🪶 Tiwayahk Nuhuhnihm — The Song of a Thankful People
🪶 Tiwayahk Nuhuhnihm — The Song of a Thankful People
A Reflection on Tsihohnayah Ahkehkthihm, Chapter 7
Listen to the song:
Tiwayahk Nuhuhnihm — The Way of the People
https://suno.com/s/4NJR2Cg2ZS3B3kVi
Another version: Another version of this Sacred Song
Sometimes a song says more than a sermon.
This week during our Nemenhah study, we came across one of the most beautiful passages I have yet found in the records. It appears in Chapter 7 of the Book of Tsihohnayah Ahkehkthihm, a record attributed to Tsihohnayah, the son of Moroni.
Whether one accepts the Nemenhah records as history, inspiration, or simply an interesting text, this chapter contains a message that speaks directly to the heart.
It is the story of a people who lost their home, found a new one, and responded not with bitterness, but with gratitude.
A New Beginning
Seven years had passed since the division caused by Tuhcahntohr.
The people had left the valley of Maynihntah and settled among their relatives in Nehspehlhem.
They arrived not as conquerors but as refugees.
Yet they were welcomed.
Families opened their homes.
Neighbors helped build houses.
Granaries were filled.
Before winter arrived, the people were safe.
Tsihohnayah pauses and asks a fascinating question.
Were they really any different from the Tuhcahntohrhah?
After all, both groups had migrated.
Both had left their old homes.
Both had carried their traditions into a new land.
His answer is profound.
The difference was not where they went.
The difference was what they carried with them.
One people carried conflict.
The other carried gratitude.
One carried control.
The other carried charity.
One built a system.
The other built a community.
The First Mention of the Kneeling Dance
Then comes something remarkable.
The people gather together in winter.
Snow covers the ground.
They kneel upon the Earth.
They sing to the sacred directions.
They thank the Creator for the moisture that will sustain life through the coming summer.
They honor their ancestors.
They ask blessings upon all living things.
This is the first mention in the record of what later becomes known as the Kneeling Dance of the Ancestors.
What struck me most was the spirit of the gathering.
There is no boasting.
No hierarchy.
No attempt to prove superiority.
Only gratitude.
The people remember those who came before them and acknowledge that everything they enjoy today was built upon sacrifices they themselves did not make.
A Grandmother's Song
During the celebration, Grandmother Ahkehkt, described as the most ancient among them, is overcome by the Haymehnay and begins to sing.
The people learn the words.
They dedicate the song to their children and their children's children.
And according to the record, they are told that future generations will one day sing it again.
That caught my attention.
Because in many ways, that is exactly what happened.
Thousands of years later, here we are still talking about it.
Still pondering it.
Still trying to understand what it means.
The Song
Tiwayahk Nuhuhnihm — Song of Thanksgiving
"We gather today as a thankful people,
coming together in this sacred place.
Because of the stewardship of our ancestors,
we stand here and receive their blessings.
With gratitude we come,
thankful for this place and this day.
This work is sacred to us,
precious beyond measure.
It lives in our words,
and echoes in our songs.
The gifts of our ancestors remain with us,
woven into all that we do.
This is the way of the People.
Their strength becomes our strength,
and we carry it within us.
As those who now sleep in the Earth once did,
so do we walk this path.
Even those who worship differently
share in this same journey.
This is Sacred Talk."
The Verse That Stopped Me
Of all the lines in the song, one stood out:
"Even they who worship differently do the same."
Think about that.
This is not a song about exclusion.
It is not a song claiming that only one group has truth.
It is a song about gratitude.
About ancestors.
About stewardship.
About remembering where blessings come from.
And the song recognizes that these things belong to all people.
That is a remarkably generous and Christlike perspective.
Why I Wrote a Song
After studying this chapter, I decided to take the words and ideas of the ancient song and adapt them into a modern musical version called:
Tiwayahk Nuhuhnihm — The Way of the People
To my surprise, the very first version turned out beautifully.
As I listened, I found myself thinking about my own father.
My grandparents.
Missionaries.
Pioneers.
Teachers.
Friends.
People who sacrificed so I could enjoy blessings I often take for granted.
That, I believe, is the spirit of the song.
Not worshipping ancestors.
Remembering them.
Honoring them.
Carrying forward the good they left behind.
What Does This Mean For Us?
We live in a world obsessed with the future.
The Nemenhah remind us to remember the past.
We enjoy freedoms we did not earn.
Knowledge we did not discover.
Blessings we did not create.
Someone came before us.
Someone sacrificed.
Someone preserved truth.
Someone planted trees whose shade we now enjoy.
The question is simple:
What will we leave for those who come after us?
Final Thought
Perhaps the most important line in the entire chapter is not about dancing.
Not about ancestors.
Not even about stewardship.
It is this:
"This is the way of the People."
To my way of thinking, Zion is built when grateful people remember where their blessings came from, care for one another in the present, and pass those blessings on to the next generation.
That is Sacred Talk.
That is the Way of the People.
🪶
Listen to the song:
Tiwayahk Nuhuhnihm — The Way of the People
https://suno.com/s/4NJR2Cg2ZS3B3kVi
Another version: Another version of this Sacred Song
🔎 Related Reading: Blueprint of Zion
🌿 BLUEPRINT OF ZION
"Follow the Voice, not the white robe."
___________________________________________________________________________________
**Tiwayahk Nuhuhnihm** *(Song of Thanksgiving)* **Verse 1** Tiwayahk Nuhuhnihm, we gather here today, Pahaynihn Wiisiitsay, upon the ancient way. Kohnah Kiyay, we come with thankful hearts, To honor all our ancestors and every sacred part. **Chorus** Tiwayahk Nuhuhnihm, Kohnah Kiyay. Kayhitiyaysahhohks, Waytsaynehptayayihn. This is the way of the People, Kuhuhs Kiitsiitay. The strength of our ancestors, Lives in us today. **Verse 2** Hiitaywisay Kiiyay, sacred is this land, Yayliaylayihn, the work of loving hands. The songs of those before us, Still echo through the years, In every prayer of gratitude, In every hope and tear. **Chorus** Tiwayahk Nuhuhnihm, Kohnah Kiyay. Kayhitiyaysahhohks, Waytsaynehptayayihn. This is the way of the People, Kuhuhs Kiitsiitay. The strength of our ancestors, Lives in us today. **Bridge** Kuhuhh Kaylah Tsahm, All who sleep within the Earth. Tsiniktsuhkay Niyisayp, Different paths but equal worth. Their voices still surround us, Their blessings still remain. We walk the path they showed us, And sing their song again. **Final Chorus** Tiwayahk Nuhuhnihm, Pahaynihn Wiisiitsay. Kohnah Kiyay, We come with thanks today. Kaytuh Kahah Yohks, Kii Hehlahwahtimsah. Sacred Talk forever, The way of Nemenhah.
Comments