“The nomadic Chemehuevi navigated wide expanses of the arid terrain with songs. The songs gave the names of places in geographical order, and the place names were descriptive, evocative, so that a person who’d never been to a place might recognize it from the song. Carobeth Laird [one of the last tribe members and their primary historian] commented, “Nowadays when a song is sung it takes great leaps from one locality to another, because there is no one who rememers the route in its entirety.” She explained further, “How does that song go?” meant “What is the route it travels?” Men inherited songs from their father or grandfather, and the song gave them hunting rights to the terrain it described.”
A Field Guide to Getting Lost, Rebecca Soling, p. 192
A song can be a map. A song can be a deed. There are so many things a song can be that we have neglected.