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Ants and Orioles: Showing the Art of Pima Poetry
Bahr (anthropology, Arizona State U.) translates the performances of two Pima singers from southern Arizona, whose songs were given to them by spirit-persons in dreams. He asserts that not only is poetry inherent in the Native American oral tradition, but that this poetry needs criticism, and explores how individual songs are combined and how the meaning of a sequence and its dream origin can be interpreted. Two co-authors from Indian communities comment on cultural matters. A cassette of songs is available. For scholars interested in poetry and in modes of textuality in other cultures. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.
Hardcover
First published December 1, 1997
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March 8, 2018
Ant songs, from a longer run of 'sings':
1. Songs start,
Manic sounding singing.
Night follow,
Manic sounding singing
2. Dead Field Mountain stands.
Women inside run out,
Earth flowers crowned and
Toward me run.
Here run up to,
My head, toss onto.
3. Greasy Mountain,
Greasy Mountain stands.
There inside
Green flowers
Cover me.
There inside
Manic is.
4. Westward the world flowers,
Westward the world flowers,
And I run through
Everywhere flowers,
The here below
Lying world manic flowers.
9. Bitter Wind,
Here run up and
Away far
Take me.
Poorly treat me,
My heart separated dies.
12. Long Red stands,
Long Red stands.
Its base, cloud comes out.
All kinds of trees stand,
Everywhere flowers and,
Suddenly butterflies pour:
Great handsome fluttering.
20. Sun sets,
And we there run.
Below the east are songs,
Manic telling.
Oh-oh, younger brother,
Songs of your telling.
21. Shining Water lies,
Shining Water lies.
Within mudhen wanders,
Come and look:
Handsome floating!
22. Marsh Water lies,
And I around it circle.
Within, very green moss
Zig-zag away spreads.
And I so like it,
One take and
Head wrap with:
Around me circles.
Oriole songs, from a longer run of 'sings':
9. Black Water lies.
Just then women jump out
And run to us,
All crowned with cattail leaves,
Green dragon-flies
Acling.
10. Zigzag Connected,
Zigzag Connected,
On top I pause.
Here beside me,
Black cloud floats zigzags,
Pleasant for watching.
13. Long Gray beneath singing.
Companion runs far,
Then near,
Then dances to me,
Then flutes
And tells songs to me.
(Long Gray [mountain], companion [coyote])
14. Remainder Bent,
Remainder Bent,
From in a shining rainbow comes out.
Oriole bird leads me there
And I enter.
No one sees,
No one knows
(Remainder Bent [mountain])
28. Yellow Oriole,
Take me to the sky.
The down nested medicine man,
Bring me to him.
Very soft down will clasp,
Will cover me with and
Lower me home.
30. It will drown us,
Earth everywhere floods.
Just now the birds
Their flapping forgotten,
Pitiful feeling,
Clingingly bunch.
(Flood not from rain, but from an abandoned baby's tears)
31. Sun dies,
Sun dies,
Earth everywhere darkens.
Just then the birds stop their cooing,
Earth doesn't echo.
A mockingbird
Pitifully speaks,
Alone, distantly
Talks.
44. Who is that woman
Who acts so whorish,
Circling there behind us,
Hiding her face in her hair,
Acting so whorish,
Circling there behind us?
45. White Oriole
So badly treats me,
Jimson-weed flower
Makes me drink from his wingtip.
Then I drink and get dizzy,
Slantingly run,
On upright trees
Wavering cling.
*
1. Songs start,
Manic sounding singing.
Night follow,
Manic sounding singing
2. Dead Field Mountain stands.
Women inside run out,
Earth flowers crowned and
Toward me run.
Here run up to,
My head, toss onto.
3. Greasy Mountain,
Greasy Mountain stands.
There inside
Green flowers
Cover me.
There inside
Manic is.
4. Westward the world flowers,
Westward the world flowers,
And I run through
Everywhere flowers,
The here below
Lying world manic flowers.
9. Bitter Wind,
Here run up and
Away far
Take me.
Poorly treat me,
My heart separated dies.
12. Long Red stands,
Long Red stands.
Its base, cloud comes out.
All kinds of trees stand,
Everywhere flowers and,
Suddenly butterflies pour:
Great handsome fluttering.
20. Sun sets,
And we there run.
Below the east are songs,
Manic telling.
Oh-oh, younger brother,
Songs of your telling.
21. Shining Water lies,
Shining Water lies.
Within mudhen wanders,
Come and look:
Handsome floating!
22. Marsh Water lies,
And I around it circle.
Within, very green moss
Zig-zag away spreads.
And I so like it,
One take and
Head wrap with:
Around me circles.
Oriole songs, from a longer run of 'sings':
9. Black Water lies.
Just then women jump out
And run to us,
All crowned with cattail leaves,
Green dragon-flies
Acling.
10. Zigzag Connected,
Zigzag Connected,
On top I pause.
Here beside me,
Black cloud floats zigzags,
Pleasant for watching.
13. Long Gray beneath singing.
Companion runs far,
Then near,
Then dances to me,
Then flutes
And tells songs to me.
(Long Gray [mountain], companion [coyote])
14. Remainder Bent,
Remainder Bent,
From in a shining rainbow comes out.
Oriole bird leads me there
And I enter.
No one sees,
No one knows
(Remainder Bent [mountain])
28. Yellow Oriole,
Take me to the sky.
The down nested medicine man,
Bring me to him.
Very soft down will clasp,
Will cover me with and
Lower me home.
30. It will drown us,
Earth everywhere floods.
Just now the birds
Their flapping forgotten,
Pitiful feeling,
Clingingly bunch.
(Flood not from rain, but from an abandoned baby's tears)
31. Sun dies,
Sun dies,
Earth everywhere darkens.
Just then the birds stop their cooing,
Earth doesn't echo.
A mockingbird
Pitifully speaks,
Alone, distantly
Talks.
44. Who is that woman
Who acts so whorish,
Circling there behind us,
Hiding her face in her hair,
Acting so whorish,
Circling there behind us?
45. White Oriole
So badly treats me,
Jimson-weed flower
Makes me drink from his wingtip.
Then I drink and get dizzy,
Slantingly run,
On upright trees
Wavering cling.
*
Displaying 1 of 1 review