LAND OF THE NAVAHO
The Navajos are an Indian tribe living in the southwestern part of the United States.
Navajos call themselves Dineh, meaning “the people.” The Navajos came to the
southwestern United States from the northwest Pacific coast and Canada, between the
l3OO’s and the 1600’s. They are related to the Athabaskan tribes. They hunted deer,
mountain sheep, antelope, and rabbit, and made their clothing from these animal skins.
They started raiding Spanish settlers to get horses for hunting and fighting, and became
known as great warriors by the Spanish and other surrounding Indian tribes. They grew
corn, beans, and squash in fields that the Spanish called Nabaju, which means “great
planted fields.” The word Nabaju became “Navajo,” pronounced “Navaho” in the Spanish
way.
“Land Of the Navaho” is a song written by Peter Rowen and preformed with the band
Old And In the Way, this band features Jerry Garcia as well.
Oh, the wind blows cold
On the trail of the buffalo
Oh, the wind blows cold
In the land of the Navajo
In the land of the Navajo
A hundred miles from nowhere out on the desert sand
One-eyed Jack, the trader, held some torquoise in his hand
By his side sat Running Elk, his long-time Indian friend
He vowed that he would stay by Jack until the bitter end
Jack had gambled everything he owned to lead this wandering life
He might have had a happy home and a tender loving wife
But his hunger was for trading trapper’s furs for turquoise stone
Anything that the Indians had, Jack wanted for his own
[chorus]
Said Jack to Running Elk, I’ll gamble all my precious stones
Before I leave my body here among these bleaching bones
But now my time is drawing near and I’m filled with dark regret
My spirit longs to journey as the sun begins to set
For we raped and killed, we stole your land, we ruled with guns and knives
Fed whiskey to your warriors while we stole away your wives
Said Running Elk, what’s done is done, you white men rule this land
So lay the cards face up and play your last broken-hearted hand
[chorus]
One thought on “LAND OF THE NAVAHO”
Peter Rowen……….https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EqIYq9WbDIo