NATIVE AMERICAN MUSIC

Native American music is

fairly homogeneou

s (same or similar)

Roles in Society Native American music plays a vital role in history

and education, with ceremonies and stories orally passing on ancestral customs to new generations.

Native American ceremonial music is traditionally said to originate from deities or spirits, or from

particularly respected individuals.

Rituals are shaped by every aspect of song, dance and costuming, and each aspect informs about the

"makers, wearers and symbols important to the nation, tribe, village, clan, family,

or individual". Native Americans perform stories through song, music

and dance, and the historical facts thus propagated are an integral part of Native American beliefs.

Epic legends and stories about culture heroes are a part of tribal music traditions, and these tales are

often an iconic part of local culture.

Common Native

American instruments are singing and drums

Vocalization takes many forms, ranging from solo and choral song to responsorial, unison and multipart singing. Percussion, especially

drums and rattles, are common accompaniment to keep the rhythm steady

for the singers, who generally use their native language or nonsense syllables.

Traditional music usually begins with slow and steady beats that grow gradually faster and more emphatic, while various flourishes

like drum and rattle tremolos, shouts and accented patterns add variety and signal changes in performance for singers and

dancers.

Pow-WowA Pow-Wow is a gathering of

Native American People.A modern Pow-wow is a

specific type of event where both Native American and non-Native American people meet to dance, sing, socialize, and honor American Indian culture. There is generally a dancing competition, often with significant prize money awarded.

Pow-wows vary in length from one day session of 5 to 6 hours to three days. Major pow-wows or pow-wows called for a special occasion can be up to one week long.

Pow-Wow Music

Pow-wow music is the American Indian drumming, singing, and dancing performed at pow-wows

"Good drums get the dancers out there, good songs get them to dance well. Without drum groups there is no music. No music, no dance, no powwow."

While the drum is central to pow-wows, "the drum only helps them keep beat. Dancers focus on the melody of the song.

Native American FluteThe Native American flute has achieved some

measure of fame for its distinctive sound, used in a variety of New Age and world music

recordings. The instrument was originally very personal; its music was played without accompaniment in courtship, healing,

meditation, and spiritual rituals. Now it is played solo, along with other instruments or vocals in

Native American music and in other styles.

Peyote SongPeyote songs are a form of Native American

music, now most often performed as part of the Native American Church. They are typically accompanied by a rattle and water drum, and are used in a ceremonial aspect during the sacramental taking of peyote

(a small spine-less cactus). Peyote songs share characteristics of Apache

music and Plains-Pueblo music, having been promoted among the Plains by the Apache people.