San Diego Intertribal Singers:
There is no substitute for practice! However, 'crib' notes for songs sometimes can be helpful. Especially those songs we are refreshing or learning or sharing with the group. We haven't done this 'academic study' for some years. Upon reflection and discussion I feel there is no substitute for group practice. However, there is value in exploring as many avenues for song reinforcement as possible. Your comments and suggestions are valuable. At the next break, share your point of view or experience or best of all that song you heard that is sticking in your head and you feel you just must sing it!
Every song is unique and has its own feel, but most songs do follow the same format, much like a church hymn. Here is one study of the Southern intertribal song, separated into its characteristic parts -- lead, second, chorus, honor beats, chorus, ending.
The lead is the first part of a song. It is sung by the lead singer to introduce the song.
Second
The second is a repeat of the lead that is sung right after the lead by the rest of the drum.
Chorus
The chorus is the part of the song that carries the main theme. All members of the drum sing it.
Honor Beats
The honor beats are three accented beats that occur in between the choruses. It is said by some that these beats represent cannonades or gunshots, and many dancers crouch lower and keep their eyes upward in respect for them.
This
format of lead, second, chorus, honor beats, and repeated chorus makes one verse,
or "push". The average song is sung with about four or five pushes, and occasionally,
during a Grand Entry or when a drum gets an itch, a song can last ten or twelve
pushes. The first push is always sung at a medium dynamic level and gets louder
with succeeding pushes. At the end of a softer push, the Head Singer will pick
up the tempo and volume to begin his lead. The rest of the drum will continue
to sing at this louder section until the honor beats, when the song is brought
down. When the Head Singer desires to end the song, he will motion with his
hand to the rest of the drum that the song is ending, and at the end of the
last chorus he accents the beat leading into the final three, five, or seven
beats.
There
are other ways to end a song, but this is the most common. Other options include
trick stops, where the drum may stop at a very unnatural place in order to try
to trick the dancers into overstepping after the song has ended, or the drum
may simply fade away.
Just as the United States has its own National Anthem, almost every tribe has its own Flag Song, which is a song dedicated to the flags that are brought in during Grand Entry. The Flag Song is sung every time the flags are brought in, and every person in the arena must stand and be silent to give the flag its proper respect.
Hey
ya ' yoo he 'y yah
Hey
ya yoy hey yoh heyOur Umonhon
The
Omaha Flag song was composed by Parish Saunsoci in the year 1912. It is a deeply
moving song and one that has endured through five wars. To put it in the words
of Wilbur Solomon, "Whenever I hear our Omaha Flag song it makes me feel inside,
a real good way." Below are some words in the Umonhon
Flag Song:
Land
=Monzhon
Brother/Friend
= Kage
Flag
= Haska
Gave
to us = Wathagii
Yaha eyah yah hey yo
Kiowa Desert Storm Veteran's Song (Lenonard Cozad Sr., composer.)
Southern Quitting Song
Ponca closing song, one of several.
Wakon da do gom bay oh hey, oh shin bay o hey
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/omhhtml/omhbibPow1.html