The Songs That Are Used On The Ceremonial Drum

as I do the translation on each one of the drums they have a set of songs that that belonged to each of these drum members in each one of the drum members are represented particular when you do and in their position that they they hold so each of these songs that are sung recognizes their position on that drum and when they do that they are representing them and the first song that song is ahead when they do song the creator song I haven't ever seen anyone dance a song and the second song that's a song in this case is my song I as a drum keeper that's a song I dance and then the third one is also one of the had money do gunner and that is my partner I make very small it song that's it dancer then there comes the yoga teacher dog those are they who should the veterans are for those veterans and these are these are men that have gone overseas and went to war and saw blood and these are the ones that are usually placed in these positions so number four is a head I'll get you doc the fourth song the fifth song is a second I get you does second a warrior a sick song is the third will get you down and then the seventh song is its it I'll get you doubt that sits in the fourth spot so these are the ones that speak at a lot of our ceremonies and also these are ones that I play a major role in the grief ceremony that's done for people how to read and loss and then the next song after that is for them the individual that's ahead of all the singers it's called um Chewbacca Kwan Anna Coleman he's the one that carries the big sticker so black first six ad carries and the next song is uh the lead singer the number one singer the ones that sit on that that pole or their leg in the West and then we have the singers who were there two of them who sit in a second spot and that is the the leg hard pole or pole that is in the sick oh yes okay excuse me I was talking about the second stick and the switches in the north and we have two singers on that spot and that is a song that song and song the next one is the ones that sit and it's at the third six there's two singers there that is in the east and the four stick that is that singers as six it in the North I mean excuse me in the sauce so and then along with that after that I have the pipe man song and this is the one that takes care of the drums drums pipe and then after that we have four stand for drum warmers and the head there's a number one drum warmer and there's a one that sits in second spot and there's a third spot and then there's a one in the fourth and that fourth spot is the position that I held prior to becoming a drum keeper I think it was 11 or 12 years old when I was put in that position and that was in the fourth drum keeper there are the ones that take care of the drum when when the dance is over they take two drum home there are they also the ones that decide how many more songs before the dance is over and also in some places they're the ones that we're encouraged to dance at the tail end of each of the songs especially in lco and their drums over anything don't put a tail to all those songs but occasionally they do and when they do that's from their drum warmers get up and dance as hard as they possibly can it was also the same thing I was told to do whenever had to tale in the song to get up and dance it's hard to say quick and they're the ones that kept ordering and a dance if somebody came under the influence they were the ones they were told to show just show them the door to remove them from the dance and after those four then they also had the Hunter song we have oh oh get Udo he's the one that it's kind of like the all-around handyman but also the one that takes care of the food that's brought in and that's a song that song and this individual goes around dances and makes emotions it's like he's got a bow and he's out hunting on the floor and after he does that then he goes into the kitchen and grabs the kettle where they're cooking where there has been meat cooked with the food that was brought in and and that's when he brings the kettle over on the south side of the drum and then he he dances around the kettle each time he offers that food up to those money do bends over them you know and does that the four directions and that's when the food is being offered to all the money did they're abroad in Nagoya and Sedona seen Oh also what happens sometimes people after this kettle has been dancer on the offered to the people that are there and and feed everybody out of the kettle but it's not what we do because we as soon as we get done as soon as they're done dancing around like cattle we immediately set up to our table on the food is but in other places they go home first and cook but not our ladies they bring all of their cooking until when we're done with everything we don't go in and where we got the food they were able to serve it right then and there and it's also she's gonna be sick yum it's also - copy it was said sets of tea well its immense job men's role up to women what I'm trying to do are trying to point out in my translation of all these drum members are that are on these drums is to point out that it's almost like an organization you have a lot of people that are that to take part in those dances and each one of them represent a money do and that these songs that are sang on Saturday afternoon recognizes all of those drum members and the money dude that they represent and the spots out there that he had been placed in so now we're gonna go on to the ladies we have our okay TRADOC way guys they're known we have we have a knee gonna getcha doc we the one that's ahead of all the woman how we just lost our cell recently and baby skinny ah she clay was her name Linda shamash she just passed on not too long ago so in time I think not on this fall dance but our Spring dance we have we have selected someone who is gonna fill that spot and in that spot she she represents so when a bush was grandmother who is known as kokoomus Akina and grandma lived the earth in that position I just mentioned I talked about the head lady and after that we have four sets of women or gets a dogleg and one of them represents a knob on a beak which is the mermaid another one represents so Alka gun on which is the oonh and then we also have some of those women who represent the stars there they're named after the stars on the chilling achieve our Sun might be one of them and also the last one at the tail the tail in of those four sets her name is so Gaga Shaniqua forever young lasting woman that's someone to do that takes care the woman that takes care of our baby soon then along with that they've also over the years have added on someone get your dolly get the end and usually in the grief ceremony that these women were put through though we're told that they would be placed as one of they'll get you doc wig on this drum to help them so they're at the tail and also we have women see our teaching is that when anybody's placed on a drum they can be removed so my partner make some of his exes his ex-wife sir our ROK TRADOC like you know when he was placed on a drum I think he was at a time his room his wife was John named Trish she's still on the drum and also Laurie who is one of his wife's so they are they're the women that take care of all the cooking bring the cooking in then their last position on the drum was the belt man I'll get you piss on Bay movie dude each one of these drums had had a belt with it and there was a man that took care of it and you say they had eagle feathers on that belt but a lot of the drums have lost those belts are no longer exists but there are some out there still and these are the ones a belt men from these other drums that come in and dance at song and with our drum no one gets up to dance that song except a person it has the belt in some places I see where everybody gets up to dance but that's not what we were taught so we maintain now of what we were taught when it comes to these songs all of these songs they are very special songs so once you have danced your song what you want to do is acknowledge it and pay for your song and usually they go around and pass off money to people there their out of respect for your song also when you're a drum member when you travel to other dances somewhere if you hear your song being sung you can get up and dance which happens a lot and also some of our drum members as they get older we'll bring on helpers well sock somebody that well a system to carry out their responsibilities as a drum member and usually that person is a given tobacco and offerings in and after the person that they are help we should pass on the automatically I'll slide into that position one of the things one of the teachings about these drums also once you have been placed on it it can't be removed and after all you represent them when they're doing so it doesn't make sense to remove somebody once they've been put in that position and the other thing I want to talk about and um participating in these dances them don't think don't do things do not give your best and you're offering the best food that you're able to bring in don't do things have hardly if you do those want to do well do the same and not help you fully help you and do things have hardly so you want to put your your all into this so let me go you

Channel: Lee Obizaan Staples

Views: 3,126

Rating: 5 out of 5

Keywords: obizaan, ojibwe, ojibwe langauge, chippewa, ceremonial dance, ceremonial drum, big drum, mille lacs, Aazhoomog, manidoo, dewe'igan

Id: weDIf924Ers

Length: 16min 1sec (961 seconds)

Published: Thu Sep 07 2017