A couple of things:

Be sure to see/hear the choral arrangement by Shawn Kirchner. The sheet music and an excellent choir are at:

http://sbmp.com/SR2.php?CatalogNumber=594

The other thing has to do with the indigenous connections that have been mentioned. My understanding is that some Christian indigenous people sang western Christian hymns extremely slowly -- so slow that you cannot imagine it. Profoundly slow and profoundly rich. I have had the privilege of participating in this style of singing and can easily imagine their singing Bright Morning Star.

Apparently, at one time, the missionaries in Canada disapproved of this slow singing because it was, well, indigenous. So the people developed a tradition of singing this way in non-church gatherings -- sort of like Sacred Harp gatherings -- where the main purpose is the singing. I am told that one can still find these gatherings in upper Minnesota and Ontario. I have looked for recordings, but so far I cannot find any.

On a personal note: one should not dismiss a genuine Christianity among indigenous people, any more than among people who came to America as slaves from Africa.