Music of Indigenous Americans
One of the videos we watched mentioned the Ghost Dance. I wanted to know if this was a one time event in history or perhaps a ritualistic dance that is repeatedly performed. When I googled “Native American Ghost Dance”, I found that it originated in 1890 as a ceremony that was then incorporated into the Native American belief system beginning with the Paiutes. This video talks briefly about the history of the people and the Ghost Dance. It was believed that the dance would reunite the living with spirits of the dead and the spirits would fight for them and restore peace. It lead to the Wounded Knee Massacre and the Ghost Dance War. The Ghost Dance movement prevails to this day. There is some footage of the dance, and some Native American groups make Ghost Dance songs.
When I mentioned that we were currently covering Native American music, my friend recommended that I look up the Coast Salish people who live near her. When I looked them up, one of the first things I found was this beautiful article about a Coast Salish woman’s experience that talks about her great grandmother and her belief that music has the power to heal. My friend specifically recommended that I look up their drum music, and while searching, I came across this interesting video on making a traditional Coast Salish drum. The drum maker believes that drumming centers us spiritually and helps connect us to everything around us. Out of the videos I watched, I liked this one the best; it’s a gathering of people in someone’s home, making music together.
My friend also suggested I listen to the music of the Puyallup tribe and when I looked up them and their music, I found this interesting article that talks about how the music of tribes in the Pacific NorthWest is really specific and distinct. I think it’s cool that you can recognize the area that certain music came from. I found a collection of Puyallup songs and there’s so much to appreciate; the traditional clothing, the language, the instruments, the dancing. Some highlights that I particularly enjoyed- At about 7 minutes in, there’s a group of drummers with traditional drums. Following that, at 16 minutes in, men stand around the outside of the room and drum and sing while women dance and sometimes sing as well. 34 minutes in, several people dance in a circle while people you can’t see drum and sing. The people dancing are clearly having a good time, it’s very wholesome to watch. It’s a beautiful collection of their culture and their community.
One thing that really intrigues me about Native American cultures is the parallels that you find within other cultures. With the women dancing and singing in the video, it really reminded me of the Hula Dance. Although Puyallup Tribe's dances are much more reserved I still find similarities in the use of the drums, call and response between the drummers and dancers, and the unified dances.
ReplyDeleteI think it's cool how you explored the music of the tribe that lives close to your friend. I don't know if she lives close to here, but I think it's interesting and important to be aware of the music that is close by and local. It's a way to respect the people who have been here before us (Native Americans) and to keep in touch with local music happening now.
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, I want to say I like that you found videos of (mostly) modern-day people representing their tribes. The videos were all beautiful and intentional and you pay respect to the culture you're researching. I love listening to the vocables in "Thunder and Lightning" because there's so much passion even though there are no words. That's music.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed seeing how in depth you went into finding these videos even going through your friends and then doing further research after that. I was really interested to see the video of the ghost dance from so long ago and it was surprising to me that they have footage of those things because when I did research the Native Americans actually banned outside footage of some of their dances so I thought it was really cool to see an old example.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed all of these videos. I think it is so interesting how many similarities each of these videos had. I also think it is neat that you have friends who can help you find and research new and interesting things such as the Coast Salish people. I really liked that video how they were just at home in their living room, but they were making music together in their native tongue.
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