Audio and Video
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Document Type
Audio
Publication Date
1945
Abstract
Native American Round Dance chant and love song with English refrain, by Mike Reyna of Taos Pueblo and Paul Toya of Jemez Pueblo. Part of the Florence Hawley (Ellis) and Donovan Senter Collection of Hispanic, Isleta, and Laguna Songs, 1940-1949, MU 8 Box 1, CD 2.
These historic field recordings were made on Recordios, paper waxed disks, manufactured by the Wilcox-Gay Corporation, Charlotte, Michigan. They are wonderful examples of this early recording technology.
Lyrics: Wi ya he ya wi ni ya he yo he yo wi ya he yo wi ni ya he yo he yo. I don't care if you're married sixteen times, I'll get you. Ya he yo ha wi ya wi ya hai ya wi ya yo-o.
In 1940, Columbia Music Professor Willard Rhodes recorded three love songs sung by the Boys Chorus of the Santa Fe Indian School. He noted that the “boys and young men have had fun making new love songs with English words, which they sing for the Round Dance.” The Round Dance is a social and friendship dance and all are welcome to join in. The CSWR 1945 recording is an example of this same song innovation. He added, “no one knows who made the songs, but Taos Pueblo appears to be the center for their diffusion.” “The use of English words within the chant has not affected the Indian character of the melodies,” concluded Rhodes.
Here are the English refrains heard within the song chants that Rhodes recorded:
"When the dance is over sweetheart, I will take you home in my one-eyed Ford. My sweetheart she got mad at me because I said hello to my old timer. But it's just ok with me. Oh yes I love you honey dear. I don't care if you're married sixteen times I'll get you."
From INTRODUCTION TO NORTH AMERICAN INDIAN MUSIC by Willard Rhodes, Library of Congress, AFS L36, 1954, p. 15.
Recommended Citation
Reyna, Mike and Paul Toya. ""I Don’t Care If You Are Married Sixteen Times, I’ll Get You"." (1945). https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/cswr_multimedia/5
