Cool Stuff: Music in the Americas

 Here are a few of the amazing "cool" aspects of music in the Americas:

1. Native Americans use music in virtually every aspect of their lives. They use it for ceremonies, work songs, game songs, courtship, storytelling, hunting, agriculture, war, social songs, and dances. Most of the Native American songs and performances have one thing in common: there is a drum being played. Drums are the oldest instruments on earth, and they are portrayed as the "heartbeat" of music. Specifically in Native American music, they are known as the "spirit of life". The drums are so important, that the people playing them are referred to as singers, not drummers. This displays that Native American culture represents drumming as the midpoint of music rather than vocals. Many Native American tribes also construct their drums in a specific way with various materials. The process of stretching a finely tanned buck or elk skin across a wooden frame combines both animal and plant life, plus air, water, and fire. Therefore, this process that is using all of the earth's elements, results in an instrument that represents the circle of life. To see the idolization of drums and their meaning, watch this video:

2. In Native American culture, music was an important component to healing someone who is ill. A shaman is a person who is believed to be able to cure both mental and physical ailments. He does this by using certain articles and instruments. In a tribe, shamans were mostly men, but there were some women who were shamans as well. When the shaman begins the healing process, he starts by inducing the ill person in a trancelike state- by using drugs. He does this to the rhythm of both drums and rattles. In this state, the individual is mediated between the natural and spiritual world to be healed. In some tribes, it is believed that one can also enter this state to influence weather, hunting, and other aspects of life. To see an example of the music that was used to heal someone, watch this video:

3. In South America, there are many beautiful aspects of the Andean culture that glorify music in many ways. It is interesting to see how geography could affect the type of music that was created. The four main geographical areas are the Andean Highlands, Tropical Forest, Southern Cone, and Circum-Caribbean. In the Andean Highlands, the styles and genres of music are very diverse. Vocal music tends to be more important among Quechua speakers, while instrumental music is more important to Aymara speakers. In the Tropical Forest, musical roles are largely affected by gender. Women are not allowed to perform in collective rituals. In some of the Tropical Forest communities, they are not even allowed to see ritual flutes. In the Southern Cone, the man's ancestral lineage is recalled for healing rituals that are led by female shamans. In the Circum-Caribbean, the mourning rituals display polyphony in which the men sing a unison song in a low vocal range. They are accompanied by a large double-head drum while the women simultaneously sing different songs in a high range while shaking large woven rattles. As you can see there is a great variety of music within this culture. It is so fascinating to see how distance and geographical barriers can so greatly alter musical expression. If you want to hear some of this wonderful music, watch this video:

4. (Bonus because I was very fascinated): Growing up in Native American culture is truly a magical and symbolic process. In Native American tribes, the older children who were on the brink of adolescence had to "find themselves" through practicing a rite of a vision quest. Each tribe had different specific rules when it came to how the rite was taken: the rites varied in length and intensity. Also, separate tribes had different opinions on what the child's age needed to be to partake in this tradition. Usually, the vision quest was a supernatural experience in which the child has to interact with a guardian spirit. The guardian spirit was most likely represented by an animal. The child had to seek out the guardian spirit to obtain advice or protection. Before the vision quest, there had to be much preparation to determine the sincerity and commitment of the child. In some instances, the child was required to go alone in the woods for several days. These days in the wilderness alone would help the child become attuned to the spiritual world. Once the child sees the presence or sign while attuned with the spiritual world, the individual had to determine their direction in life, and they would return to the tribe to pursue their journey. To hear someone of Native American descent explain the process, watch this video:

Bibliography:

https://people.howstuffworks.com/culture-traditions/cultural-traditions/10-native-american-music-traditions.htm

https://www.legendsofamerica.com/na-ceremonies/

https://www.britannica.com/art/Native-American-music/South-America