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the eel river song

by Meredith BuckTrack // Story // F.A.Q.

story

The Eel River song/chant/round/hymn came to me during a ceremony held as part of the Weaving Earth Immersion's second year, on the middle fork of the Eel River.Eighteen of us had camped out on a river bend for a week-long retreat, watching Osprey fly up and down the banks; reading the landscape for signs of Bear and Otter; feasting on Manzanita berries and catching the drifting sounds of distant river nymphs.At the end of our week, we bid farewell to the stretch of river that we had called home with a ceremony that, for me, represented a rites of passage. It was the eve of my 21st birthday.The participants, including myself, were sent blindfolded one-by-one down a river bend to a marked finish line. Weaving Earth staff members were stationed along the bend to lifeguard and course-correct if needed, though everyone made their way to the meeting point safely regardless. We were guided by the intermittent drumming of sticks on bark by one of the staff members. Every few minutes, a single crACK would sound from the area of the finish line.With no sight, and only memory and the sound of branches to orient myself, I started down the river. It started out in a shallow, rocky stream, but when I got to the deep swimming hole we'd been frequenting, I knew I had no choice but to surrender -- to let the river take me where I needed to be.When I laid back to float downstream, water poured into my ears, and with it came music. I listened as the parts flooded in, and tried in silence to remember.Hours later, when the ceremony was done and we finished packing up our camp, we came together to give one last thanks and offer a song in return for the hospitality shown to us by the land. I suggested the river's song on the condition that it had never been sung before, and so I needed help to bring it into being.Part by part, we gave the song its first human breath. As the third part was underway, an Osprey we'd been watching all week came and circled, low and slow, directly over us, then winged off into the distance. We sang and stared at each other in awe. We picked up our packs; we walked back.In the car driving back home, I sang and re-sang the song until it most fully resembled what I heard in the river, in a way that would be as sharable as it is singable.What has unfolded in the years since then is an experience that I continue to learn from today. The friends who helped me usher the song in went on to teach it to their friends, who taught their friends, and so on. The Eel River song has been sung in countless choirs, gatherings, events -- even on the radio and in musical productions -- worldwide. It has been set to music, reimagined as a multi-part piano composition, and shared far and wide through the oral tradition.At first, I was hesitant to create a recording of the song, for a few reasons. First and foremost, I felt vulnerable; this song is incredibly personal for me, and it's uncomfortable to see something so close and cherished become something of a sound-bite. Second, I felt protective of the river. To me, the song is synonymous with the river, and to record it (and especially to monetize it) would be to dam it, preventing its banks from flowing and winding freely.However, 10 years later, the singing has not slowed; in fact it has continued to grow and spread. In response, I decided to create a single, humble, recording; and this story page, so that anyone interested could have a reference point to look back on.If you sing or play the Eel River Song differently than the way I do, please know that that is not only O.K. but entirely welcomed and invited. I am infinitely awestruck by the multitudes of expression that have sprung forth from such a simple and pure experience. If you have a recording you'd like to share or have added to this page, feel free to reach out.Thank you for visiting, thank you for reading my story, and most of all: thank you for singing the Eel River Song.-- Meredith

f.a.q.

Land Acknowledgment:
English: Eel River
Wiyot: Wiya't
Cahto: Taanchow
Northern Pomo: ch'idiyuThe land from which this song arose is the ancestral territory of the Northern Yuki. I am forever grateful to have been able to spend time familiarizing myself with their gardens and the life-giving river that has sustained the flourishing of their lands since time immemorial. This experience has helped me to understand that the separation between human and nature -- that so many of us perceive as if it were always so -- is a colonial misconception; and that healing this core disconnect is integral to healing many societal and ecological rifts in the world. The river led me back to my own indigeneity; it let me back to myself.For a more detailed, in-progress map of First Nations territories, visit Native-Land.ca.Recording: The Eel River Song was recorded, mixed, and mastered by Terrill Mast, August 2023.Copyright Info: Attribution Non-commercial Share Alike -- This means you can make remixes, add tweaks, or otherwise riff on the song non-commercially, as long as you credit me. If you decide to license any new work build from the Eel River Song, you must license it under the same terms. If you're unclear, don't be shy ! Send me an email.Site Photography: background & slideshow images by Angela Vincent of Inner Guide, with edits by me !Other songs: I don't currently have any other music available, but if the day comes that I do, you'll most certainly be able to find and enjoy it on Bandcamp !Other Questions: feel free to reach out by email.