Enyekecheyuw'ewaam maakwayk/Sing Me Back Home (Kumeyaay)

Photo: Mandy Curo

Synopsis: Some Saturday mornings around 10:00 we all gathered on my reservation to say “nya’aamh” to one of our own. We know where to meet. We know generally the way it’s going to go. We start outside under the big beautiful oak and make our way up to the little cemetery filled with wooden crosses and headstones. We all take turns finding ways to help out and take care of the family in mourning. Some dig the grave; some cook. Some give speeches, and some, like myself, sing. The songs are familiar. The voices are familiar. The strum and the lead, we can expect. Those songs bring back all the times we’ve been here before, and it will be the sound one day of my own remembrance. I love that it is this way with us. How standing under that oak tree through tears and through song, we as a family, remember.

Maayumny’matt ‘aaw aamh ‘ewam nye’mich, ‘enyaach yayehanh. Nyii ‘tehepallph maaw.Nyip ‘ematt, ‘echam pez ‘uuchuch ehin ‘yullp wechuw. Nysiny hewak, nyecham.Haypuk Daniela chuuhii. Nyapoom Carmen. Nyip ‘echeyuw ‘estik puuch nyewich.‘Iipattch ‘uuchuch ‘estikches. ‘Enyaach wemir pawaa. ‘Enyaach hellytaa aakatteyay wellich we’ip, pes maayum nyip ‘enyaa pekwilly nesoomches, uuchyuwp iichaamushmush nyechewayp ‘enaam ‘ehan ‘ars. (84)Nyip ‘echyuw ‘ehin semaan ‘esnyaawchwenall melay. Muuyuu kiinyul! Muuyuu kwa’han! Nyamat shaawatt pes Maayum‘enyaawapch ‘iipat nyewich, ‘enyaawapch ‘iipaych nyeway kwiichaa.

‘Enyaaehink, maayum nyapam. Ny’enyaach waam,

Mat‘aayumh pa’nam ‘esnyaawm.

Kuusay!‘Ehan tewaa. Kemii! ‘Ehan tewaa.

Keshully!Ketewaam ‘enyaam.

Maayum‘iipaych nyamaat chekwar nyaama ‘uuchuch nyamaat nesoomches

Gitaarrkaachepach kaakily tewaa tewaa tewaa

Nyapoomkaakily ehink waapiilly.

Kaakily‘echeyuw ‘ehan techaahaay.

Kecheyaawch‘echeyuw, heyaay ‘echeyuwch ‘enyaawapch rraaw ‘yuu’ip

Keshaakily‘iikuu. Wenuwch kaateyiw.

‘Enyekecheyuuw‘ewaam maakwayk

‘Enyaaehink maayum nyapam. Ny’enyaach waam,