New Spring Classes!

The 2009 Spring Navajo classes are underway. The Singing class has a lot of new students and it is really neat to see both parents and children learning new songs together. This week we learned Shi Naasha. One of the classic Navajo songs a lot were taught as children. It is a song commemorating the Dine people's survival and return from Hweeldi (Fort Sumner). Last week we started to learn a Shoe Game song since this is the season for Shoe Games and we are learning it before the weather changes.

Shoe Game Songs
In Navajo tradition, these songs are to be sung or played only in the winter or the Navajo will suffer misfortune and bad weather. In the original Shoe Game, the night animals, who wanted only nighttime, played against the day animals, who wanted only daytime. Fortunately, the game ended in a tie, and we now have both night and day. Today these Shoe Game songs, which tell of the animals and the giant, are featured in the gambling game in which members of two teams try to keep their opponents from finding an object hidden in a shoe or moccasin.
Navajo Songs from Canyon De Chelly liner notes

We are also learning the Pledge of Allegiance in our language and before you know it, we will be saying it before every class from memory

Please feel free to make any comments under any of the posts. Click on the Comment link, sign in your name and you can make a suggestion or comment at any time.

Beginning next week we will post a recording after the class so you can follow along or rehearse the songs you have learned at the last session.

Again, I want to thank Jolyana for her knowledge and making the classes a lot of fun!