>> Clayson Benally:
Yá'át'ééh greetings.
My name is Clayson Benally
[ Translation ]
>> Clayson Benally:
This is Moonwalker.
And my sister and I are Sihasin.
>> Jeneda Benally:
Yá'át'ééh greetings.
My name is Jeneda Benally.
And I'm here with my
brother Clayson Benally.
>> Clayson Benally: We are very
proud and honored to be a part
of this concert series.
We want to say thank you to
the American Folklife Center
at the Library of Congress.
They've invited us to perform
in their 2020 Homegrown
At home Concert Series.
>> Jeneda Benally:
So, instead of being
in Washington D.C. we
are here in the field,
an actual field recording.
>> Clayson Benally: We
are coming to you today
from Diné Bikéyah
from the Navajo Nation
from our four sacred mountains
from Doko’o’osliid
which is in northern Arizona.
The American Folklife Center
will release a concert each
Wednesday from now
through September 30th,
at noon east coast time.
>> Jeneda Benally:
Artists will be
in the chat so you
can say hello.
We can answer questions
and we can provide
discussion and dialog.
I don't know if Moonwalker
will be there.
>> Clayson Benally:
Yeah, I don't know.
Also, after each concert is
released you can find the video
on the library's website,
and also you can check
out our Sihasin performance on
our YouTube channel as well.
So, please check that out.
Thank you for listening
to Sihasin.
Thank you, Moonwalker.
And check out the American
Folklife Center's website
where you can find lots
of amazing sound
recordings online to explore.
>> Jeneda Benally: And we really
invite you to come be a part
of this amazing homegrown series
from The Library of Congress.
Ya at eeh welcome friends.
I know this is not the typical
stage of The Library of Congress
but instead, here you are
at the Homegrown Series
in the beautiful Navajo Nation.
And this is actually
a field recording
because here we are in a field.
So, welcome.
[ Foreign Language ]
>> Clayson Benally: We are
Sihasin which means hope
in the Navajo language.
Thank you for tuning in
and joining us today.
[ Drumbeats ]
[ Singing ]
>> Clayson Benally: Yá'át'ééh Welcome.
Welcome to Diné Bikéyah
and the Navajo Nation.
>> Jeneda Benally:
We're so honored
that you're here with us today.
Welcome to the Homegrown
Series, The Library of Congress.
We're so excited to
be able to share some
of our songs with you.
Our traditional songs and
our contemporary songs
that tell the story of who we
are as indigenous people today.
>> Clayson Benally: This first.
>> Jeneda Benally:
This first song.
>> Clayson Benally: That
we're going to play.
>> Jeneda Benally: Yeah.
>> Clayson Benally: Is
called Last One Standing.
And it's off of our first
album Never Surrender.
And for our name Sihasin
it represents hope
and how we continue forward
in this world amidst all the
challenges, the hardships,
the challenges that we face.
And this song reflects
the challenges
that Jeronimo you know
had going up against one
of the largest military
forces in the world
and successfully
being able to repel
and use guerrilla
warfare style tactics
and protect his homeland.
It's a long story,
a lot of history.
And he wasn't always supported
or celebrated by his own people.
There's a lot of I guess
when you think of controversy
that surrounds Jeronimo
for some indigenous people.
But Jeronimo is a
beautiful powerful symbol
of that resistance that
we still carry forward.
>> Jeneda Benally: So, this song
is called Last One Standing.
[ Music ]
[ Singing ]
[ Music ]
[ Singing ]
[ Music ]
[ Singing ]
[ Music ]
[ Singing ]
>> Jeneda Benally: So, this
sonnet that we just played
for you Last One Standing
I wanted to mention
that as my brother
rode in on the horse,
that there was a
particular rhythm in the song
that we first sang
which is a riding song.
And this song that has
a direct correlation.
>> Clayson Benally:
A lot of our rhythms
in Sihasin we incorporate
our traditions.
And this drum is a direct
reflection of our hearts.
And that horse, the
rhythm that's the history
of rock and roll.
I know there's a lot of
different tribes 567, 500 and.
>> Jeneda Benally:
Well it's better.
>> Clayson Benally:
564 federally.
>> Jeneda Benally:
When we're talking
about federally recognized.
>> Clayson Benally: Tribes.
>> Jeneda Benally: Yeah.
>> Clayson Benally: But all
different tribes have their own
unique culture in songs and
Dine a lot of our songs -
some of them are walking
songs, traveling songs.
These are particular songs
that are based on that horse
and how they move and travel.
And you can sing these
songs in a social way
to bless your journey.
This next song that
we're going to play
for you is Child of Fire.
And it's where we come
from on the Navajo nation
in the heart a place
called Blackmesa.
And they extracted coal and
Peabody Coal had been mining.
They just fortunately
in my viewpoint recently
closed that mine down.
You know it's the
liver of our earth.
And this is something that
our people have argued
for is the protection and the
wellbeing of our mother earth.
That whatever we do to
this earth it affects us.
We are children of this
land [ ].
[ Music ]
[ Singing ]
[ Music ]
[ Singing ]
>> Jeneda Benally: I am
a child to this water.
[ Singing ]
[ Music ]
>> Jeneda Benally:
I am a child to.
[ Singing ]
>> Jeneda Benally: I am
a child to this earth.
[ Singing ]
>> Clayson Benally: [] This next song is
called Shine.
And for us when we think about
our future generations a lot
of the decisions that we make
as indigenous people
is for our children.
It's for the betterment.
Not just of us.
That decision is not for us.
It's for how is this going to
impact my child, their child,
our grandchildren,
our great-great-great-great
grandchildren
for several generations
into that future?
That's how we have to
make our decisions today.
That's what's going to impact
and leave a lasting
change for our people.
So, this song is for not
just as us as native people,
this is for all people of
this beautiful mother earth.
In our way when we pray
to the four directions.
To the east black blue.
For some tribes it's red.
Yellow, white.
All these sacred colors are part
of our beautiful
biodiverse world.
And we celebrate and
honor and acknowledge all
of that with this song Shine.
>> Jeneda Benally: And
we also want to mention
that this is you know in the
concept of regeneration of the -
you know that's such an
important part of who we are
as Dine people, as indigenous
people to always think
about our future
generations in the way
that my brother Clayson
is explaining.
Because when we invest
that time, that knowledge,
that wisdom into our
younger generations.
It's with the thought that
one day they will be elders
who will pass that
knowledge on as well.
And then one day we'll
all be ancestors.
But we'll have, we'll have
that seed of hope that all
of that knowledge, all of
that wisdom will be carried
on throughout the generations.
[ Music ]
[ Singing ]
[ Music ]
[ Singing ]
[ Music ]
[ Singing ]
[ Music ]
[ Singing ]
[ Music ]
[ Singing ]
>> Jeneda Benally: So, this next
song that we want to perform
for you is called
What Do You See?
And it's a song about
carrying on your culture.
When we first started playing
music as little as we were,
it was really important for us
to utilize these tools in order
to remind you hey
culture is cool.
In fact, when we were recently
on the stage at the Library
of Congress as the Jones Benally
family, we had the time to go
into the archives
and to listen to some
of these amazing recordings.
And it was a reminder
for my father
because when my father was young
thee recordings were being made.
My father wasn't on
any of the recordings.
I don't want to give
you the wrong idea.
But he was able to hear
his grandfather sing
traditional songs.
And that, that is
how cool culture is.
And when we're able
to carry that on,
when we're able to
hear those songs.
And with that said I'd like
to - I'm hoping that you'd
like to hear our father
Mr. Jones Benally.
Our father is known in the
State of Arizona as a -
as an Arizona living treasure.
And he is also one of
the oldest hoop dancers.
I think maybe the oldest.
He is about 90 something.
And that's that we know,
right [ ]?
[ Music ]
[ Inaudible ]
[ Music ]
[ Singing ]
[ Music ]
[ Singing ]
>> Jeneda Benally: We would
like to now bring
our third generation
to come and sing with us.
So, it has been an honor
to be here with you
on the Homegrown Concert Series
with the Library of Congress.
We want to invite my daughters
as being the third generation
here today that are carrying
on our Dine culture
and our Dine lifeway.
Please welcome Dyatihi
and Deezheiill Benally.
>> Clayson Benally: The song
that we're going to sing
for you is part of
our traveling songs.
These are our riding songs when
you're traveling on horseback.
And for us part of our Navajo
philosophy is to walk in beauty.
To have balance, harmony.
To have peace.
The good way forward.
And when you're riding
on horseback these are the
social songs that one would sing
to bless that journey.
To bless your horse.
To bless your way forward.
So, with this we
want to just honor
and acknowledge all
the people viewing just
to have a beautiful day, to
have a beautiful blessed path
before you.
[ Drums Beating ]
[ Singing ]
[ Foreign Language ]
>> Jeneda Benally: Thank you.
From our hearts on the
Dine Nation to your hearts
to your home, thank you
so much for joining us.