexual, Race : American Indian, Religion : Native American, Age : 40, City : Winnipeg, State : NA, Country : Canada, Occupation : Writer, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 
    #37267

    Pepper
    Participant

    Traditional Songs are in dialect and aren’t necessarily meant to be understood, plus, of course, you are listening to a different language. Other Drumming songs are intertribals which are drummed by poeple from a variety of tribal backgrounds and those of other ethnic groups as well. Those are the ‘way ah hey ya yee a hey’ songs you hear.

    User Detail :  

    Name : Pepper, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Lesbian, Race : American Indian, Age : 34, City : Fairbanks, State : AK, Country : United States, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 
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