Native American music: Encyclopedia II - Native American music - Folk song

Native American music - Folk song

Native American folk is usually religious in nature, and is used to communicate spiritually with the heavens and to pray for good luck. Epic stories of heroes are also common.

Native American religious beliefs hold that music was given to humans by spirits as a method of communicating with the supernatural. Song composition, then, is a highly ritualistic act. Choctaw Social Dance, for example, is not composed, having been given to the people at creation. They can vary slightly from year to year, with leaders recombining and introducing slight variations. The Pueblo compose a number of new songs each year in a committee which uses dreams and visions to compose.

Native American music is comprised of a vast array of styles and sounds. Typically, music of many Native American societies is a portion of ceremony, ritual, dance, story, warfare, and other community based events. Because of this, styles and purposes of different songs vary greatly by society. However, a common concept amongst many indigenous groups in America is the belief that music is a form of power. For example, the Pima people feel many of their songs were given in the beginning and sung by the Creator. It is believed that some people then have more of an inclination to musical talent than others because of a peculiar power that resides within that individual (Herndon 14-16). Similarly, the Cherokee feel that music can be a powerful force for transformation. Music is therefore performed before such an event as a stickball game in which it is hoped the people involved will transform to the Red condition of being, which is symbolic of competition.

Within various Native American communities, gender plays an important role in music, too. Specific roles are often intended for men and women. For the Cherokee people, when holding a dance before a stickball game, men and women have separate dances and regulations. Men will dance in a circle around a fire, while women dance in place. Men sing their own songs, while women have their songs sung for them by a conjurer. Also, whereas the men's songs invoke power, the women's songs are intended to draw power away from the opposing team (Herndon 124). In many societies, there are also regulations against women playing the ceremonial drum. For the Southern Plains Indians, it is believed that the first drum was given to a woman by the Great Spirit, who instructed her to share it with all women of native nations. However, there also exist prohibitions against women sitting at the Big Drum.

While gender differences lead to separate roles in the music of Native Americans, they are not intended to create inequalities. Rather, the separations are reflective of the balance created by men and women, and represent a harmony rather than an imbalance. It is difficult to label any customs as being all-encompassing for Native Americans, but some similarities can be found. Native American music contains a wide array of styles with very many differences, similar to the variations in culture found in the various tribes of American Indians.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Folk song", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki