BRENT MICHAEL DAVIDS' WE THE PEOPLE

(30:00) Full Orchestra (Triple Winds), SATB Chorus, Native American Wood Flute, including Harp & six percussionists (Timpani, Vibes, Bass Drum, Toms & small percussion instruments). Rental Fee: Orchestra Score, Chorus Score, Set of Parts. Copyright ©2004, Brent Michael Davids.

BRENT MICHAEL DAVIDS’ WE THE PEOPLE is composed and orchestrated for large chorus and full orchestra celebrating the opening of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI). The complete lyric for "We the People" combines all of the tribal names in the continental United States including Alaska, and a tribute to the Indigenous languages of the Washington DC region. The Indians of the continent name themselves in their own self-determined ways: We Sun People, We Earth People, We Wind People, We Water People, We Bird People, We Animal People. "We the People" celebrates the over 500 First Nation Peoples by singing their tribal names one after another for the length of 30 minutes. American Indians parented the USA into the most affluent country in the world. Franklin borrowed democracy from the Iroquois as the primary model for the US government. Even “We the People of the United States” derives from Indians, where an Indian might simply say “We United People.” Also, by usurping Indian lands with abundant resources, the US grew into a rich superpower. It is ironic the USA sees itself as the purveyor of democracy, when it is the Indians that first founded it. Literally, the USA is built on the backs of the Turtle Islanders.

"We the People" honors America's United People and Indigenous People, and the pivotal place where their stories converge, The National Museum of the American Indian.