Walela Explained

Walela is a trio of singers, named for the Cherokee word for hummingbird.[1] The group was founded in 1996 by sisters Rita Coolidge and Priscilla Coolidge, with Priscilla's daughter Laura Satterfield as the third member.

Biography

Featured as part of Robbie Robertson and the Red Road Ensemble's album Music for The Native Americans, Walela is known for their distinctive vocal blend. During the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, Walela performed extensively in the Olympic Park. Their 1997 debut release on Capitol Records earned them the recognition of the Nammy Awards (Native American Music Awards) where they took home the award for Debut Artist of the Year and Song of the Year for "The Warrior".

During the 2010s, there was controversy at the Native American Music Awards due to allegations that none of Walela's members were Native American. The Native American Music Awards allows any person who self-identifies as Native American to receive awards without any verification of tribal citizenship.[2] The Coolidge family is not enrolled in any Native American tribe. Rita Coolidge has said that their great-aunt was on the Trail of Tears and that she "did a lot of research", but that "we were not able to get the documents to prove that our ancestors were on the Trail" and could not find any ancestors listed on "the official government roll".[3]

Awards

The group won the Native American Music Awards' best debut group and song of the year for 1998.[4]

Discography

Walela (1997)

  1. Is Everybody Here
  2. Cherokee River
  3. Wash Your Spirit Clean
  4. The Warrior
  5. Muddy Road
  6. Cherokee
  7. Cherokee Morning Song
  8. Wounded Knee
  9. The Whippoorwill
  10. Circle of Light
  11. Earth Children
  12. Amazing Grace (in Cherokee)
  13. I'll Turn My Radio On

Unbearable Love (2000)

  1. Gathering of Eagles
  2. The Sequence
  3. Cherokee Rose
  4. I Know I Don't Walk on Water
  5. Smoke in the Wind
  6. Bright Morning Star
  7. I Have No Indian Name
  8. Tell Them They Lie
  9. When It Comes
  10. When Love Was All We Knew
  11. God Save Us from Ourselves
  12. Unbearable Love

Live in Concert (2004)

  1. The Gathering of Eagles
  2. Cherokee River
  3. Cherokee Rose
  4. Wash Your Spirit Clean
  5. I Have No Indian Name
  6. When It Comes
  7. Muddy Road
  8. When Love Was All We Knew
  9. Cherokee Morning Song
  10. Wounded Knee
  11. Tell Them They Lied
  12. God Save Us From Ourselves

The Best of Walela (2007)

  1. Is Everybody Here
  2. Cherokee Morning Star
  3. Amazing Grace
  4. Bright Morning Star
  5. Smoke In the Wind
  6. Wash Your Spirit Clean
  7. The Warrior
  8. Cherokee Rose
  9. I'll Turn My Radio On
  10. I Have No Indian Name
  11. God Save Us From Ourselves
  12. When It Comes
  13. The Whippoorwill
  14. Unbearable Love

Notes and References

  1. Book: Feeling. Durbin. Cherokee - English Dictionary. registration. 1975. Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma. Tahlequah. 9994626787. 187.
  2. Book: Miller . Mark Edwin . Claiming Tribal Identity: The Five Tribes and the Politics of Federal Acknowledgment . 16 August 2013 . University of Oklahoma Press . 978-0-8061-5051-2 . 412 . en.
  3. Web site: Rita Coolidge Discusses Her Cherokee Heritage. Berkshire Fine Arts . 2024-07-22.
  4. Web site: WINNERS DIRECTORY. www.nativeamericanmusicawards.com. 2016-02-26.

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