Native American Music Issues - Essay Example

The Indian Music: Beyond the Sound of Flutes, Drums, Rattles and Sticks is a Revelation of the Subtle Splendour of the Native American Identity and Experience. [Course] [Professor] [Student Name] [Date] The Indian Music: Beyond the Sound of Flutes, Drums, Rattles and Sticks is a Revelation of the Subtle Splendour of the Native American Identity and Experience. There were roughly five hundred different nations of native peoples during the earliest affirmation of European influx on the coasts of the North American continent. Every nation had distinctive cultural traditions such as in architecture, art, language, music, spiritual beliefs and practices, and survival traditions; some traditions shared with the greater neighbouring areas of ethnicity (Prinzing). Before the European influence, Native American music consisted mainly of voice, percussion instruments such as drums, rattles and shakers, or wind instruments such as flutes and whistles. The use of stringed instruments such as guitars and fiddles and the application of music synchronization to Indian music were initially introduced by the Europeans. With the migration of the Europeans and their African slaves to western Americas, both the European and African music started to influence Native American music traditions (Prinzing). In the American Indian humanity, music has always portrayed an important role — a medium of communication with the spiritual kingdom, and of inviting mystical force into their daily existence. It has become a fundamental expression of American Indian identity (Fields). In the Recorded Anthology of American Music, Charlotte Heath stated that: “The importance of American Indian music is found not in its impact on modern scholarship and composition but in the traditions and values it expresses to and for the Indian people. This oral tradition has survived solely because the music was too important to be allowed to die” (1976). Indian songs are an integral component of any activity, and encompass power in and of itself (Fields). There are songs for all events. There are songs for the efficiency of labour, success in hunting and fishing, winning in betting and gambling, making of rain, safety of the home and the family, power to heal, abundant harvests, lullabies, songs of romance, worship songs, corn-grinding songs, social dance songs, game songs, and legend songs (Rhodes 6). Some Indian songs are for teaching roles in society. Lullabies not only put babies in deep slumber, but furthermore aid as guidance and preparation for a life ahead. The songs are intended to facilitate happiness, good health, and the making of a better person and a useful part of humanity. One Indian lullaby says, “My little son, you will put a sealing spear into your canoe, without knowing what use you may make of it when you are a man” (Densmore 226). Another lullaby for a little girl says, “This little girl will pick black salmon berries when the women go to get berries” (Densmore 218). Repeatedly hearing these songs will gradually imprint in the minds of the children their parents’ expectations when they develop into adults (Fields). It is vital that Indian songs and ceremonies, such as the Navajo chants, be executed accurately because any digression or inaccuracy in the lyrics may contradict the power of the song, thus the entire process should be discarded or commenced all over again (Fields). The aspiration of Navajo religion is to achieve a harmonious connection with nature, the heavens, the family, and oneself. There subsists a wide range of chants for the healing of sickness, security against encounters with non-Navajos, and attainment of union with nature and every living thing. Chants are performed by a group of religious tribal leaders, taught in the mysterious rituals of specific mantras. The meticulously planned rituals could last from three to nine days. Mythical characters illustrated in sand paintings are a crucial component of the rituals (Rhodes 10). A distinguishing mark of Navajo songs and prayers is the fragility and color of the descriptions of the sacred wordings. The traditional Indian music is completely vocal and varies from deep-voiced singing to sharp falsetto, frequently complemented with drums or rattles (Rhodes 10). Yeibichai. The Night Chant or the Yeibichai, Grandfather of the Gods, is a significant nine-day ritual celebration done only during the winter and the hibernating season of rattlesnakes. The Yeibichai sings and dances along with other masked gods. Dancers shake their rattles, turn to the opposite direction and shake their rattles again. After the solemn opening, the dancers commence their cadenced dance and song supplemented with rattling. The spellbinding force of the music is increasing while nonstop Yeibichai songs follow one after another all through the night. Dance groups contend with one another not merely in the brilliance of their singing and dancing, but likewise in the creation of new Yeibichai songs (Rhodes 11). The Chant from the Blessingway. The Blessingway is chanted for girls’ puberty, before child birth, safe journeys and weddings. In the Study of Social and Esthetic Values As Seen in Navajo Music, Dr. David McAllester stated that the Blessingway Ceremony is "the backbone of Navajo religion, the only ceremony that blesses, rather than exorcizes” (1973). Chant for Success in Racing. In a comprehensive study of the Navajo Girls Puberty Ceremony, Kinaalda, Dr. Charlotte Frisbie (1967) listed some songs for racing: "Footrace Song," the "Legs Song," the "Race Song," "Young Womens Racing Song," the "Big Song," and the "Racing Songs." The girls’ daily foot races and the mantras related to them are integrated in a Blessingway ritual. Foot race songs are intended for the girls’ fine health and readiness for womanhood (Rhodes 11). Corn-Grinding Songs. At the beginning of the ritual, white corn meal is offered to the gods and traditionally sprinkled on the male and female corn-grinders and singers. A corn grinding song could be a prayer for rain and bountiful harvest. The lyrics are mostly hilarious and offer entertainment and distraction to lessen the tiresome work of grinding corn (Rhodes 12). The Navajo’s connection to the cosmic forces is a reflection of divine significance in the most ordinary daily existence. Men and woman who follow the conventional methods execute rites, prayers, and chants of a personal nature. Navajo songs could be concentrated on corn-planting, the care of sheep, trading, and universal happiness (Rhodes 12). Moccasin Game Songs. Game songs are guessing games such as moccasin game, shoe game, hand game, and stick game that offer social diversion to the natives. Players have to guess in which shoe or hand an object is concealed. Sticks are used for scores. Betting and gambling make the game more exciting. The songs have a strong beat, short length and increasing volume and cadence as rivals develop enthusiasm. As the excitement intensifies, the game is endlessly repeated (Rhodes 12-13). Farewell Love Song. The "Farewell Love Song" is an expression of unhappiness when friends leave and return to their native soil (Rhodes 13). Peyote Song. The Peyote cult is a religion that reconciles differing faiths — the native Indian beliefs and the Christian faith. The Peyote ritual, focused on praying, singing, and eating of the peyote, a small, soft spineless cactus with hallucinogenic effect, is an excellent merge of the beliefs and traditions of nativism and Christianity (Rhodes 14). More than just the clamour of flutes, drums, rattles and sticks, the Native American music holds far greater meaning: a reflective admiration of Americas landscapes through songs representing the fusion of every race and ethnicity, the elders’ wisdom, and nature’s power and splendour. Native American songs mostly propose healing fundamentals and motivate positive thoughts and passions. The lyrical substance, cadence, tune or instrumentation of the Indian music, then and now, would forever preserve the unique cultural identity of the Native Americans (Curtis). Works Cited Curtis, Natalie. “N.A.M.A. Research on Native American Music Category.” Native American Music Awards. n.d. 22 Nov. 2013. Densmore, Frances. “Nootka and Quileute Music.” Bureau of American Ethnology Bulletin, 124. Washington D.C.: Smithsonian Institution, 1939. Fields, Gary S. “American Indian Music Traditions and Contributions.” Portland Public Schools Geocultural Baseline Essay Series. 1993. 22 Nov. 2013. Frisbie, Charlotte J. Kinaalda: A Study of the Navajo Girls Puberty Ceremony. Middletown, Conn.: Wesleyan University Press, 1967. Heath, Charlotte. Songs of Earth, Water, Fire, and Sky. Recorded Anthology of American Music, Inc., 1976. McAllester, David P. Enemy Way Music: A Study of Social and Esthetic Values As Seen in Navajo Music. Papers of the Peabody Museum of American Archaeology and Ethnology, Harvard University. Cambridge: The Peabody Museum 41.3 (1954). Reprint, Milwood, N.Y.: Kraus Reprint Co., 1973. Prinzing, Scott S. “Indian Education For All: American Indian Music: More Than Just Flutes and Drums. MusEco Media and Education Project. 2009. 22 Nov. 2013. Rhodes, Willard, ed. “Music of the American Indian Navajo.” Archive of Folk Culture. Recording Laboratory, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C., 1987. 22 Nov. 2013.   Read More