Photograph By Tessa Nez

At a kinaaldá for my sister several years ago, a cheii sang a song that mentioned saad. This cheii talked about how the song was passed down to him from his mentor and how his mentor received it from his own mentor. It isn’t clear how far back the song stretched, but it lasted so long for us to hear it and for my sister to be blessed by it. Like saad and hane’, the song has a long life. What matters most isn’t necessarily about who specifically sang the song first, but that the song has survived long enough for the listener to receive it. What matters most is belief in the story and the language. This belief strengthens us to move forward, and we gain the courage needed to go the distance into old age. We gain the courage necessary to live beautiful and meaningful lives. 

What I remember most is the warmth of the fire and how comforting it felt to sit with my relatives in the hogan for the blessing…

Leading The Way Volume 23 No. 4