Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Sight & Sound - Beauty Way


In beauty may I walk
All day long may I walk
Through the returning seasons may I walk
Beautifully I will possess again
Beautifully birds
Beautifully joyful birds
On the trail marked with pollen may I walk
With grasshoppers about my feet may I walk
With dew about my feet may I walk
With beauty may I walk
With beauty before me may I walk
With beauty behind me may I walk
With beauty above me may I walk
With beauty all around me may I walk
In old age, wandering on a trail of beauty, lively, may I walk
In old age, wandering on a trail of beauty, living again, may I walk
It is finished in beauty
It is finished in beauty

– DinĂ© (Navajo) Beauty Way ceremony

Music: "Arrival", by Douglas Spotted Eagle on his 1996 CD Closer to Far Away. The music is based on parts of the Beauty Way ceremony and features Douglas, Brian Keane, Indian Creek Drum Group (singing the chant), and Linda Dee (reciting parts of the chant near the end).



Photo © 2008 by A. Roy Hilbinger
PS - This post inspired me to write another post for the Just A Song blog, about Native American jazz saxophonist Jim Pepper's song "Witchi Tai To"; don't forget to check it out.

5 comments:

  1. ...I love how these words flow together. It makes me feel good to read it and say it. I was first introduced to the Beauty Way ceremony years and years ago in a Tony Hillerman book! Thanks for posting...

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  2. Love this stuff, it reminds me of Enigma in the 90'! Sort of 'world' music. Lovely.

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  3. Kelly - Heh, heh! Yeah, I'm a Tony Hillerman fan, too. And I've seen several Ways performed, for healing and for comfort, back in the '70s when I lived out that way.

    Baino - in fact Brian Keane, Douglas's collaborator and producer on the CD, is a well-known Nuevo Flamenco, jazz fusion, and world music guitarist and producer.

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  4. "with dew about my feet I may walk"...there's a lot to like in this one, Roy. Cheers!

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