Hunt songs, or taronway, are often used to accompany rights of passage, including a precursor to the moment when a Na’vi first bonds with his or her banshee. They are sung by adults who have completed Iknimaya. They may be sung in unison, but more often are chanted breathlessly.
Taronway lyrics focus on hunting activities, extolling the strength of both hunter and hunted, praying for worthiness of the hunter, speaking to the spirits of the forest creatures, etc. These may be sung in many contexts: before or during a hunt, prior to battle with external forces, and during social events. All taronway have a strong pulsating rhythm. However, one interesting aspect of Na’vi music is that, in certain cases, the same song lyrics may be performed in different styles, depending on the specific context in which they are used.
Many of the songs for puberty rituals and hunting are performed as non-melodic group chanting in a very forceful, rhythmic grunting style. In this style, the glottal stops and ejective consonants inherent in the Na’vi language are emphasized. (See lyrics below). It is believed that this chanting or grunting style is the oldest extant Na’vi expressive style, because of the way that the song style incorporates and emphasizes these linguistic elements.
Here is a typical example of hunt song lyrics, which often display great respect for the potential prey:
| Terìran ayoe ayngane,
Zera’u, Rerol ayoe ayngane, Ha ftxey, ’Awpot set fkxey ayngal a l(u) ayngakip, ’Awpot a Na’viru yomtìyìng. Chorus (repeated) Oeyä swizaw nìngay tivakuk, Oeyä tukrul txe’lanit tivakuk, Oeri tìngayìl txe’lanit tivakuk, Oeyä txe’lan livu ngay. Lu nga win sì txur, Lu nga txantslusam, Livu win sì txur oe zene, Ha n(ì)’aw, Pxan livu txo nì’aw oe ngari, Tsakrr nga Na’viru yomtìyìng. |
We are walking to you,
Coming, We are singing to you, So choose, Choose one now among you, One who will feed the People. Chorus (repeated) Let my arrow strike true, Let my spear strike the heart, Let the truth strike my heart, Let my heart be true. You are fast and strong, You are wise, Fast and strong, I must be, So only, Only if I am worthy of you, Will you then feed the People. |
Songs sung during pre-hunt rituals are chanted, accompanied by numerous different sizes of sturmbeest gongs. When used as social dance songs, they are sung in unison, accompanied by various drums, including pole drums. Unlike domestic music, here the vocal range is typically limited to an octave and a half (in Earth terminology).