The Native American history and culture as we know it is rich and vibrant. Often mistaken for savages who had nothing better to do than scalp intruders and run naked through the woods, Native Americans were more civilized than first documented . Each tribe, large or small, was a society unto itself. They had forms of counsel, or government, and different tools they would use to maintain order and assign jobs. They planted crops, hunted, and continued their survival based on what the land was willing to give. When not concerned with survival, however, the Native Americans began to cultivate different cultures firmly rooted in the vitality and attraction of music. Stereotypically, many believe Native Americans only used the sound of drums to prepare for war, but this is not the case. Music was deeply rooted in many areas of their culture. From celebrations, to funerals, war, and the markings of important events, music was present at all of these events. As time went on, music became an integral part of the Native American’s life, tradition, and culture.
There are many reasons for celebration in the Native American culture. According to “A History of the Indians of the United States,” many tribes celebrated births, when a child came of age, if an individual returned successfully from a spirit journey, weddings, victory in battle, and many other happy instances . Each celebration had its own ritual, depending on the tribe and the occasion. For example, as stated in, “Native American Festivals and Ceremonies,” the Hopi Native Americans combined drums with some of the most complex vocals music experts have ever heard during a wedding, calling for the releasing and flexing of the individual’s vocal cords while still melodically singing . The music during a Hopi wedding begins when the two souls bind themselves to one another and does not stop until the following morning, when the tribe believes two have succeeded in melding themselves to one another for all eternity. The singing, as well as the drums, is supposed to call upon good spirits to consecrate the couple’s union and bring them prosperity throughout their lives . The tribe believes that to not play music and sing for this amount of time may result in the early death of one partner or for one partner to leave the other. In short, the Hopi Native Americans believe the music involved during a wedding between two members of the tribe is essential to their future happiness.
Similarly, the Algonquin tribe’s culture was found to be rich with musical vitality. The very language they speak is very complex, but it is said to sound like music, according to those who heard it in its unadulterated form . The Algonquins, fond of music for every ceremony from healing the sick, to returning victorious from a battle, typically preferred flutes and small bags filled with stones for instruments. They also sang, as the Hopi Native Americans did . Music and singing was customary for nearly every event in an Algonquin’s life. One event in particular was when somebody fell ill. The village Shaman acted as the tribe’s leader in many instances, including when somebody was sick. If the individual were unresponsive to initial treatment, many in the village would congregate with the Shaman, singing lowly and solemnly over the sick and wounded until the Shaman was able to heal them. Once they were better, a grand celebration, of course involving music, would take place. Sometimes the celebrations would last through an entire night, involving each member of the tribe singing as a sign of thanks to the spirits for healing their fallen tribesman . The Algonquin’s believed that when the Shaman was failing to heal an individual, their collective singing and music making attracted the spirits, adding to the Shaman’s power. The resulting celebration after the sick were healed returned the energy given by the spirits, while expressing the tribe’s gratitude.
These and many other grand celebrations from various tribes have all been consolidated into what is known as a Powwow. The Powwow was created when the numbers in the tribes began to dwindle. Not wanting their vibrant roots and vivacious musical talents to die out, but rather be preserved and passed on, the festival was born. According to the book, “Powwow,” once a year, in several different locations, many members of different tribes come together to display the formal celebrations of their heritage . It is a cacophony of music and singing. Drums, flutes, maracas, and other instruments, along with diverse singing from many different regions of the United States and Canada can be seen and heard at a Powwow. The term is derived from one of the Algonquin’s curing rituals, and is lent further resource from the 1800’s when peddlers selling cure-all medicines would hire Native Americans to dance for the entertainment of potential rubes . Once used against the Native Americans as a slanderous term, they decided to take it back as a part of their regular nomenclature, putting on Powwows once a year to display the truth and beauty of music running within their respective tribes.
The Arapaho Native Americans share music and songs that were once meant to protect young adults on their first hunt, as well as music and dance that were to celebrate the men who returned with their first kill. For many Native American tribes, the first successful hunt and kill is the marking of manhood, and is celebrated with fervor. Young Arapaho women are celebrated in a similar fashion when they reach the age of marriage and are courted. Pueblo Native Americans show their propensity for singing and dancing to ward off bad luck and spirits before a child is born in an attempt to ensure the child’s long and prosperous life . The Powhatan Native Americans use the Powwow to display the music they believe is essential when celebrating a battle victory. Heavy with beating drums, flutes, and strong vocals involving the difficult flexing and relaxing of the singers’ vocal cords, the Powhatan’s believed their celebration allowed their gratitude to have won the battle to be heard in both this life and the next .
Tribes also believe that singing and the use of musical instruments were important in a time of great sorrow and grieving. The Algonquin tribe, for example, sang and played instruments quietly over the sickbed of their fallen brethren. If they rose and were cured, a celebration ensued. However, if the individual remained sick and eventually died, the Algonquin tribe ushered their soul into the spirit world using mournful singing and the beating of soft drums, or the soft playing of a flute . The Apache Native Americans used music as a tool for their own sorrows. While it was also a tool to usher souls, or to give thanks, it was also a tool to bring the tribe closer together and bond in a time of crisis . The women would sing together while the men were enduring a difficult battle, or the entire tribe would sing together and play instruments slowly and mournfully when the tribe’s Shaman became too ill to perform duties. Many tribes, such as the Dakota, also used music as a ritualistic marker when ridding the tribe of their dead. Similar to how we act during a funeral, Dakota tribes sing a mourning song as the individual’s body is burned, and the soul is set free .
There are many things music is used for in Native American culture. In fact, music is as much a part of Native American culture, as it is a part of mainstream American culture, or any other culture. The only recognizable difference is that Native Americans create the music themselves. If anything, this makes them more passionate about their celebrations, more connected to their losses and defeats, and more linked to their culture in general. Typically, when people from other cultures want to use music to signify a moment or mark an occasion, they play their iPod or ask somebody else to sing. Rarely do we, as a society, take on the task rousing ourselves into a heart-palpitating swarm of drum-beating, flute-blowing, stick-shaking singing heat. The Native Americans understood initially that in order to survive they must work as one. Music allowed them to do this better than anything else. When a couple wed, the entire tribe celebrated and marked the occasion by singing. When a family lost a child, the whole tribe mourned, again marking the occasion with music.
In sum, Native Americans believe their actions and combined voices bring luck and prosperity, or usher lost souls toward the spirit world. They use their bodies and voices to help one another. Music is a tool for them to maintain the essence of family. Music is not only a way for the tribe to stay connected, but also they believe it is a tool to continue taking care of one another. Their culture is based around care and love, and they have managed to integrate music into that, using song and dance to call upon spirits and luck in the hope that they can better a friend’s marriage, heal the sick, or keep their fighting men alive. The primary goal is to be together, and to be happy; music helps them do that. To say that music is a part of their culture would be remiss. It is more than just a part of their culture. It appears to be a solid foundation on which their culture was built.
References
Debo, Angie. A History of the Indians of the United States. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 2013. Book.
Ellis, Clyde, Luke E. Lassiter and Gary H. Dunham. Powwow. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2005. Book.
Glatzer, Jenny. Native American Festivals & Ceremonies. Chicago: Mason Crest, 2014. Book.
Roundtree, Helen C. The Powhatan Indians of Virginia: Their Traditional Culture. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 2013. Book.
