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Wyawaqacumen

Dear brothers and sisters!

I would appreciate hearing your thoughts when you hear traditional music. How do you feel when you hear the music? What makes you feel that way? Do you understand your tribes songs? If so, would you be willing to share the meaning with us?

I think that this would be very inspirational for all of us to discuss, if you are willing.

Thank you.

Wyawaqacumen
The Bearman

billyjoejimbob

by trad im assuming you mean OTHER THAN POWWOW songs.

When I hear a memorial song that is sung right and I understand the words, it actually makes me sad. They are put together to sound like they SHOULD BE a memorial song.

__________________
There are 2 types of people in the world...
Really stupid people who think they are smart
and
Really smart people who think they are smart.

Historian

Knowing the words to a song allows the dancer to understand what the song is about, why it was created, and most importantly, how to dance to it.

Some Lakota songs and translations below will help illustrate my point.

Intertribal Pow-Wow Song (Wacipi Olowan)

Iyokipic'iya wau welo.
Akis'as'a, winyunskinyan, kola, waunci yelo.
Wokiksuyin ktelo.
Was'agya waunci yelo.

I come to enjoy myself.
Shouting, joyfully, friend, we are dancing together.
There will be memories.
Strongly we are dancing together.


Rabbit Dance Love Song (Isna Wastekicilapi Mastin Olowan)

Tokiyatan yahi so.
Leciyatanhan waci wahiye.
Nape au we.
Tansna waun we.
Toksa ake wacinyankin kte.

Say, where did you come from?
Oh, I come from that way to dance here.
Give me your hand, because I am single.
Maybe I will see you later.


Penny Song (Mazasa Olowan)

Tuwela seca k 'un heye lo.
Ina wancala imacagin kta keyin na ohunkesni
kinhan wawokiyesmasi yelo.

Someone said,
my mother told me that I will be born only once
so she encouraged me to help all unfortunate people.


Dancing Woman Honor Song (Waci Winyan K'un Olowan)

Waci winyan k'un, inanjin nan hiyu wo!
Kola heya pelo,
Leciya, oskate wan tehikelo.

Dancing woman, stand and come this way!
Friends are saying,
Over here, a celebration is having a difficult time.


Memorial Song (Wicat 'a Wokiksuye Olowan)

Oyate kinhan kawitaya au yunkan
tuwela seca k'un hel opa sni yelo.
Nita kola heyape lo.

When people come to a celebration,
someone is not among them.
Your friends have said so.

__________________

"Be good, be kind, help each other."
"Respect the ground, respect the drum, respect each other."
(Abe Conklin, Ponca/Osage, 1926-1995)

billyjoejimbob

Historian is a Red Leaf fan.

__________________
There are 2 types of people in the world...
Really stupid people who think they are smart
and
Really smart people who think they are smart.

Wyawaqacumen

Dear Historian,

Thank you very much for taking the time to share this with us. I know little about the Lakota people, but what I do know, I am honored to have been included and to have learned.

On the East Coast, it is difficult for many tribes to know their language. In the case of the Lenape people, we have a good amount of scholarship available to us to learn Lenape, however very few people of the Wenetko Lenape do that. The language is practically dead for us here on the East Coast.

For me, that's sad because I do know a little and have done some research to learn some Lenape, but I can't learn it well because no one else around me knows it well.

I certainly hope that never happens with Lakota. It's a very famous language though I think, like Navajo. You have Kevin Costner to thank for that. I think any and everyone that's even half curious about native culture knows the word "tatanka."

That's pretty good advertising for the Lakota I'd say!

Thanks again my Lakota friend. This is meaningful to me and I certainly would like to learn more.

I am sincerely

Wyawaqacumen,
the bearman,
born next to the Salmon People and the Raven.

Wyawaqacumen

Dear brothers and sisters,

Tonight, I listened to one song, a single Crow Hop from a recording I have and I want to share my thoughts of tradition and of lessons that can be learned from this song.

This is my interpretation and I don’t mean to suggest that it is a tradition of the Crow people. It is my worlds and my words that now speak, as I, bearman and Manito gifted man, sits in my understanding of old ways and how they can be interpreted.

I don’t want to offend or mislead my friends here either. I am touched, but in a different way than your spirit walkers were touched. Still, I come to the tribes and I want them to teach me, because you also are wise.

I respect your thoughts and traditions as well and I honor them, as you have honored me by allowing me voice on your forum. I hope we can continue to make each other wiser, as the great Manito would have us try. He is father sky and the turtle is mother earth and we all are just visitors here. Let our journey also be one that finds spiritual guidance from time to time and let us be at peace.

This is my truest way.

This is what I hear. May I honor the Crow in my words:

Drums start, they are the unison of the people coming together, as one, speaking with one voice.

A single man speaks. He speaks for the group: he is the leader and the way. He speaks happy thoughts and wants every one to be happy. The group responds and they say I agree; we are happy. They don’t just say thanks, they explain why. They are thankful for the day, for the night, for the rain, for the cold, for the sun, for the moon, for everything that great Manito has given them.

I too agree with them.

They repeat their song. They say it again. They are truly grateful and they honor the world around them and they honor the sacred.

Brothers and sisters, we should honor the Crow. They were deeply spiritual people and they were at peace with themselves.

I say “thank you.”

The second time that they say what they have to say, they are more excited. The third time their song is song of happiness, they sing it only as a group. The leader only needs to remind them twice of what happy life is. The people know that also in their hearts.

But sometimes, as the singer on the fourth verse reminds us, we have to keep telling people that life is ok. He reconfirms and shows us again that we are a people and that he loves us.

The people respond with more excitement and they sing at their best then. They are a group and they are wise together. They speak in unison, and honor every man in their tribes.

Then, it stops. They stop together in unison and they honor their tribe.

When we stop, I hope every man and woman will honor his tribe, be him Lakota, Swedish, Japanese, or Iraqi.

Every man knows peace; some just don’t choose it as their way. May they learn more about the world, someday.

I want to offer you this song. I will be happy to get it to you, if you too want to hear this song. I can send it to you, by mail or by email. Which ever is best, I don't mind. I think first of my people.

I am Wyawaqacumen,
The bearman,
Born to the salmon people and the raven.
Son of all men.

That is why I am called “Walking Everywhere.”

I hope I have honored your fire.

I will bring more tobacco next time. We should smoke our pipes more often, even if white doctors tell us we shouldn't.

We were wiser then. We spoke "injun." Damn the white man for doing what he's done.

I do not forgive those men.

They took away my people and I am not Lenape, I am Swedish.

Sometimes, even the native Americans can benefit from Viking thoughts.

We are the same.

Historian

__________________

"Be good, be kind, help each other."
"Respect the ground, respect the drum, respect each other."
(Abe Conklin, Ponca/Osage, 1926-1995)

Wyawaqacumen

We smoke well together brother.

Let's add some other herbs, and make this pipe fun!

So says the "Walking Everywhere part that went to "oh my, we did something I probably shouldn't have... I still learn."

Tell me what I shouldn't do, always. I've done too many stupid things in my life not to claim that I'm a bearman...

lol!

or a shaman!

Bless you my brother!

Walk well.

With my deepest love for you,

I am sincerely

Wyawaqacumen,
Too much bear,
and not enough old lesson.

I mean to fix that.

Teach me. I too am a wise man.

anishinabealltheway

you are wierd.

__________________
Niin sa, Chi anung

Mato Winyan

__________________








"We see it as a desecration not only of a mountain but of our way of life. This is a genocidal issue to us. If they kill this mountain, they kill our way of life." ~Debra White Plume

Wojapi4Me

Wow.

__________________
If pro is the opposite of con, then wouldn't progress be the opposite of...lol

Wyawaqacumen

Yes,

You are right. I am weird.

Welcome to my world. Let's learn together why I am.

And let's be friends. Weird people sometimes too have things that are worthwhile to say.

Wyawaqacumen

Wyawaqacumen

I hope you find that no worms in my can are not true.

If you do though, please tell me.

Don't worry, I'm a man that can take that also. I actually want your advice...

Thanks!

Wyawaqacumen

Wojapi4Me

I think we all felt you were genuinely interested in what these songs mean and where they came from; not some new age interpretation of what you think they mean. No offense, but what they mean to you is of no consequence whatsoever. It's what they mean to the original composers and their tribal communities that really matters.

Historian took some time typing out some translations there from various sioux songs in the hopes of helping you understand the difference between various song types. Personally, I think you owe him an apology because you weren't interested in that in the first place.

Things like this make more and more people less interested in helping people. It's understandable, but very sad at the same time. Man, how things have changed.

__________________
If pro is the opposite of con, then wouldn't progress be the opposite of...lol

Wyawaqacumen

Dear Wojapi and Historian,

You pointed out a mistake I made. I am sorry if I have offended either of you.

I think that you should understand though that I did not mean to ignore his point. I simply heard something else in his words.

Thank you though also for your correction.

I understand what you mean as well when you say that the only true meaning stems from the initial meaning, as meant by the writers of the song. This is your way