[ti:Shenandoah and Its Native American Roots]
[by:www.21voa.com]
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[00:07.96]And now, Words and Their Stories, from VOA Learning English.
[00:15.48]Every word has its own story.
[00:18.44]Where did it come from?
[00:20.08]How did it get into the language?
[00:23.76]Today's word is "Shenandoah."
[00:26.48]Hundreds of years ago a Native American chief named Shenandoah
[00:31.96]lived with his tribes in what is now the state of Virginia.
[00:37.40]Little is known about Shenandoah, but in some way,
[00:42.04]the soft sound of his name was given to a river.
[00:46.28]The Shenandoah River still flows in a deep valley
[00:50.72]between the Allegheny and Blue Ridge Mountains,
[00:54.04]just as it did when Chief Shenandoah lived.
[00:57.36]It is a slow moving river, soft and as beautiful as its name.
[01:04.44]There are some word experts who believe the word "Shenandoah"
[01:08.84]means "spruce river" because the waters of the river
[01:13.08]run through great forests of spruce trees.
[01:16.68]And this explanation could be correct.
[01:20.20]However, there is an old Native American story
[01:24.44]which is far more beautiful than that of the experts.
[01:29.56]Long ago, centuries before Europeans came to the New World,
[01:34.84]there was a great lake of sparkling blue water
[01:38.84]hidden in the mountains of Virginia.
[01:42.28]This lake was 250 kilometers long and 50 kilometers wide.
[01:49.40]For hundreds of years, Native American tribes lived near this lake,
[01:55.12]feeding on the fish from its clean waters.
[01:59.20]The Native Americans often climbed up the mountains
[02:02.60]and camped there during their long hunts for food.
[02:06.76]In the evenings they sat near their camp
[02:10.04]and looked down at the beautiful lake.
[02:13.68]On a clear, starry night you could see thousands of stars
[02:18.40]shining and dancing on the water below.
[02:22.56]The Native Americans loved this lake,
[02:25.68]and because they could see the stars in it
[02:28.64]they called the lake, "Clear Daughter of the Stars."
[02:33.84]In their language, the word for this was "Shenandoah."
[02:38.92]One day there was a loud crashing sound at one end of the lake.
[02:43.68]The lake started to disappear.
[02:47.28]Its water ran out of the valley, through a break in the mountain side.
[02:53.04]The waters ran on and on until they joined another river
[02:58.08]which today is known as the Potomac.
[03:01.92]At last, the lake was gone.
[03:04.64]In its place was only a river.
[03:08.20]It is this way today.
[03:10.12]The lake is gone, but the beautiful Shenandoah River runs on.
[03:15.84]And on a clear night, anyone in the mountains
[03:19.08]can still see the stars dancing on the water.
[03:24.12]Shenandoah National Park has just over 80,000 hectares of protected lands.
[03:31.08]The park has cascading waterfalls,
[03:34.56]beautiful mountain vistas and serene woods.
[03:39.64]Located outside of Washington, DC,
[03:43.00]the Shenandoah National Park is a popular get-away
[03:46.64]for people wanting to hike, picnic or nature-watch.
[03:52.20]Millions of Americans have seen the Shenandoah and have talked about it.
[03:57.92]And some years ago, someone wrote a song about it.
[04:02.52]"Shenandoah" is perhaps one of America's most recognizable folk songs.
[04:09.00]Some say the song refers to the river.
[04:12.12]Others say it is about the daughter of Chief Shenandoah.
[04:17.76]Regardless of what the song is about,
[04:20.48]"Shenandoah" remains an American classic.
[04:27.32]"O Shenandoah, I love your daughter, Away you rolling river; "
[04:47.64]And that brings us to the end of this episode of Words and Their Stories.
[04:52.04]I'm Anna Matteo.
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