When we Anglos see the dances of the Pueblos, we do not understand the songs. For the dancers, the song is primary. The dance is not a raw expression of emotion or instinct, but a rational action, one fully formed by intelligence and reason. The words of the song are therefore primary; the symbols and actions are important and essential but secondary.

The kachinas return to the villages at the request of the villagers. The Long Haired Kachinas come to dance and to sing this song:

In the summertime we will come again.

We will come as clouds from the west, the south, the east, and the north to bless the Hopi people and to water their fields and crops.

Then the Hopis will see their corn plants majestically growing.

They will be so happy they will joyfully sing praises to the spiritual beings who brought moisture.

At the edge of the cornfield a bird will sing with them in the oneness of their happiness.

So they will sing together in tune with the universal power, in harmony with the one Creator of all things.

And the bird’s song, and the people’s song, and the song of life will become one.

(Frank Waters, Book of the Hopi)

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