Shí naashá

"Shí naashá"
"Shí naashá"
	Flag of the Navajo Nation
Song
Language	Navajo
Written	1868

Shí naashá (I am going/walking around[1]) is a Navajo song, composed in 1868 to commemorate the release of the Navajo from internment at Fort Sumner.[2] The song's lyrics express the elation of the Navajo people on the occasion of their return to their homeland. Unlike most other Navajo songs, "Shí naashá" is almost entirely translatable - there are few words that can not be replaced with an English word of the same meaning. Most Navajo songs are untranslatable. The word hózhǫ́ (beauty), a major concept in Navajo spirituality, is used throughout the song. [3]

Lyrics

Ahala ahalago naashá ghą
Shí naashá ghą, shí naashá ghą,
Shí naashá lágo hózhǫ’ la.
Shí naashá ghą, shí naashá ghą,
Shí naashá, ladee hózhǫ’ǫ’ lá.

I am going in freedom
I am going, I am going,
I am going in beauty.
I am going, I am going,
I am going, beauty is all around me.

References

Koskoff, Ellen, ed. (2000). Garland Encyclopedia of World Music, Volume 3: The United States and Canada. Garland Publishing. ISBN 0-8240-4944-6.

Notes

Languages of the World
Heth, Charlotte. "Overview". The Garland Encyclopedia of World Music. pp. 366–373.
"Navajo Songs from the Cayon De Chelly liner notes" (PDF). New World Records. New World Records. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-02-12.

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[1] Languages of the World

[2] Heth, Charlotte. "Overview". The Garland Encyclopedia of World Music. pp. 366–373.

[3] "Navajo Songs from the Cayon De Chelly liner notes" (PDF). New World Records. New World Records. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-02-12.