"By this Song I Walk"
As one of the assignments for this course had us watching videos of Native Americans, I encountered a video of a cultural walking song performed by Mr. Andrew Natonabah of the Navajo tribe. The song is entitled, “By this Song I Walk” . The song is structured repetitively, with different verses all returning to the same chorus line. I could see how the rhythm of the song made it an ideal song to walk to. In watching and listening to Natonabah’s “By this Song I Walk”, I was struck by the endurance of the language and culture. I had not expected such continuity. It was impressive and pleasing to watch. I noticed that the song connects the singer to the land and the elements, as well as to God. These themes are what I’d expect of a Native song. I was also taken by the style in which he spoke to the children about the historical cite they were in. There was a cadence to his speech, as if he was still singing or repeating by rote. There was definitely an element of ritual to the commun...
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