Jana Mashonee, American Indian Christmas

I have been following the career and music of Jana Mashonee for about a year and a half. (Some call it stalking, but there you go.) American Indian Christmas was the second of her CDs I bought and I just about wore it out last December. Well, even if you can't wear out a CD I played it a lot.

On her Facebook page Jana explains that she met with Tribal Elders and learned to sing these songs in various native languages. The result is a compilation of songs we have all heard, probably grew up with, but they are presented in a new, exciting, and refreshing way.

O Holy Night is sung in Navajo

O Come All Ye Faithful sung in Kalispel Salish

Silent Night in Arapaho

Hark The Herald Angels Sing in Lakota

Little Drummer Boy in San Juan Tewa Pueblo

It Came Upon A Midnight Clear sung in Oneida

Winter Wonderland in Objibwe

Joy To The World sung in Chiricahua Apache

Amazing Grace in her native language, Lumbee

I have traded emails with Jana Mashonee after my first hub on her music and I call her “Jana”. She calls me “Old White Man Who Stalks Me On the Internet”. It’s an Indian name.

Anyway, I became interested in her and did a little research about Lumberton, N.C. and found that it is located in Robeson County. The University of North Carolina at Pembroke is located in Robeson County and is historically a Native American University. Native Americans make up 38% of the population while blue eyed devils are only 32%.

The Lumbee Indian Tribe is the largest tribal nation east of the Mississippi River and I found another fascinating tidbit of info on Wikipedia:

“Until late in the 20th century, Robeson County was a center of Klu Klux Klan activity and support in North Carolina. On January 18, 1958, armed Lumbee Native Americans chased off an estimated 50 Klansmen and supporters led by grand wizard James W. “Catfish” Cole at the town of Maxton in the Battle of Hayes Pond.”

The event makes for some fascinating reading and I have provided a couple of links at the bottom of this hub. I have had to work two Klan parades as a cop and found them pathetic and sad. The worst for me was seeing children of Klansmen marching in a parade to promote hatred and intolerance. What hope do these kids have? It’s pitiful, really.

Now, back to the music. I have found some of the songs on YouTube and here they are for your consideration.

I saved Amazing Grace for last because even though I'm not sure it is traditionally a Christmas song, it holds special meaning for me. Listen and especially note the part where Jana sings a cappella.

In June of this year, my family gathered to give whatever final comfort we could to our mother as she lost her battle with cancer. The morphine and the disease had combined to make her emotionally erratic. In a quiet moment, she began to sing Amazing Grace and since there was no radio in her room, I played Jana's version for her on my iPhone. It was the last song she heard.

Tonight, I have realized that I was wrong about Amazing Grace not being a traditional Christmas song. It's actually the ultimate Christmas Carol. After all, what would Christmas be without the sweet sound of His Amazing Grace?