Native American Music
The Native American people were extremely spiritual and many of their tribal
spiritual customs and traditions involved music. Native American music varies
among the thousands of tribes that once inhabited America but one thing that
they all had in common were the drums crafted from wood and animal skins.
Many tribal stories of creation and the spirit world were passed on through
Native American music from generation to generation. A lot of tribes believed
that the songs they sang came from the spirits, and a lot of Native American
music is honoring the spirits that the Native Americans believed lived within
everything in nature.
The Native American Indians worshipped the spirits of
the animals, the sun, the moon and the stars and everything else that they
could not explain. The songs they sang and danced to were meant to honor these
spirits as stated but many of their traditional celebrations would also have
re-enactments of these stories, where members of the tribe would dress up
and perform ceremonial dances to the gods while they would re-enact tribal
myths.
As with anything among the thousands of Native tribes that were spread throughout
the land the Native American music had different meaning and varied among
tribes. Some of the Native American tribes were very violent and a lot of
their music was war music, where they had war drums that would be played while
they prepared for battle and prayed to the gods of war. The Native American
music also played an important part in the famous Native American rain dance
of the tribes from the Southwest. Another instrument that was popular among
a lot of Native American Indian tribes was the flute that they would craft
out of wood. The Native American flute started out as a whistle and then was
eventually added to with more holes and the flute was developed. Native American
culture and music is alive and well today and there are Native Americans that
have been involved in all forms of popular music throughout the world today.
There are many reservations where you can see many of the Native American
ceremonies and hear the traditional music that goes back thousands of years.
Other Resources:
Native American Music in California
Native American Music
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