Shí naashá

Shí naashá (I am going/walking around[1]) is a Navajo song, composed in 1868 to commemorate the release of the Navajo from internment at Fort Sumner.[2] The song's lyrics express the elation of the Navajo people on the occasion of their return to their homeland. Unlike most other Navajo songs, "Shí naashá" is almost entirely translatable - there are few words that can not be replaced with an English word of the same meaning. Most Navajo songs are untranslatable. The word hózhǫ́ (beauty), a major concept in Navajo sprirituality, is used throughout the song. [3]

"Shí naashá"
Song
LanguageNavajo
Written1868

Lyrics

Ahala ahalago naashá ghą
Shí naashá ghą, shí naashá ghą,
Shí naashá lágo hózhǫ’ la.
Shí naashá ghą, shí naashá ghą,
Shí naashá, ladee hózhǫ’ǫ’ lá.

I am going in freedom
I am going, I am going,
I am going in beauty.
I am going, I am going,
I am going, beauty is all around me.

References
  • Koskoff, Ellen (ed.) (2000). Garland Encyclopedia of World Music, Volume 3: The United States and Canada. Garland Publishing. ISBN 0-8240-4944-6.CS1 maint: extra text: authors list (link)

Notes
  1. Languages of the World
  2. Heth, Charlotte. "Overview". The Garland Encyclopedia of World Music. pp. 366–373.
  3. "Navajo Songs from the Cayon De Chelly liner notes" (PDF). New World Records. New World Records. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-02-12.
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