SONG OF THE SKY LOOM(Tewa Indian Song)

Tewa- a member of a Pueblo Indian people of New Mexico and Arizona

To the Tewas, the small desert rain characteristic of that part

of the country, with its showers visibly threading

their way downward, looked like the loom on which they

wove their blankts. They called such showers the sky

loom.

SONG OF THE SKY LOOM(Tewa Indian Song)

O, our Mother the Earth, O our Father the Sky,

Your children are we, and with tired backs

We bring you the gifts you love.

Then weave for us a garment of brightness;

May the warp be the white light of morning.

May the weft be the red light of evening, May the fringes be the falling rain, May the border be the standing rainbow.

Thus weave for us a garment of brightness, That we may walk fittingly

where birds sing, That we may walk fittingly

where grass is green, O our Mother the Earth, O

our Father the Sky.

Sharing Insights

1. Who is speaking in the poem? To whom is it

addressed? What could be the gifts spoken of?

2. Why does the Pueblo Indian regard

the earth as their mother? Why did they regard the sky as their

father?

3. What does the Pueblo Indian ask for in this prayer-poem? What is meant by a

"garment of brightness"?

4. What images created in the

poem develop the idea or picture of a

loom?

5. How can people today walk fittingly where birds sing

and where grass is green?

6. How can peaceful co-existence be

forged especially in the midst of cultural

differences?

Responding to Connotations

Connotation- the personal meaning given to a word

Denotation- the literal or dictionary meaning

loom

What does it denote?What does it connote?

Denotation:loom- a frame or machine for interlacing at right angles two or more sets of threads or yarns to form a clothConnotation:loom- is a Tewa universe

Denotation

home - one's place of residence

Connotation

home - security; love; fun - scoldings; quarrels; hunger