NATIVE AMERICAN MUSIC
Anasazi palace near Mesa Verde, CO built c. 11th century Cherokee women photographed by Edward Curtis c. 1927 Hopewell Exchange System spreads cultural practices and material goods via eastern waterways c. 200- 500 BC
American Indian Boarding Schools ★ 1879: Civil War vet Henry Pratt founds “Carlisle Industrial Indian School” in PA to assimilate native cultures. ★ Becomes basis for Indian Boarding Schools across country in 20th century. ★ “[We must] kill the Indian... to save the man”
The Legacy of Indian Boarding Schools
★ Cultural genocide ★ Sexual Abuse ★ Depression ★ Rampant substance abuse ★ Poverty Ghost Dance ★ Wovoka, late 19th century prophet of Paiute people, leads new religious movement throughout plains ★ Dancing/singing Ghost Dance would prepare followers for afterlife. ★ Spreads amongst numerous tribes in plains region ★ Lakota ascribe militaristic visions to Ghost Dance ★ Ghost Dance movement dwindles after Wounded ★ Popularity of dance across plains brings federally Knee, but begins new precedent for inter-tribal enforced ban culture. ★ Tensions escalate, culminate in Wounded Knee Massacre of 1890 Inter-Tribal Culture / Pan-Indianism ★ Pow-Wow main secular inter-tribal event ★ ‘Pow-Wow’ historically an Algonquin designation but now pan-Indian in application. ★ Disputes regarding when/where first held, but likely in Oklahoma region
Pow-Wow Music and Dance ★ Pow-Wow dance/song often descend from Great Plains regions ★ Frame Drum played by men ★ Gender of singing and dancing varies according to specific song/dance ★ Music, dance, gender, and regalia often coordinated for specific occasions/performance ★ Dancing often surrounds drummers/singers Gourd Dance ★ Simple dance characterized by slight flexing of the knees and bouncing on heels ★ Most inclusive dance of Pow-Wow culture ★ ‘Gourd’ refers to rattles - Oklahoma City Pow-Wow, 2011 - Grass Dance ★ Warrior dance of Northern Plains. ★ More active, traditionally danced by younger men proven in battle, but now some women join. ★ Frilled regalia evokes prairie grass ★ Sometimes danced competitively, incentivizing preservation via pride and cash prizes Fancy Dance ★ Faster dance in ornate feather regalia ★ Irregular drumming patterns ★ Likely invented during 20s- 30s when most trad. Native dancing outlawed ★ Likely influenced by ‘Wild West Shows’ as discussed in Ellis reading. Wild West Shows ● Re-enacted scenes of West for Eastern US audiences ● Employed natives to convey ‘authenticity ● Historically inaccurate ○ Whites glamorized ○ Natives stereotyped, caricatured, degraded ● Fancy Dance created as display of ‘exotic wild Top Left: Poster for Pawnee Bill’s Wild West Show savagery’ ○ wilder = more Top Right: Promotional poster re-enacting Custer’s Last ‘entertaining’ Stand
Bottom Left: Chief Sitting Bull and Buffalo Bill, who ran the country’s most successful Wild West Show. Understanding Inter-Tribal Movement
● Assigned readings present two distinct perspectives on Inter-Tribal or Pan-Indian movement and Pow-Wow culture
● Written Assignment #1, issued at end of class, will ask you to respond to them. Tohono O’odham ★ ‘Desert People’ ★ Formerly called Papago ★ Second largest reservation in US ★ Lived in S. Arizona, N. Sonora, Mex. since pre- history
Pre-contact music
★ Songs accompanied by rattles, Chelkona Dance Song basket-drums, and dancing via Spotify ★ Songs often perform ritual function ○ Chelkona dance summons rain ○ Songs for hunt: songs convince animals to consent to being killed ○ Songs for helping crops ★ Still performed for sacred functions and for educating youth of heritage Spanish Settlement ★ 1540, Spanish explore Arizona ★ 1687, Settlement in O’ odham lands begins with Father Eusabio Kino ★ San Xavier mission still stands in SW Tucson Missionary Era Music ★ Music encouraged attendance in missions, and conversion amongst natives ★ O’odham trained on violin for use in services ★ O’odham brought new instruments/skills into village for social music ★ Natives playing Spanish Music on Spanish Instruments Tohono O’odham dance bands traditionally consisted of Bass Drum Snare Drum Guitar Two Fiddles Early 19th Century: Early American Era ★ 19th century brings wave of Germans and Czech immigrants influential to music in region ★ Tohono O’odham adopt instrumental dance styles for social events ★ Natives playing German-Czech music on Spanish Instruments Tohono O’odham Fiddle Music ★ Demonstrates many idioms of old, continental European style. ★ Dance genres ○ Two-Step / Polka: in a meter of 2 ■ Guitar: low/hi low/hi Mazurkas in 3/4 ○ Mazurka: in a meter of 3 Libby Bird Song ■ Guitar: low/hi/hi low/hi/hi Mazurka ★ Techniques Two Steps in 2/4 Pinto Bean Two-Step ○ Twin Melody: Two instruments
playing melodies moving in in parallel
motion. Evolution into Waila/Chicken Scratch ★ Music education included in Boarding Schools ★ Marching bands introduce saxophone to O’odham ★ 1950s electric guitar, drumkit ★ Old repertoire with new instrumentation becomes known as Waila ○ Word descends from Spanish word ‘bailar’ = to dance The Joaquin Brothers play a Polka (16:38) Natives playing Spanish-German-Czech dances on American instruments. Growing influence of Norteño
★ Norteño - working class music of Mexico’s northern states ★ Modern Waila/Chicken Scratch bands now incorporate accordion ★ Natives playing Spanish- German-Czech dances on American instruments influenced by Mexican music O’odham Influences ● Pre-European Music Traditions ● Spanish music on Spanish instruments ● German-Czech music on Spanish instruments ● German-Czech music on American instruments ● German-Czech music on American, Mexican instruments Written Assignment #1
● Before first section, ○ Write 1-2 paragraphs summarizing the differences in perspective between the two assigned readings. ■ What are their opinions of Inter-Tribal/Pan-Indian Pow- wows? ■ What do you think each author think about Waila music of the Tohono O’odham? Why? ○ Write 1-2 paragraphs identifying your own position - with whom do you agree? ○ Submit via TritonEd turnitin function before first section meeting