Navajo Music Issues - Essay Example

Their structural system is based on a matrilineal system where women are the owners of livestock and land (Titon, et.al, 113-121). A Navajo man will have to live with his wife at her dwelling and become part of the clan. The female relatives are the ones who received generational property as an inheritance. Navajo music can be analyzed using the four components of music culture. The four components are ideas about music, activities involving music, repertories of music, and material culture.

This looks into the field of music in terms of its definition, whether it is an aspect of religion or if the larger social values are represented in the music of a culture. It considers the aesthetics of music that defines the things that are beautiful about the music as well as an objective standard of beauty in the music. The context of music is considered in terms of where it should be performed, the functions that it serves, and the type of audience. The history of the music is also considered. Navajo music is made up of a wide range of genres such as rap, rock, and country music and they are performed in either their native language or in English. It traditionally takes the form of ceremonial chants and echo themes. The ancient Navajo music is vocal accompanied by instruments such as rattles, rasp, flutes, bullroarers, and drumsticks. Their songs are mainly sacred with spiritual messages in them. They also have patriotic, recreational, and work songs that do not have sacred themes in them. The popular songs are for public performances while the sacred ones are reserved for religious ceremonies and events.

This is concerned with how people put music into practice. It further answers the question of how the practice of making music is reflected in the larger social norms. The Navajo perform their sacred music in ceremonies and rituals that are usually not to be recorded, filmed, or made available to the members of the public in any way. The singers who sing the sacred songs must also be qualified to offer prayers to the gods. The vocalists who lead the prayers are in a position to come up with harmony, balance as well as health matters in the songs.

This aspect of music considers the style, genres, text, movement, transmission, composition, and text. Style is defined as the organization of the music sound. Composition is about how music can enter the culture of music and whether the music has been composed originally or has been improvised. It further looks into whether the composition is an effort of an individual or it has been undertaken by a group of people. The movements that accompany the music are also considered. Transmission is related to how the music is passed or communicated. The songs by Navajo are accompanied by water drums and rattles and these are mainly seen in the Peyote songs that are part of the Native American music. The Navajo has adopted several genres of music as not all of their music is sacred. Contemporary Navajo music is composed of broad melodic ranges and genres that include hip-hop, reggae, country, and punk. Some of the greatest composers of Navajo music include Tribe II entertainment, Lil’Spade, Downplay, Shade, and Blackfire. These bands and artists have become an integral part of representing Navajo music in the world scene.

The final component of material culture examines the tangible objects of music culture. This includes recorded music, books, recording technology, and instruments. The music culture of a given group can be very different if there is a change in the material culture. This aspect can be explained by elaborating on the Navajo children's songs that were mainly touching on animals such as livestock and pets. The songs had themes such as games, chores, discipline, and respect for the elders among others. The song is passed from the mother to the child as that was the only way of learning the new songs.

The Navajo people greatly valued their music as it served as a means of bringing the people together as well as promoting deep understanding among them. The people resorted to music as a means of finding courage, locating their destinies, and understanding their roles in society.