The Singing River

The Singing River


We walked the first evening at dusk along
the banks of the Tennessee River.
The legend in the area goes that
the original peoples would gather by the water
to sing, and the water would sing back.
There were many Old Ones still present
along that path of immense trees
and those wide, rolling, singing waters.

What struck me as walked along the river,
and through those places of musical power
was the absence of native musicians and singers.
What is known as American music
was birthed in our traditional homelands
and we contributed to that genesis.
The African and European contributions
are always mentioned in the story of American music,
but our tribal peoples are left out of the equation.
It’s time to change that story.


Joy Harjo

Posted over on Joy Harjo's Blogsite