In Honor of Independence Day

American Indian Dream Songs

I. from the Papago
Where the mountain crosses,
On top of the mountain,
I do not know myself where.
I wandered where my mind and my heart
seemed to be lost.
I wandered away.

In the great night my heart will go out.
Toward me the darkness comes rattling,
In the great night my heart will go out.

I. from the Tewa
My home over there, my home over there,
My home over there, now I remember it!
And when I see that mountain far away,
Why, then I weep. Alas! What can I do?
What can I do? Alas! What can I do?
My home over there, now I remember it.

My little breath, under the willows
By the waterside we used to sit,
And there the yellow cottonwood bird came and sang.
That I remember and therefore I weep.
Under the growing corn we used to sit,
And there the little leaf bird came and sang.
That I remember and therefore I weep.
There on the yellow flower meadow we used to walk
Oh, my little breath! Oh, my little heart!
There on the meadow of blue flowers we used to walk.
Alas! How long ago that we two walked in that way.
Then everything was happy, but, alas! How long ago.
There on the meadow of crimson flowers we used to walk.
Oh, my little breath, now I go there alone in sorrow.

III. from the Zuni
Our child, it is your day.
This day, the flesh
Of the white corn, prayer meal
To our sun father
We offer.
May your road be fulfilled.
Reaching to the road of your sun father,
When your road is fulfilled,
In your thoughts may we live,
May we be the ones whom your thoughts will embrace,
For this, on this day
To our sun father,
We offer prayer meal.
To this end:
May you help us to finish our roads.

- from The Winged Serpent: An Anthology of American Indian Prose and Poetry (1946), edited by Margaret Astrov