A Song for the River
I live very close to the Sandy River near Portland, Oregon, but I don’t call it that.
My friend and neighbor, Ken Smith, is a Wasco elder, medicine man, and the last native speaker of 7 Wasco dialects. (The Wasco people are one of the indigenous tribes of the area where I live.) He is helping his tribe to revive the language and traditions of their people. From him, I learned the names of some of the local rivers and mountains in the Wasco language. The Wasco name for the river near where I live is Washinux. When I visit the river, I call her by that name to acknowledge the indigenous peoples of this land and the ancient names of these land spirits.
I always sing a song to the river when I visit and make a gratitude offering to the waters. Sometimes I sing a channeled song that is unique to that moment. Sometimes I sing a water blessing song.
Yesterday, I sang a song that comes from the Sacred Valley in Peru. This song was originally sung for the Cuñaq river there. When I am out here on the lands were I live, I sing this song for the local rivers, as a way to acknowledge that all the waters of the world are connected, and all are sacred.
Here is a translation of the song in English:
From Washinux comes
Water, meandering through the channels
And eddies, into our lives.
We sing water blessing songs, and also we cry.
All of my worries are gone.
Mother Earth is celebrating.
A little star
Joyfully tells me to sing my little song
To the waters, the waters of Mother Washinux.
How do you acknowledge the land and nature spirits where you live?
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