Introduction
Understanding this tradition
There is no unique Native American music. Hundreds of nations have distinct languages, songs, protocols and aesthetics. This entry is limited to songs, pow-wows and creations that their performers have chosen to publicly present.
First listening
Three things to hear
- Identify the nation and artists rather than the continent alone.
- Read who owns or has authorized the song.
- Distinguish public pow-wow, artist creation and closed ceremony.
History and transmission
Colonization, residential schools, ceremonial bans and forced collection have profoundly affected transmissions, yet communities have maintained, reactivated and renewed their music. The intertribal powwow and the present indigenous industry are important modern spaces.
What does it look like?
The large drum and collective singing are characteristic of many pow-wows, but elsewhere flute, rattle, solo voice, polyphony or local forms dominate. The traditional and contemporaneous categories of music are interspersed.
Where and why are we listening?
Some songs are open to competition or record; others belong to a family, a company or a ceremony and must not be recorded. The title and label are not always enough: the prime protocol.
Artists, works and albums
Three listening doors
Each button opens a search targeted on an external platform. Orabel does not read, copy and host any audio files.
Heartbeat: Voices of First Nations Women
Various Artists
Identified interpreters and songs for public distribution.It’s a Cree Thing
Northern Cree
A recognized powwow Cree group, inscribed in a current Aboriginal scene.Canyon Trilogy
R. Carlos Nakai
A modern soloist creation with flute, distinct from a ceremonial rite.Listen and transmit with respect
Never recreate a sacred song, cap or ceremony from a recording. Avoid anonymous compilations of shamanic songs. Focus on Aboriginal labels and artists.
Sources