Yeah, and if we have a little time left,
I will do a shortened version, which
I have to do, live voice, because it doesn't much
turn up elsewhere.
And because we're in Arizona, one of the 17 Horse
Songs of Frank Mitchell, that I translated now many years ago,
with the help of great American ethnomusicologist David
McAllester, and I'll do another version of it
for ALTA on Friday.
But this is the one I usually perform,
"The 13th Horse Song of Frank Mitchell," from Chinle.
And the myth behind it, the story behind it,
that the hero god, Enemy Slayer, is sent by his mother,
Changing Woman, the Earth goddess,
to the house of his father the sun god.
And in the 13th horse song he imagines how beautiful
the horses will be when, in historical time,
they change into real horses, otherwise the spirit horses,
the seeds or germs of horses.
So this is a short version, "The 13th Horse
Song of Frank Mitchell."
nnnn N N gahn.
Some're lovely N nawu nnnn but some're & at my hawuz nawu wnn N wnn baheegwing. Some're lovely N hawu nnnn but some're re
& are at my howinow N wnn baheegwing. Some're lovely N nawu nnnn but some're & are at my howzes nawu nahht bahyeenwing but bahyeesum nahtgwing
NNNOOOOW because I was (N gahn) I was the boy ingside the dawn but some're at my house now wnn N wnn baheegwing
& by going from the house the wideshell howanome but some're at my howinow N wnn baheegwing
& by going from the swollen hoganouse my breath has blown but some're at my house N wnn baheegwing
& from the plays of jewels we walk (naht gahn) (p)pon but some're at my howinow N wnn baheegwing. With my spirit horses that are
white (nuhgohn) but some're at my house N wnn baheegwing with those spirit horses that are whiteshell nawuNgannnn but
some're at my house N wnn baheegwing. With those howanorses that are whiteshell nawu but some're at my howinouse
wnnn beheegwingnng. Wiiiiiigth jewels of every kind d(go)nN draw them on nahtnnn but some're at my howinow N wnn baheegwing.
With horses of evree(ee) (ee) kind d(go)nN draw them on nahtnn but some're at my howinow N wnn baheegwing. With men of every kind
d(go)nN draw them on nahtnn but some're at my howinow N wnn baheegwing. In this house of precious jewels we walk (p)pon
(N gahn) where nnnn but some're at my house N wnn baheegwing. In this house of precious jewels we walk (p)pon (N gahn)
where nnnn but some're at my house N wnn baheegwing. & everything that's more () won't be (be!) be poor but some're at my house
N wnn baheegwing. & everything that's now & living to be old & blesst nhawu but some're at my howinow N wnn baheegwing
because I am the boy who blesses/blisses to be old but some're at my house N wnn baheegwing. Zzmmmmm're lovely N nawu nnnn but some're
& at my howinouse N wnn baheegwing. Zzmmmmm're lovely nawu N nnnn but some're & are at my house N wnn baheegwing. Zzmmmmm're lovely N nawu
nnnn but some are & are at my howzes nahht bahyeenahtnwing but nawu nohwun baheegwing