1. Chapter 11 By: Hannah Gregor
Native American Music
Chapter 11
By: Hannah Gregor

2. Ceremonial Native American Traditions Societies
Songs in Native American culture are very short, like a nursery rhyme or hymn
In ceremonies, songs are placed in large groups to perform
Religious ceremonies last hours, or even days
Example: Yeibechi (“Night Chant”)of the Navajo requires nine days and nights to perform
Even in secular performances, songs are grouped together to perform
Example: performance of Stomp Dance
Past
Each tribe had its own musical culture, repertory, musical style, uses of, and ideas about music
1,000-2,000 individual tribes in North America, each with a distinct language
Present
Some tribes still maintain their individuality
Others have been forced to share reservations with other tribes, and have developed a unified culture
Some ceremonies are intertribal
Most Native Americans have conformed, but in music and dance, they express their roots and culture

3. Native American Music Similarities Differences
Native American music is almost always monophonic and mostly vocal
There are many distinct vocal styles, but they all share a tense sound and the pulsation on longer notes
Three types of forms dominate
Strophic songs – like folk songs or hymns, a stanza is repeated many times
Very short songs consisting of one or two lines repeated many times
Two contrasting sections alternate
Almost all singing is accompanied by percussion
Each tribal group has its own unique repertory, and musical style
Even neighboring tribes differ from each other
Seven music areas
Plains
Eastern United States
Yuman (Southwest United States and parts of Southern California)
Athabascan (Navajo/Apache, also Southwestern US)
Pueblo (Papago, Southwestern US)
Great Basin (Nevada and Utah)
Northwestern Coast (Washington, Oregon, and parts of Alaska)

4. Ideas About Music What is it and what does it do?
Music reflects culture
Why are the songs so short?
Oral traditions make it difficult to pass on complex compositions
If you listen carefully, the music is complex on a microscopic scale
Native American music is judged using different values than Western music
Music has supernatural power in Native American cultures, so every ceremony has an appropriate song
Songs that come in dreams have special power
A Blackfoot singer said, “The right way to do something is to sing the right song with it.”
Women had a smaller and separate repertory, but may join in men’s songs
Women have a different singing style – more nasal and smoother with pulsations being ornaments rather than rhythmic references

5. Musical Instruments and Singing
Most music is vocal and almost all instruments are percussive (idiophones)
Solo drumming is rare
Most widely used melodic instrument is the flute
Some reeds and trumpets are used on the North Pacific Coast
The musical bow is similar to a hunting bow but is used as a musical instrument
Songs do not necessarily have words nor do need to be elaborate
COMPLETE texts of two Blackfoot songs:
“Sun says to sing” – from Song of the Sun Dance ceremony
“It is spring, let others see you” – sung at the beginning of a medicine bundle opening ceremony, prior to the bundle being opened

6. Native American Musical History
Little direct evidence, but circumstantial information allow reasonable deductions
Since Native American music shares traits with Asian music, scholars deduce that Native Americans arrived from Asia in waves beginning at least 14,000 years ago
South American and North American Native American music share some aspects, but differ in others
Shared: forms and singing styles are similar, as are ideas about music
Different: in South American Native American culture, women participate more heavily than in North American, as well as more instrumental music

7. Native American Music in the Present
Since the coming of white people, Native American musical culture has been greatly reduced
As Native Americans were relocated and epidemics swept through their populations, most ceremonies and songs were lost
Some Native Americans adopted the idea that music is composed by humans and are not supernatural, and the idea of music as entertainment was accepted
Other Native Americans began to use music to fight against the oppression and to preserve their culture
The Ghost Dance songs enriched the Plains Indians’ music
The songs of the peyote religion (peyote is a drug from cacti) are easily recognized and aspects of the music have come from different tribes
There are Christian hymnals with Christian songs in the traditional Native American style
Powwow style music began in the late 20th century from Plains music and traditions
Part of the powwow repertory are 49 songs with mildly amusing and romantic English lyrics

8. Women in Native American Music
Women’s roles in music differed from tribe to tribe
In some tribes, women were not permitted to sing in public
In others, women played important roles in ceremonies
Women often know the music repertory better than men
Women have become more prominent in Native American musical culture

9. Native American Popular Music
“Indian rock music” genre combines Native American traditional tunes, percussive sounds, and texts from or referring to Native American culture
Some Native American artists performed Western music that discussed Native American issues
Most of the modern Native American popular music speaks to environmental issues due to the fact that their land is threatened by pollution, factories, mining, etc.
Much of the Native American popular music does not differ in sound from Western popular music, but instead deals with issues faced by Native Americans