♪ [guitar playing softly] ♪
- Wade: ♪ Nicianosaeh Whapi-Mahwaewsaeh (My child, Little White Wolf) ♪
I chose a song for this project called, "Sawaenemiyah."
'Sawaenemiyah' means "we are blessed"
and, it's a Menominee word.
And the song is all in the Menominee language.
And it's about being aware of the blessings.
As a, as a Menominee person,
we went through a lot with the boarding schools,
we went through a lot with oppression and racism
and being removed from a lot of our traditional homelands
and put on a reservation,
but we survived
and a big part of that survival is,
is being aware of what's beautiful around us,
being aware of what we still have.
♪ [playing guitar] ♪
♪ Nicianosaeh Whapi-Mahwaewsaeh, (My child, Little White Wolf) ♪
♪ Maecewatok somekoh (Creator smiles on you) ♪
♪ Nicianosaeh (My child) ♪
♪ Waqsepaekecewin (Clear Pure Sparkling Water) ♪
♪ Penesew mesek wahkamiw (Pure and clear water) ♪
♪ Kemewenukiw (Rain Woman) ♪
♪ Pon kekatow kipackiyaenemem Kespentaeh (We should never have to wonder if) ♪
♪ Sawaenemiyah (We are blessed) ♪
♪ Nicianosaeh Awaesaeh Oskas, (My child, Bear Claw) ♪
♪ Maecewatok kemenen kaekoh (Creator gave a gift) ♪
♪ Nicianosaeh Awaesaeh Nepowaew (My child, Standing Bear) ♪
♪ Kaec menikew (This beauty grows & grows) ♪
♪ Kemewenukiw (Rain Woman) ♪
♪ Pon kekatow kipackiyaenemem Kespentaeh (We should never have to wonder if) ♪
♪ Sawaenemiyah (We are blessed) ♪
♪ Naqsniw anahkok waqnenam menipaniw (May the stars light your way) ♪
♪ Mesek Noweqnan kewehnaw (And the wind cry your name) ♪
♪ Naqsnew kesoq kenatamowim kewaeqsaehkosem (May the moon make you shine) ♪
♪ Anah Keskehsekoh waqsahkonawaew (And the stars twinkle in your eyes) ♪
♪ Wahkamiw Pamenan, Nisaehcoq piw mesek mahchi (As clear waters flow and tears come and go) ♪
♪ Pameq niyah, enahkah enes (We fly our own ways) ♪
♪ Kemenen eyom, kakenaha wapehtum, (Take these seeds and sow; let them nourish your souls) ♪
♪ Mesek kitahpahonen (And plant them everywhere you go) ♪
♪ Kemewenukiw (Rain Woman) ♪
♪ Pon kekatow kipackiyaenemem Kespentaeh (We should never have to wonder if) ♪
♪ Sawaenemiyah (We are blessed) ♪
♪ [humming] ♪
♪ Sawaenemiyah (We are blessed)♪
♪ Sawaenemiyah (We are blessed) ♪
Mesek (and)
♪ Nepewennukiw (Lady of the Water) ♪
♪ [humming] ♪
♪ [hums final note] ♪
♪ ♪