Thanksgiving

This Thanksgiving Day I give tribute to Squanto of the Pawtuxet nation, his friend Samoset and all the First Americans (especially Chief Massasoit of the Wampanoag nation) who shared their harvest feast celebration with the poorly equipped and starving Pilgrims in 1621.

I'll be singing all these songs while cooking......

Walela "Cherokee Morning Song" sung in rote below:

We n' de ya ho, We n' de ya ho (I am of the Great Spirit)
We n' de ya, We n' de ya, Ho ho ho ho
He ya ho, He ya ho, Ya ya ya




So, now from absolutely lovely Morning Song to heartbreaking and all so familiar.

Ulali - Lyrics by Pura Fe "All Our Relations" below:

As posted on youtube: The music for All My Relations is based on an Irish drinking song from the late 1700's. Gary Owen is actually the American pronunciation of two Gaelic words that roughly translate into Owen's Garden,(and I do mean roughly) which is or was a place in Ireland where people gathered to drink and whatever. It was listed as "Auld Bessy" at a publishing in 1788 and subsequently attributed to "Jackson of Cork" around 1800. It was adopted by the American military during the 1800's as a marching song. It is often referred to as Gary Owen March or Hale in the States. It was often used by the American military as they marched into battle to kill the Native Americans, most notably by Custer at the battle of Little Big Horn as he marched against the Lakota Nation. It continues to this day to be used by the American military. Pura Fe wrote the narrative that Ulali speaks over the music. We use it as the background of the narrative to commemorate and honor all our relations and others who have died throughout the wars.



Tom Russell and Andrew Hardin "Sitting Bull in Venice"

Sitting Bull toured Europe (including Venice) with Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show in the late 1880s.



Peter Rowan's classic "Land of the Navajo" performed in 1990.



Land of the Navajo by Michael Martin Murphey

Oh the wind blows cold on the trail of the buffalo
Oh the wind blows cold in the land of the Navajo
In the land of the Navajo

A hundred miles from nowhere out on the desert sand
One-eyed Jack the trader held some turquoise on his hand
And by his side sat Running Elk his longtime Indian friend
He vowed that he would stay by Jack till the bitter end

Jack had gambled everything he owned to lead this wandering life
He might have had a happy home or a tender loving wife
But his hunger was for tradin' trappers' furs for turquoise stones
Anything the Indians had Jack wanted for his own

Oh the wind blows cold...

Said Jack to Running Elk I'd gamble all my precious stones
Before I'd leave my body here among these bleached bones
For now my time is drawin' near and I'm filled with dark regret
My spirit longs to journey as the sun begins to set

We've raped and killed and stole your land we ruled with guns and knives
Fed whiskey to your warriors while we stole away your wives
Said Running Elk what's done is done you white men rule this land
So lay your cards face up and play your last broken hearted hand

Oh the wind blows cold...

When you're dealin' cards of death the joker's wild the ace is high
Jack bet the Mississippi river Running Elk raised him the sky
Jack saw him with the sun and moon and upped him with the stars
Running Elk bet the Rocky Mountains Jupiter and Mars

The sun was sinking in the west when Jack drew the ace of spades
Running Elk just rolled his eyes smiled and pssed away
Jack picked up his turquoise stones and cast them to the sky
Stared into the setting sun and made a mournful cry

Oh the wind blows cold...