music
ambience: Drum/chant, Patrick Orosco; Deer Song, Ohlone Rumsen people
We’re in California’s Ventana Wilderness with a group of Native Americans, who are singing and dancing the songs of their people. I’m Jim Metzner, and this is the Pulse of the Planet.
“Remember these songs. These songs are very old. We thought they were lost – because of what happened to our people. We’re not dead. We’re still here! We’ll always be here. As long as we are here, we will sing these songs.”
Patrick Orozco is a faith keeper of the Ohlone Rumsen people, out of Monterey, California.
“I’ve been all over California to different reservations you know, and met all the tribal leaders of the Chumash and Juareos. and I’ve gone to the lodges with them – ohohome lodges, where we pray and meditate – and uh, we sing sacred songs – and these songs are to be kept in the lodge. That’s the instructions we get from everywhere we go. What we share with you here are not lodge songs.”
“Now why is that, why is it important that there are songs that are not let out?”
“They’re songs sung specifically to the creator and that’s sacred to us you know. “
“That’s the instructions by the old ones. It’s been going on for generations. We thought that those things were lost but they’re not. Now we’re bringing back all that was nearly lost you know. And the omohome is one of the most sacred places you can be. Where all people come together in prayer, in prayer and understanding.”
Pulse of the Planet is presented with support provided by the National Science Foundation. I’m Jim Metzner.