gathered in the early morning before the hunt of Amoro and Binta. On their heads, the women of both
families brought containers of ceremonial sour milk and sweet cakes of pounded rice and honey.
Kamado Sia, the jaleba of the village, was there with his tong tong drum, and Amoro's two brothers who
had journeyed from far away to attend the ceremony when the drum talk news of their nephew's birth had
reached them. As Binta proudly held her new infant, a small patch of his first hair was shaved off,
as was always done on this day.
And all the women exclaimed at how well-formed the baby was. When they quieted, as the jaleba began
to beat his drum, the alamano said a prayer over the sour milk and cakes. And as he prayed, each guest
touched a calabash brim with his or her right hand as a gesture of respect for the food. Then he turned
to pray over the infant, asking Allah to bring him long life,
success in bringing credit and pride and many children to his family, to his village, to his tribe,
and finally, the strength and spirit to deserve and to bring honor to the name he was about to receive.
I'm
Tula mana, Tula mana, Tula mana, Tula mana, Tula mana, Tula mana, Tula mana, Tula mana, Tula mana,
Tula mana, Tula mana, Tula mana.
The man to the man
To the man, to the man, to the man. To the man, to the man, to the man. To the man, to the man, to the man.
Du-la-mana, du-la-mana, du-la-mana, du-la-mana, du-la-mana, du-la-mana, du-la-mana.
The streets here are generally wide and straight, intersecting each other at right angles, but the houses
are very irregular in the old parts of the town, and the middle of the streets are kept in the worst
areas. There are no fine squares such as Stevens Garden, nor are there any buildings that can be called
elegant. Many ranges of houses and new streets are very handsome and uniform, but not to be compared
to the leading streets in Dublin or London, or even George's Street in Limerick, with the exception
of Broadway, which is the principal one.
with a flagged footway on either side, 12 to 14 feet wide. The shops, which here are called stores,
are not so well stocked, nor are their proprietors so wealthy as those of Dublin or Cork. Rents here
are enormously high. A house much inferior to yours, situated in one of the leading streets of business,
would let for $2,000 to $3,000 a year. Honesty and integrity appear to me to be at a low ebb. And if
a stranger be not very cautious and circumspect,
He will soon be shorn of any wool he may have, and then must turn to shearing himself. Several respectable
merchants and traders in this city are Irishmen, but our countrymen here, as in every other place, are
generally employed in the most laborious occupations, as digging canals, attending bricklayers, loading
and unloading ships, carrying berthens. There are several fine converted markets in every part of the
city, all well supplied. Beef is good, mutton much inferior to ours.
Poultry in general, not quite so well flavored as the Irish. Potatoes abundant, but very bad. The prices
of provisions about the same as with you, but clothing is dearer. The climate of New York is unhealthy.
Deaths average 100 per week. Consumption is the most common disease. I fear your patients will be worn
out. Therefore, I will bring this long, desultory letter to an end.
Let's go.
learning.
the pure language of the world. It required no explanation, just as the universe needs none as it travels
through time. What the boy felt in that moment was that he was in the presence of the only woman in
his life. And with that, with no need for words, she recognized the same thing. He was more certain
of it than of anything in the world. He had been told by his parents and grandparents that he must fall
in love and really know a person before becoming committed.
But maybe people who feel this way had never learned the universal language. Because you know when someone
in the world awaits you, whether it's in the middle of the desert or in some city. And when two such
people encounter each other and their eyes meet, the past and the future become unimportant. There is
only that moment in the incredible certainty that everything under the sun had been written by one hand
only. It is the hand that evokes love
and creates a twin soul for every person in the world. Without such love, one's dreams would have no meaning.
It's a long way down to the bottom of the river. Hold my hand. Oh, baby, it's a long way down,
long way down. If you get sleep, or if you get night, God's going to call in the morning, baby. Check
the cupboard for your daddy's guys. Red sun rises like an early warning. Lord's going to come for your
firstborn son.
Go to the river where the water runs. Wash in deep where the tides are turning. And if you fall. And
if you fall.
the world.
so apparent. Thank you very, very much. It's so wonderful to be in front of you. My name is Chris Albanese.
I'm the new director of the Singing Hoosiers. It has been an absolute... An absolute pleasure and a
joy to work with these 85 amazing, amazing, amazing young people, and I cannot
emphasize that enough. The first nine weeks of this year have been absolutely fantastic, and it's just
such an honor for me to stand in this place where so many great people have stood, and with the history
and the tradition of this ensemble as well. Over the summer, I had the opportunity to email some of
the Singing Hoosiers returners, and I asked them a few questions, one of which was, I said, what of
all the Singing Hoosiers traditions and things that are meaningful to you means the most? What is one
thing that stays with you?
And many of you in the audience who are singing Hoosiers can probably think back to these things as
well. And the one thing that kept coming up where there were a few, and one word was family. They talked
a lot about the closeness and the connection amongst members of the ensemble. And the other thing that
kept coming up was diversity and the diversity of style.
that you've seen today that these people are able to embrace and develop and learn and present is just
absolutely unbelievable. So thank you so much for that. And that gets to the heart of this program and
what it's all about is looking at
this tradition of American music through the lens of all these different styles that came together and
formed it. And all these things that we have to be thankful for for our music. So again, thank you so
very, very much to be here today. We will be out afterwards to meet and greet with you as well. And
please enjoy this last arrangement. This is Light of a Clear Blue Morning by Dolly Parton, arranged
by Craig Halley Johnson.
Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame, with conquering limbs astride from land to land, here at our
sea-washed sunset gates shall stand a mighty woman with a torch, whose flame is the imprisoned lightning
and her name mother of exiles. From her beacon hand glows worldwide welcome. Her mild eyes command the
air-bridged harbor that Twin Cities fame. Keep ancient lands, your storied pomp, cries she.
With silent lips, give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free. The wretched
refuse of your teeming shore, send these, the homeless tempest tossed to me. I lift my lamp beside the
golden door.
It's gonna be just fine, it's gonna be okay.