It's all in the song

What is the difference between a good song and a bad song? Is there a difference? What is the difference between a contemporary song and an original song?

I am a dancer so I can speak only from a dancer's point of view, but I remember being around the drum, close to the drum, not from the dance floor, but right there beside everyone getting ready to sing the next song. You never know when it could be your turn to sing. Sure, there is a drum order, drum roll call and contests songs, but sometimes you never know. Sometimes, all of a sudden, someone might come over and whistle your drum. You have to be ready, all your singers, the song, the appropriate song, for this honor.

Back in the day, say maybe more than 20 years ago when there was only original style, when a song started up with the old guys at the drum, one of the men would say "Yes, that song it belongs to so and so; that song was made for so and so" or they might say "that song was bought by so and so, or given to so and so." Then one of the other men would remember another part of the story for that song, how it was transferred or if it changed from a society song to a powwow song.

Just like powwow dancing has changed and evolved to a very new style from 20 years ago, singing has seen its changes. This past March, I was dancing at a university-sponsored powwow. There were about a dozen drums there, different singing styles and experiences, meaning there were some established "name" drums, some local drums and a couple of pick-up drums, a drum that may have seasoned singers, new singers or visiting singers who have come together generally just for that weekend.

I was sitting at the seats behind this particular drum, and my nephew was singing with them for the weekend. His hometown drum wasn't travelling this weekend and this pick-up drum invited him to sing with them. I knew most of the singers from seeing them around singing with other drums. What I really noticed about them was how disciplined they were around their drum. They set up early, no rushing around, no missing singers. They all made drum roll call and sang some warm-up songs. They had mindfulness about them when they got ready to sing for the day.

Since there were singers that had to adjust to each other's singing style, some songs were a challenge, but they pulled themselves together to give each song their best shot. On the second day of contest dancing, this pick-up drum sang our second song, a Jingle Dress side-step song. Since I had been observing them during the weekend, I went to start my dance right beside the drum to gain a deeper appreciation of their song.

They sang a beautiful song, an old song, kind of had a different beat than usual, but still a beautiful song. The song ended and all of the ladies lined up for the judges and we were done for the day. Later in the ladies room, a young woman, the previous year's champion winner, said to me 'That was a bad song. They didn't do this and they missed the honor beats. I thought you would have gone up and requested another song!' I replied to her, something one of my dance mentors, a Golden Age women's traditional dancer, had always told me. "A good dancer can dance to any song." I added that "the spirit of that song was present and carried me through the dance, (didn't notice) that the tempo hadn't changed, or that they left out the honor beats." She shrugged and we parted.

Right after that I returned to my seat and one of the singers from the pick-up drum came up to me to shake my hand and apologize for the song they just sang for us. He went on explain his situation.

He said "I don't know what happened. We've all been singing a long time. We knew that song. We just messed up." I then replied to him what I had just said to the young Jingle Dress dancer. "A good dancer can dance to any song."

I reflected to him how a dancer finds it within themselves. He still felt bad, and then I further shared with him my observations about his drum.

I said it was honorable how each time they set up, it was obvious their respect they had for one another, and for the drum. It was obvious they sang for the love of the songs and not for the contest. I told him, this was my reason for starting near their drum when the song started, so that I could feel that reverence, so I could feel the spirit of their song. When that song came within me, I didn't notice the missed beats, the tempo change, all I know is at the end of the song, my feet landed back on earth. He shook my hand again, thanked me and he looked content.

I won first that weekend. The young woman, the previous year's "champion", didn't place at all. I saw her a few weekends later; she was still complaining about that song. She didn't place that weekend either.

Those songs are the gifts given to us, and all songs are good songs.