Native American Music - Essay Example

? of the of the Native American Music Powwow: Powwow is a grand event celebrated by Native American people. It is an event meant for socializing, family reunion, singing, dancing and enjoying and everyone including woman and children take part in it. The Powwow is a unifying force for all the native tribes who forget all their past differences and exchange gifts to express their goodwill. The duration of a Powwow varies and can last from a few hours to several weeks. Singers are the life of Powwows since without the songs there would be no cultural dances. Dance competitions are usually a part of a Powwow to promote interaction between the people within the same tribes or between different people from different tribes. The Grand entry marks the beginning of a Powwow. All the people enter the showground and everyone is asked to hoist up flags. These flags include different tribal flags along with a US flag which is raised in memory of all the wars and battles waged by the tribesmen in the country. The music for the songs and the dance competition is provided by the drums. The drum is specially designed to be large and a group of drummers beat it while the traditional songs are being sung. There is generally a starting song for the event, the grand entry song as a call for all the people who have participated, flag songs to show patriotism and respect and a closing song to mark the end of the Powwow. The Powwow is a way of the tribes’ thanksgiving to the creator and the dances are treated like an offering. The dance performances are a way of celebration of the circle of life and for this reason the setting of the Powwow is also a circle. The area reserved for dancing is known as arbor and is also a large circular area within the location. Most of the cultural activities like contest dancing, drum competition, ceremonials, singing and cultural exhibition usually take place inside the arbor. Contest dancing is actually an evolution of the traditional dancing in which good dancers were awarded with small prizes. Now the dancers have huge fan following and are given heavy cash prizes for the entertainment they provide to everyone attending the Powwow. The other entertainment activities like gambling games, parades, food stalls, exhibition of arts and crafts usually take place outside the arbor. After the grand entry performance and the flag songs, there are traditional dances performed which include the sneak-up dance, victory dance, inter-tribal dance and veteran’s dance. An important part of the Powwow culture is the respect and veneration which they hold for traditions and individuals. Honoring songs are hence also an essential part of a Powwow. Honoring songs are sung not only for particular persons but also in reminiscence of a particular event. These songs may praise the valor of a hero or the administration skills of a well known leader of a particular tribe. These songs may also be sung in remembrance of a war or a particular cultural practice. Sneak up dance song: The sneak up dance is one of the most famous dances of the Native American tribes. The dance is actually a tableau of a scene which depicts how to ‘sneak’ up on an enemy or a prey. There are many different versions of this dance but all of them run on the same theme of using stealth to gain an advantage over the opponent. In the most famous and the oldest version of the dance, arbor represents a battle ground where some men have become wounded and need help from their companions. Before the start of the dance, the wounded are escorted in the middle of the arbor. During the first part of the dance the wounded stay in their position motionless while the dancers dance with their heads facing the wounded. Then the rolling beat starts on the drums to create thundering sound which actually symbolizes the action and mayhem of the battlefield. The drum beats then become slow and the dancers slow their movement and advance towards the wounded. When the beating stops, the dancers freeze in their place and wait for the music to start again. During each of these four repeats of the drumming, the dancers cover a little distance towards the wounded. After the fourth drumming is complete, the dancers reach the wounded and help them stand on their feet. The wounded dance along with the other dancers and celebrate their victory through a special victory dance. Another version shows person hunting a deer but gets spotted and has to try all over again. Yet another version demonstrates how a warrior could go ahead of his team to scout for an enemy and catch them by surprise. New sneak-up dance songs have now been composed which are specifically meant for the dance contests. All sneak-up dance songs are performed by men because originally the dances were performed to teach the young boys of the tribe. A few older women may be allowed to dance in traditional costumes but they are restricted to the edges of the arbor. Whatever the type of sneak-dance performance, the songs are sung in nine repeat stanzas. During the repeat stanzas, when the beating of the rapid, the dancers are in motion making mocking gestures or showing movement in battle or any other active motion corresponding to that particular dance. In the next part, the dancers stay low waiting for the right moment so that they could sneak upon their target. Historically the sneak-up dance songs originated within the Lakota tribe but now it has gained so much popularity that it is an integral part of the culture of all the Native American tribes. These dances are now an attraction of almost all the cultural ceremonies of these tribes that take place around the America. Powwows can hardly be called as complete without the sneak-up dance performances. The performances are also very popular among the people outside the tribe and have evolved to be used for contest dancing. Kiowa song: The Kiowa tribe of Oklahoma has always been regarded as one of the greatest tribes of the region and their music lies at the heart of the Native American culture. According to Kiowa’s belief, the songs have connection with the unseen spirits and seem to stimulate the forces of nature. This is the reason why the Kiowa songs revolves around nature and glorify its elements. From the wind and clouds to the rainbows in the sky, the songs incorporate elements of nature in them. Kiowa music like the other Native American music is focused on dancing. The sun dance is the most popular of their cultures and is widely performed as a cultural dance in the tribal events and ceremonies. For Kiowa, the song is the way of expression and communication among the people of their community. The song is not something superficial for the Kiowa, it is a deep part of their identity and they highly respect it. Singing for Kiowa is a powerful orienting practice which holds the tribe together. Among the Kiowa music, the Kiowa flag song holds the utmost importance for the tribe. However not all the Kiowa songs are spiritual, many dances and songs exist that do not have any cultural or historical significance to the Kiowa but are only performed or sung for the sole purpose of recreation. Many of such dances have been gifted to the tribe like the Taos Pueblos gifted the shield dance to the Kiowa as a token of friendship. The golden eagle is the emblem of bravery, courage and leadership for the tribe and the tribesmen celebrate it with a special eagle dance. While other dances like Apache Fire Dance and the Caddo Turkey dance do not have any purpose behind them whatsoever and are only performed for the sake of entertainment. The Kiowa relate the music to spirituality and they dance and sing to maintain good terms with the supernatural. Another category of song is also very popular in the tribe. These are a collection of songs known as the wind songs. These are songs which revolve around the theme of loneliness and separation. There are different varieties of these songs. These can include a maiden lover singing for her beloved who is far away from her or a warrior singing for the people whom he has left behind at home. Dance songs are also very popular among the tribesmen and one of the special dance songs of the Kiowa tribe is the Buffalo Dance song. The Buffalo dance and the song are unique from all the songs and dances common to the tribe. It follows a different rhythm in which the dancers move their heels in synchronization with the beat of the song. In some of these dances, the dancers launch their lances into their air or perform other battle maneuvers. Through the Buffalo dance, the Kiowa seek help from the God and ask for courage, bravery and strength which can lead them to victory in the battlefield. Native American regional styles, vocal and instrumental: The Native American tribes adhere strongly to their cultural values and traditions. The family ties and friendships are honored among all the tribes and the natives take pride in their unity. Traditional events like powwows are held throughout the year and the tribes do their cultural dances like the sun dance, the sneak-up dance and perform songs. These also include the flag songs of each tribe. Usually the lyrics of the songs are in local tribal language but to promote cultural interaction between different tribes, non-lexical vocables are used which make the songs sound like a magical chanting. Vocables are actually words or sounds that do not have any meaning in particular but they are adopted by the tribes so that the songs could be sung by anyone outside the tribe as well. The Native American community sees music as a symbol of spirituality as they believe that the music is a way of communication between the God and the men and this is the reason why much of the songs are actually hymns. The music is rarely composed for the sake of entertainment but is considered to produce definite outcomes such as the downpour of rain, victory on a battlefield, or the curing of a diseased person. The main instruments used by the Native American for their events and music are drums and rattles. Although drums and rattles form an important part of the Native American Music, flutes have commonly been used to produce instrumentals. Flutes combined with drums and rattles are the heart and soul of the Native American music. The vocals of the songs are increasingly complex and require extensive vocal effort and practice. Some songs use nasals along with the normal usage of tongue and throat. Native American music is also very famous for its own creation- the Native American flute. Flute is the most common instrument used in the instrumental music. The flute has been especially designed and is used to produce soothing instrumentals. The songs have been classified into three categories. There are traditional songs which are passed down from one generation to the other. The other category is of ceremonial songs which are heralded in a dream to a particular person of the tribe. These songs are usually sung on specific occasions and can only be shared outside the tribe with mutual consent of the tribesmen. The third category is the modern music in which traditional songs and music have been modified due to the influences from the current music. This music is mostly used for the contests in traditional events or for recreational purposes. Most of the singing is choral but some of the tribes also prefer solo singing. The style of the music is very much the same among all the tribes. The music kicks off with a slow start and then gradually the rattles, shouting and the drums add power to it (Moerman). The tribes also follow their own particular dress code with the Native American regalia being the most common. It is a special dress with unique designs and extensive beadwork. These dresses actually form the dress code in most of the Native American cultural ceremonies and events. Works Cited Boyea, Andrea. "Teaching Native American Music with Story for Multicultural Ends." Philosophy of Music Education Review (2000): 14-23. Print Burton, Bryan. Moving within the circle: contemporary native American music and dance. World Music Press, 1993. Print. Ellis, Clyde. Powwow. Nebraska: University of Nebraska Press 159-160, 2005. Print. Koskoff, Ellen. Music Cultures in the United States: An Introduction. 114: Routledge; Pap/Com edition, 2005. Print. Read More