The reading by Rayna Grass and Howard Bass, entitled Heartbeat: Voices of First Nations Women, basically explains how Native American females have been able to make important contributions to the music industry and/or other things in their respective culture(s). This text basically states that women are a significant part of the Native American culture and music business, despite seeming to be inferior to men in certain cases. The general idea of Native American women specifically not being equally involved in the musical business in their respective cultures definitely makes sense to me, due to the fact that most of the musical pieces by Native Americans that we were assigned to analyze for homework generally had male voices being heard through their entireties. One part of the Native American culture that women play key roles in is ceremonial events. The text mentions that females are distinct in their own special ways from males in these events by being head workers a good portion of the time in healing processes and have certain vocal abilities that make them the only ones capable and/or suitable for singing certain songs that males usually would not be as good for. Another part of the Native American culture that women play active roles in is glorifying relatives, clan, and tribe. One thing that the Native American women usually do in this case (along with men) is perform vocal musical pieces that glorify their elders. One other part of the Native American culture that women play a specific role in is the playing of musical instruments. It is mentioned that in more relevant times, some Native American females including Geraldine Barney and Lillian Rainer have been able to properly handle the flute, which certain Native American groups have used as a major tool in the overall structure of their musical pieces. One last part of the Native American culture that women play important roles in is companionable dances and plays. The text mentions that in these events, women usually tend to perform romantically and passionately themed musical pieces. It is also mentioned that due to the fact that these specific songs have a certain amount of promiscuous language within them that they are handled by both females and males. In conclusion, it definitely seems to me that in Native American culture, like other cultures, that women are labeled as the inferior race. This is especially true to me since some of the practices in the Native American culture and/or music industry (like some of the ones mentioned above) mandatorily require women to work in alliances with men, whether they may like or not, and they end up preventing individual women from working independently and/or without help in these certain tasks and/or situations.
Tuesday, November 5, 2013
Wednesday, October 30, 2013
Reading Journal #12
In the reading entitled Indian Dance: A Celebration of Survival and Adaptation, Charlotte Heth discusses the multiple and distinctive ways in which individual Native American dances are organized and performed in the present day. Before talking about them, it is important to note that Heth mentions that there are certain factors present throughout the lives of the Native Americans that have led to this variety in the way individual groups of Native Americans approach their dances and that explain why it is so. She explains that one of the main reasons for this variety is due to certain historical events that made their ancestors loose some of their original ideas for their dances. This involves the fact that many Native American dances were prohibited from being practiced by individual human beings and specific organizations from specific races of people, including the whites and the Spanish. The reading reaffirms the fact that some of the main dances that were targeted for termination were the Sun Dance and the Ghost Dance. The latter of these two dances has been discussed as a major method of rebellion by Native Americans against white officials trying to claim their lands, and it came to be associated with the likes of Kicking Bear and Sitting Bull, as discussed in the reading Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee. Another one of the main reasons why there is much diversity is due to the fact that a number of Native Americans now use old dance techniques as well as new dance concepts in their dance performances. A statement in the text that addresses this idea is, "While repeating ancient songs, dances, and ceremonies is necessary to maintain certain social, religious, and curing ceremonies, the creation and performance of new songs and dances is equally necessary to ensure sustained interest and continuity" (Heth, as part of the introduction to Native American Dance: Ceremonies and Social Traditions which covers pages 1-18 of the text). These statements remind me of how Native Americans, after enduring many years of restrictions on their rights to dance from the 1800s to the 1900s, had to come up with new ways of approaching music since a lot of original practices could not be recalled through memory. This also involves how Native Americans eventually created new instruments, dances, and such that reflected certain outside influences but still had some aspect of their own culture embedded in them. An example would be the Apache fiddle, as discussed in one of our earlier readings, which first arrived somewhere in the 1900s and became popular around the 1950s. It these specific reasons that have led to the vast differences in the ways Native Americans address their dances.
The reading mentions a number of ways in which Native American dances are usually distinct from each other and/or how they have changed from older generations to the younger generations of the Native American people. One part of Native American culture that showcases at least one of these ideas in groups of these people is the specific instruments that are used to play the music for a particular dance. The reading mentions that certain instruments have managed to still make an impact on the younger generations of Native Americans, such as, "the drums; the hand-held rattles; the strung rattles worn on the dancers' arms, legs, and torsos; the flutes; conch-shell trumpets; whistles; hollow logs; rasps; and striking sticks among them" (Heth 7). Along with this statement, it is said that new choices from the list of possible instruments to play focus on the replacement of rattles and bells made from original substances for those that are comprised mainly of metal. Some parts of this statement definitely hold true to what I have learned, because drums and metallic rattles/bells have been the main instruments used and heard in many of the compositions that we were assigned to listen to on a couple of homework assignments. Another part of Native American culture that showcases a least one of these idea involves the specific locations where groups of these people end up performing their cultural dances. The text says that in the case of the Native Americans that they are people who reside in a number of different locations on the Earth, which includes rural, urban, and other kinds of places as well. In addition, the text says that despite the fact that numerous dances and events take place most of the time by Native Americans residing in or close to reservations or that have a living in in rural sections of the U.S. and Canada, that novel locations - such as urban social events and/or powwows - are the key for the makeup, alterations, and persistence of specific heritages, initially ones that come from the Plains. One other part of Native American culture that addresses at least one of these ideas is the specific structures of dancing in the performances by these people. The reading says that these structures are special in their own distinct ways due to the fact that Native Americans are not similar to each other not just in the sense of trying to compare them to other peoples, but also from each and every individual around them. In addition, the section goes further into detail about this when it states that within these dance structures, "One finds few solos, yet many ensemble forms. Many of the latter have a leader and a chorus; some are unison groups, others groups with featured soloists; a few have dancers with individualistic styles" (Heth, as part of the introduction to Native American Dance: Ceremonies and Social Traditions which covers pages 1-18 of the text). This idea reminisces the fact that individual dances at powwows generally never have a concrete way of being performed, since a specific person who is actively involved in this has the ability to blow a whistle which changes how long a specific dance will go on during the powwow and this varies each time. In conclusion, this reading basically provides a certain amount of information that readers need to take into consideration when they learn about Native American dancing.
The reading mentions a number of ways in which Native American dances are usually distinct from each other and/or how they have changed from older generations to the younger generations of the Native American people. One part of Native American culture that showcases at least one of these ideas in groups of these people is the specific instruments that are used to play the music for a particular dance. The reading mentions that certain instruments have managed to still make an impact on the younger generations of Native Americans, such as, "the drums; the hand-held rattles; the strung rattles worn on the dancers' arms, legs, and torsos; the flutes; conch-shell trumpets; whistles; hollow logs; rasps; and striking sticks among them" (Heth 7). Along with this statement, it is said that new choices from the list of possible instruments to play focus on the replacement of rattles and bells made from original substances for those that are comprised mainly of metal. Some parts of this statement definitely hold true to what I have learned, because drums and metallic rattles/bells have been the main instruments used and heard in many of the compositions that we were assigned to listen to on a couple of homework assignments. Another part of Native American culture that showcases a least one of these idea involves the specific locations where groups of these people end up performing their cultural dances. The text says that in the case of the Native Americans that they are people who reside in a number of different locations on the Earth, which includes rural, urban, and other kinds of places as well. In addition, the text says that despite the fact that numerous dances and events take place most of the time by Native Americans residing in or close to reservations or that have a living in in rural sections of the U.S. and Canada, that novel locations - such as urban social events and/or powwows - are the key for the makeup, alterations, and persistence of specific heritages, initially ones that come from the Plains. One other part of Native American culture that addresses at least one of these ideas is the specific structures of dancing in the performances by these people. The reading says that these structures are special in their own distinct ways due to the fact that Native Americans are not similar to each other not just in the sense of trying to compare them to other peoples, but also from each and every individual around them. In addition, the section goes further into detail about this when it states that within these dance structures, "One finds few solos, yet many ensemble forms. Many of the latter have a leader and a chorus; some are unison groups, others groups with featured soloists; a few have dancers with individualistic styles" (Heth, as part of the introduction to Native American Dance: Ceremonies and Social Traditions which covers pages 1-18 of the text). This idea reminisces the fact that individual dances at powwows generally never have a concrete way of being performed, since a specific person who is actively involved in this has the ability to blow a whistle which changes how long a specific dance will go on during the powwow and this varies each time. In conclusion, this reading basically provides a certain amount of information that readers need to take into consideration when they learn about Native American dancing.
Monday, October 28, 2013
Reading Journal #11
In the reading entitled Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee there is a basic explanation of the conflict that arose between Native Americans and the white people that sought to claim the Native Americans' land as their own. Some of the general events mentioned in this conflict involves the Native American tribes, who were supported by Sitting Bull, refusing to give in to certain demands and/or requests made upon them by the leading men of the white people. Before going on, it is important to mention that the Native Americans are more successful at certain times than others in this battle between these two races of people. The first event discussed involves a number of the Native American tribes coming together to attend a meeting to possibly sign a document that would grant the white people ownership of the land that the Native Americans resided on and the right to reform it however they wanted the land to be. A certain number of the Native Americans were upset about this and completely disregarded this proposal by the white people. However, the Native Americans ended up losing in this situation due to the fact a man named White Hair McLaughlin fibbed to another man named Crook when he told him that Sitting Bull and all possible Native Americans involved in this situation were aware of the current meeting being held to discuss the document (mentioned above). This caused all of the main Native American leaders to go ahead and sign the document which granted the white people access to and ownership of the land that previously belonged to the Native Americans, which Sitting Bull was furious over afterwards. This event addresses a specific aspect of the "insider" vs. "outsider" concept, being that certain non-Native Americans (mainly referring to whites) throughout history generally unable to see the error in their ways at certain times and not be concerned for the well-being and lives of other races of people, other than their own, and the Native Americans have shown that they are the complete opposite of these ways throughout history. This situation also goes to show readers the deceiving, influential, and tyrannical power that white people have been typically portrayed as having throughout history to affect other races of people (including their own) which allowed them to feel like a superior race above all other races of people in the world.
After this, (which takes place close to a full year after the event above) a Native American named Kicking Bear shares information with Sitting Bull about how him and his brother-in-law, whose name is Short Bull, had just got back from travelling across a certain set of mountains in to find out the whereabouts of the Messiah. He explains to Sitting Bull that this figure taught him, and the rest of the Native Americans who accompanied him on their journey, how to properly perform the Ghost Dance. During his story, Kicking Bear describes the Messiah as basically a Native American representation of Jesus Christ who have a certain number of markings on his body that might have come from being crucified. This statement reinforces the idea that during the times of interaction between the Native Americans and the white people that the Native Americans borrowed some cultural ideas from the white people while still putting some of their own original concepts into these ideas as well. Kicking Bear also says that the Messiah told all of them that in performing the Ghost Dance, the grass would be at a decent length in the following spring and that the new supply of soil would close of the white men from the rest of life and provide a varied abundance of living creatures and landmarks for the Native Americans to live around. It is also mentioned that the Messiah instructed the Native Americans to not be violent towards their enemies and only to move their bodies along to the song lyrics that they were performing at the same time. After the Native Americans had gone underway with this for a certain amount of time, the white people began to see this as a threat to their plans and decided to take action to stop it. In addition, the white people eventually came up with the idea that Sitting Bull was the ring leader behind the movement and the corruption in the Native American society, at this point, and they in turn made plans for his arrest. The whites tried to come up with a decent plan to get Sitting Bull, with using Buffalo Bill Cody to try and lead Sitting Bull into their trap, who in turn actually agreed to their horrible plans. This personally surprises me and at the same time doesn't surprise me, because Buffalo Bill Cody was a white man who could obviously relate in certain respects more to people of his own race, yet he still supported the positive portrayal and treatment of Native Americans during his life. However, this idea to use Cody was dismissed and officials eventually decided to surround Sitting Bull at his personal residence and take him with them. This ultimately led to a shoot-out between a Native American out to save Sitting Bull and a white official who had come to collect Sitting Bull, which led Sitting Bull to be accidentally killed by a bullet that struck him in his head. In conclusion, this event led to more fighting and rebelling between the Native Americans and the whites that lasted for a certain amount of time.
After this, (which takes place close to a full year after the event above) a Native American named Kicking Bear shares information with Sitting Bull about how him and his brother-in-law, whose name is Short Bull, had just got back from travelling across a certain set of mountains in to find out the whereabouts of the Messiah. He explains to Sitting Bull that this figure taught him, and the rest of the Native Americans who accompanied him on their journey, how to properly perform the Ghost Dance. During his story, Kicking Bear describes the Messiah as basically a Native American representation of Jesus Christ who have a certain number of markings on his body that might have come from being crucified. This statement reinforces the idea that during the times of interaction between the Native Americans and the white people that the Native Americans borrowed some cultural ideas from the white people while still putting some of their own original concepts into these ideas as well. Kicking Bear also says that the Messiah told all of them that in performing the Ghost Dance, the grass would be at a decent length in the following spring and that the new supply of soil would close of the white men from the rest of life and provide a varied abundance of living creatures and landmarks for the Native Americans to live around. It is also mentioned that the Messiah instructed the Native Americans to not be violent towards their enemies and only to move their bodies along to the song lyrics that they were performing at the same time. After the Native Americans had gone underway with this for a certain amount of time, the white people began to see this as a threat to their plans and decided to take action to stop it. In addition, the white people eventually came up with the idea that Sitting Bull was the ring leader behind the movement and the corruption in the Native American society, at this point, and they in turn made plans for his arrest. The whites tried to come up with a decent plan to get Sitting Bull, with using Buffalo Bill Cody to try and lead Sitting Bull into their trap, who in turn actually agreed to their horrible plans. This personally surprises me and at the same time doesn't surprise me, because Buffalo Bill Cody was a white man who could obviously relate in certain respects more to people of his own race, yet he still supported the positive portrayal and treatment of Native Americans during his life. However, this idea to use Cody was dismissed and officials eventually decided to surround Sitting Bull at his personal residence and take him with them. This ultimately led to a shoot-out between a Native American out to save Sitting Bull and a white official who had come to collect Sitting Bull, which led Sitting Bull to be accidentally killed by a bullet that struck him in his head. In conclusion, this event led to more fighting and rebelling between the Native Americans and the whites that lasted for a certain amount of time.
Wednesday, October 23, 2013
Reading Journal #10
Chapter 5 in Beverly Diamond's book entitled Native American Music in Eastern North America goes into great detail on a variety of topics that focus on powwow music, which are addressed through historical perspectives and current events. One important topic discussed in the chapter revolves around the primary source of the contemporary powwow. The book mentions that most people trace the beginnings of the powwow back to the male soldier groups that resided in the lower Plains regions. It eventually was distributed to other Native American tribes like the Sioux in the west and the Ojibwe and Cree that lived in the upper regions of the country. Eventually, the performing of powwows became illegal by non-Native American laws passed by this specific group of people that lasted during the 1800s and well into the 1900s, causing the Native Americans to practice their powwow rituals secretly which did not help in the long run with preserving all of their original concepts of what happened in a powwow. This ban of Native American powwow events and the loss of a number of traditional practices in them was an important topic that we covered in a class discussion. This conflict between the non-Native Americans and the Native Americans reflects a certain aspect of the "insider" vs. "outsider" concept, being that outsiders can be oblivious to the true beauty and appeal of other cultures' practices and dismiss them as unacceptable and disgraceful for no good reason. After this, it is mentioned that future generations of powwow performers brought back their powwow events from their dismissal and basically fused old traditional elements of the powwow with new practices that would vary from tribe to tribe and/or from person to person, depending on how they wanted to create their own forms of powwow performances, which has carried on to the present day.
Another important topic talked about in the chapter highlights the basic elements of typical northern and southern powwows of the present day. One notable aspect of the powwows that is mentioned in minimal detail is policies regarding appropriate behavior during the ceremonies. The book says that, "Alcohol and drugs are not permitted in the vicinity of a powwow, and drummers are encouraged to abstain from these substances" (Diamond 124). Another notable part of the powwows is the variation of colors and designs on wardrobe. The way a regalia physically appears depends on certain things, mainly the specific ceremonial dance that it is used in and whether it is being worn by a male or a female. Some examples of these include that female Traditional Dancers might usually, "wear buckskin or cloth dresses, often with traditionally embroidered collars and hems, or ribbon adornment" (Diamond 125). In contrast to this, male Traditional Dancers might usually, "wear the long belted shirt of southern Straight Dancers, but more often their regalia has a large eagle feather bustle made of natural feathers, attached to their waist at the back, ankle bells, a porcupine hair roach, and apron" (Diamond 125). The polite behavior policies and the wide array of ceremonial wardrobe to be found in powwows were important topics covered in one of our previous classes. One other important topic discussed in the chapter covers how Native American powwow music has been recorded overtime. The book mentions that original promotional recorded sound clips of powwow were put on cassettes that included visual pictures of the actual performers that were heard on these devices, sometimes seen with relatives in these visuals. After this, starting in the later years of the 1980s, the compact disc became the more preferred way for the Native Americans to want to promote their music to a greater audience than before. One other detail mentioned that falls into this topic says that in recent years, certain music businesses such as Arbor Records have started to take into consideration the recording methods and/or processes of the general kinds of mainstream music by, "making overdubs of lead singers, for instance, recording the drum separately so that the elements can be balanced and manipulated in the postproduction process" (Diamond 134). This last statement basically reinforces the idea that Native Americans have borrowed from non-Native American practices in the music industry. These topics definitely show the significance of Native American powwows in certain ways.
Chapter 8 in Tara Browner's book entitled Music of the First Nations explains the basic differences between "Northern" and "Southern" forms of music and/or song. One of the main differences mentioned in the book is present in the actual forms of songs. A major aspect of the construction of the songs that is different is evident by the specific locations of drum accents. In Northern compositions, honor beats are located as part of the context of the second phrase, whereas in Southern compositions, hard beats (which is another way to say "honor beats") are specifically located at the latter tip of the second phrase. Another one of the main differences noted in the book can be found based on the sound performances of each region of music. The book says that Southern performers tend to sing with very deep vocals, whereas Northern performers tend to sing with more elevated vocals. In addition, there are other general qualities of certain regional songs not usually found in songs of the other region, for example, women performing men's lyrics and the ornamentation of certain tunes is more common in the Midplains and/or Intermountain compositions of the North than music pieces of the South. One other main difference present between these two kinds of Native American music is obviously the general regions of America in where they are found. A fair way to explain this contrasting concept is that Southern styles of music are more likely to be found within Oklahoma and other states near it, whereas Northern styles of music are more commonly found within and/or around the Great Lakes that are close to Michigan. The major differences between Northern and Southern styles of powwow music, as mentioned above, were thoroughly discussed in class. These differences are significant in the Native American music industry in a number of ways.
Another important topic talked about in the chapter highlights the basic elements of typical northern and southern powwows of the present day. One notable aspect of the powwows that is mentioned in minimal detail is policies regarding appropriate behavior during the ceremonies. The book says that, "Alcohol and drugs are not permitted in the vicinity of a powwow, and drummers are encouraged to abstain from these substances" (Diamond 124). Another notable part of the powwows is the variation of colors and designs on wardrobe. The way a regalia physically appears depends on certain things, mainly the specific ceremonial dance that it is used in and whether it is being worn by a male or a female. Some examples of these include that female Traditional Dancers might usually, "wear buckskin or cloth dresses, often with traditionally embroidered collars and hems, or ribbon adornment" (Diamond 125). In contrast to this, male Traditional Dancers might usually, "wear the long belted shirt of southern Straight Dancers, but more often their regalia has a large eagle feather bustle made of natural feathers, attached to their waist at the back, ankle bells, a porcupine hair roach, and apron" (Diamond 125). The polite behavior policies and the wide array of ceremonial wardrobe to be found in powwows were important topics covered in one of our previous classes. One other important topic discussed in the chapter covers how Native American powwow music has been recorded overtime. The book mentions that original promotional recorded sound clips of powwow were put on cassettes that included visual pictures of the actual performers that were heard on these devices, sometimes seen with relatives in these visuals. After this, starting in the later years of the 1980s, the compact disc became the more preferred way for the Native Americans to want to promote their music to a greater audience than before. One other detail mentioned that falls into this topic says that in recent years, certain music businesses such as Arbor Records have started to take into consideration the recording methods and/or processes of the general kinds of mainstream music by, "making overdubs of lead singers, for instance, recording the drum separately so that the elements can be balanced and manipulated in the postproduction process" (Diamond 134). This last statement basically reinforces the idea that Native Americans have borrowed from non-Native American practices in the music industry. These topics definitely show the significance of Native American powwows in certain ways.
Chapter 8 in Tara Browner's book entitled Music of the First Nations explains the basic differences between "Northern" and "Southern" forms of music and/or song. One of the main differences mentioned in the book is present in the actual forms of songs. A major aspect of the construction of the songs that is different is evident by the specific locations of drum accents. In Northern compositions, honor beats are located as part of the context of the second phrase, whereas in Southern compositions, hard beats (which is another way to say "honor beats") are specifically located at the latter tip of the second phrase. Another one of the main differences noted in the book can be found based on the sound performances of each region of music. The book says that Southern performers tend to sing with very deep vocals, whereas Northern performers tend to sing with more elevated vocals. In addition, there are other general qualities of certain regional songs not usually found in songs of the other region, for example, women performing men's lyrics and the ornamentation of certain tunes is more common in the Midplains and/or Intermountain compositions of the North than music pieces of the South. One other main difference present between these two kinds of Native American music is obviously the general regions of America in where they are found. A fair way to explain this contrasting concept is that Southern styles of music are more likely to be found within Oklahoma and other states near it, whereas Northern styles of music are more commonly found within and/or around the Great Lakes that are close to Michigan. The major differences between Northern and Southern styles of powwow music, as mentioned above, were thoroughly discussed in class. These differences are significant in the Native American music industry in a number of ways.
Monday, October 14, 2013
Reading Journal #9
The Navajo Blessingway and Apache Sunrise ceremonies are similar and distinct from each other in a number of significant ways. One commonality between these two Native American cultural events is in regards to the sole purposes in carrying them out every year. This involves the fact that these forms of ceremonies are performed with positive intentions and outcomes in mind by the people that perform them. Some similar purposes include the banishment of all things that are menacing and/or that represent all that is despicable in society, and to cure individuals that have succumbed to any form of sickness and/or corruption. One other similar purpose connects to how these events seek to actively involve young females in order to them a sense of what will be expected of them when they become grown women. Another commonality is present focuses on common items that the Native Americans use in their respective ceremonies. One of these things involves similar kinds of wardrobe, such as headpieces, belts, and other things that incorporate specific styles, patterns and colors in them that are shared in common between these two kinds of ceremonies. Some examples of these include the color black and the use of turquoise jewelry as an essential decoration on ceremonial clothing. Another of these things involves specific musical instruments that are used in these rituals. The general instruments of choice shared among the Navajo Blessingway and Apache Sunrise rituals are drums and rattles. There are also some notable differences between these two rituals as well.
One way in which the Navajo Blessingway ceremonies are distinct from the Apache Sunrise ceremonies is due to the fact that they consider the formation and/or structure of an area to be more important in a certain way than the other Native Americans do. This tends to involve the structure and/or formation of a certain arena where certain rituals will be held. This usually ends being formed into what is called a conical hogan, which provides for a decent amount of space for people to perform rituals that involve reciting certain things, and such. This is not even heard of in the culture of Apache Sunrise ceremonies. Another main difference between the two kinds of ceremonies is present in the ways that they address the four basic cardinal directions. In certain Navajo Blessingway ceremonies, there are poles, with at least one representing each direction, that are grabbed and placed in a certain formation to make a space for dirt and other materials to be placed on the inside of the poles. In addition, the poles each represent specific gifts that are mentioned in the text where it says that, "The east pole, the gift of Earth itself, is addressed first, the south pole, a gift from Mountain Woman representative of all mountains, is mentioned next; then the west pole from Water Woman representing water supplies; and finally the north one, called Corn Woman's pile referring to First Man's magic corn bundle" (Wyman 15). In the case of the Apache Sunrise ceremonies, there are specific rituals in which performers are instructed to penetrate into the ritual specifically from the east and then a certain performer, sometimes a clown, is instructed to sanctify every one of the four cardinal directions. The ways in which the Navajo Blessingway and Apache Sunrise ceremonies compare and contrast to each other stand out in their ways from other details about the two kinds of ceremonies in certain ways.
One way in which the Navajo Blessingway ceremonies are distinct from the Apache Sunrise ceremonies is due to the fact that they consider the formation and/or structure of an area to be more important in a certain way than the other Native Americans do. This tends to involve the structure and/or formation of a certain arena where certain rituals will be held. This usually ends being formed into what is called a conical hogan, which provides for a decent amount of space for people to perform rituals that involve reciting certain things, and such. This is not even heard of in the culture of Apache Sunrise ceremonies. Another main difference between the two kinds of ceremonies is present in the ways that they address the four basic cardinal directions. In certain Navajo Blessingway ceremonies, there are poles, with at least one representing each direction, that are grabbed and placed in a certain formation to make a space for dirt and other materials to be placed on the inside of the poles. In addition, the poles each represent specific gifts that are mentioned in the text where it says that, "The east pole, the gift of Earth itself, is addressed first, the south pole, a gift from Mountain Woman representative of all mountains, is mentioned next; then the west pole from Water Woman representing water supplies; and finally the north one, called Corn Woman's pile referring to First Man's magic corn bundle" (Wyman 15). In the case of the Apache Sunrise ceremonies, there are specific rituals in which performers are instructed to penetrate into the ritual specifically from the east and then a certain performer, sometimes a clown, is instructed to sanctify every one of the four cardinal directions. The ways in which the Navajo Blessingway and Apache Sunrise ceremonies compare and contrast to each other stand out in their ways from other details about the two kinds of ceremonies in certain ways.
Monday, October 7, 2013
Reading Journal #8
Chapter 3 in Tara Browner's book entitled Music of the First Nations discusses two important topics that talk about the significance of myths in certain ways. These two topics discuss how myths stand out from other Native American texts, and how myths relate to other key elements of the Native American culture. In comparison to other forms of storytelling and/or writing, myths are different in their own specific ways. One way in which myths stand out from other forms of storytelling and/or writing is evident by their main purpose, which is to inform the individuals that are familiar with them what their own personal identities are. Besides this, a myth intends to explain how certain individuals have been able to gain control over certain territories by specific changes and starting points in their lives. This goes along with the appropriate manners in which they should reside in their respective lands by themselves and with other individuals as well. These details remind me of the discussions from previous readings and in class that mentioned the idea that the internal message behind a song could explain how a certain individual might have become the way in which he or she is at the present time. This is something very personal, as also mentioned before, which highlights the concept of "insider" vs. "outsider," since an "insider" to the actual meaning of a song would be more likely able to connect with it spiritually and/or feel it in a way that an "outsider," whether it be a non-Native American or another Native American, would not be able to relate to it in such a close way as the "insider" would be able to, especially since the song lyrics tend to be based off of an actual or fantasy-like event only experienced by the "insider." Another way in which myths stand out from other forms of storytelling and/or writing is in the specific locations as to where people reside in their plots. These myths usually have people reside, "'between a world in the process of being transformed and prepared for the coming of human beings and a world rendered meaningful and spiritually potent inhabited by human beings. It is a distinction between mythic beings endowed with significance and potency and humans seeking that endowment" (Frey and Hymes 1998: 587, Sercombe and Browner 38).
In terms of their relationships with other key elements of the Native American culture, there are important things to mention. One important thing that myths can connect to in certain ways are soul ability lyrical pieces. The book mentions that despite the fact that it may not be completely clear in every version of every single myth story, certain performances that are executed in certain myths are usually carried up by an individual being in the text trying to summon his or her soul ability by engaging in his or her respective musical piece that relates to it. It mentions further that in certain cases, the effects are funny, specifically when an individual's ability ends up being inferior to achieve the sought outcome, or in a case where it happens to be obvious to other existing individuals that the specific person only possesses the general ability to conjure up his or her ability. Another important thing that myths can relate to are vocally performed ceremonial phrases and statements. The text mentions that, "Another kind of power comes from 'family wisdom' possessed and controlled by high-ranking families in precontact Coast Salish communities (and still operating in some forms). Among the kinds of esoteric knowledge they controlled were ritual words or enchantments used to control animals, weather spirits, and humans (Miller 1999b: 91). Spoken or sung 'formulas' to change the weather appear to be a special category of esoteric language among Puget Sound-area people" (Sercombe and Browner 43-44).
Before concluding, it is important to discuss two Native American stories that I picked out from the Internet and how they are important and significant in their own ways. In one of the stories I chose, entitled "The Quillwork Girl and her Seven Brothers," the two main characters that stand out from the rest are the girl who is talented in the field of quillwork and the youngest boy in a group of seven brothers that the girl ends up living with in the myth. The quillwork girl is a very skilled young lady with a kind heart, who is also a hard worker and generous to people around her. She shows these qualities in the story by creating seven different sets of clothing, one for each of the seven brothers, all from bright buckskin. After doing this, she travels a certain ways to where the seven brothers live and surprises all of them with the wardrobe that she has to offer to offer to them, which makes them very grateful to the girl and she becomes a household member in their tipi with them all. The youngest brother in a group of seven is a very courageous, protective, and fearless to a certain degree. He shows these qualities in the story by refusing to allow a gigantic group of buffalo take the girl away from him and his brothers, and he refuses to let his guard down, even when the size of the individual buffalos that greet him, one at the time, to claim the girl from him continuously increase in size and a promise of death is threatened and/or guaranteed upon him by the leader of the buffalo when he comes around with the rest of his group.
The main intent of this story is to explain how the well-known constellation called the Big Dipper happened to appear in the sky, be created, and still exist to this very day. The story says that the quillwork girl, together with the seven brothers, transformed into the Big Dipper by the youngest brother's magic after they became stranded on a cloud high in the sky after holding onto a tree (which the youngest brother continuously made grow taller and taller with a set of magic arrows that he had at the time) as part of an attempt to escape the angry buffalo that made a desperate attempt to destroy all of them by smashing into the base of the tree to bring it down after he was refused the right to take the girl from the seven brothers. Some other messages behind this myth that can possibly be observed include always being well-prepared and alert in case of emergencies, which is the case with the youngest brothers being able to efficiently provide a quick escape for himself and the others when the buffalo tried to kill them all. In addition, the myth can possibly be telling people that it is important to look on the bright side especially in a seemingly hopeless situation, which is the case when the rest of the brothers ask their youngest sibling how their future will be once they become stranded up in the clouds for eternity, to which he says for them not to worry and provides the solution of turning all of them into stars. This myth can compare to the one about Dirty Face in the sense that the myth concludes with the transformation of the main character(s) into some other form and/or being as the result of certain events that occur before this happens. Another way that this myth can compare to the myth about Dirty Face is that both of them express the idea that hard work and/or labor can produce some significant results in the context of a myth, sometimes for the better and sometimes for the worse.
In the other myth that I chose, entitled "Tata and Nena," the main characters that make significant appearances in the myth are Tata, Nena, and Tlaloc. Tata and Nena are together a religious pair who are portrayed as being forgetful, and pitiful. The two of them portray these qualities in the myth when they temporarily suffer a case of memory loss by forgetting to only consume two ear pieces of corn under Tlaloc's orders when they decide to retrieve a fish from the water and devour it and then afterwards recalling that they weren't supposed to do that. The two of them are pitiful in the sense that they are punished by Tlaloc who transforms them into dogs after accidentally going against his regulations, and in the general sense that two holy-spirited people like Tata and Nena don't really deserve a fate like this, especially since it wasn't there intention to screw their good image up in Tlaloc's perspective of them both. Tlaloc, who is a god, is depicted as being generous and cruel at certain parts of them myth. In the myth, he is generous by giving Tata and Nena a special opportunity to be wary of the flood that he plans to have the whole world wiped out with and giving them food and a mode of transportation to carry them both off to a certain location. However, he is also depicted as being cruel when he ends up transforming two good-spirited people, being Tata and Nena, into dogs when they accidentally let the fact that they both couldn't eat anything else but the food that was supplied to them by Tlaloc himself and really didn't deserve this future. One of the main intents of this story can possibly be that people should cherish the natural resources that are given to them and the good opportunities that they could obtain in their lives, while trying not to let themselves get carried away with abusing the rights that they have to the valuable sources and opportunities that might be given to them in their lifetimes. Another possible main intent of this story is to explain the fact that even the most good-spirited people in the world are subject to the consequences of certain actions that are considered to be unacceptable to others around them. This myth can compare to the myth about Dirty Face in the sense that the main characters are turned into animals as a punishment and as a result of a certain action(s) that they performed in the myth. These two myths definitely reflect the Native American culture in their own specific ways.
In terms of their relationships with other key elements of the Native American culture, there are important things to mention. One important thing that myths can connect to in certain ways are soul ability lyrical pieces. The book mentions that despite the fact that it may not be completely clear in every version of every single myth story, certain performances that are executed in certain myths are usually carried up by an individual being in the text trying to summon his or her soul ability by engaging in his or her respective musical piece that relates to it. It mentions further that in certain cases, the effects are funny, specifically when an individual's ability ends up being inferior to achieve the sought outcome, or in a case where it happens to be obvious to other existing individuals that the specific person only possesses the general ability to conjure up his or her ability. Another important thing that myths can relate to are vocally performed ceremonial phrases and statements. The text mentions that, "Another kind of power comes from 'family wisdom' possessed and controlled by high-ranking families in precontact Coast Salish communities (and still operating in some forms). Among the kinds of esoteric knowledge they controlled were ritual words or enchantments used to control animals, weather spirits, and humans (Miller 1999b: 91). Spoken or sung 'formulas' to change the weather appear to be a special category of esoteric language among Puget Sound-area people" (Sercombe and Browner 43-44).
Before concluding, it is important to discuss two Native American stories that I picked out from the Internet and how they are important and significant in their own ways. In one of the stories I chose, entitled "The Quillwork Girl and her Seven Brothers," the two main characters that stand out from the rest are the girl who is talented in the field of quillwork and the youngest boy in a group of seven brothers that the girl ends up living with in the myth. The quillwork girl is a very skilled young lady with a kind heart, who is also a hard worker and generous to people around her. She shows these qualities in the story by creating seven different sets of clothing, one for each of the seven brothers, all from bright buckskin. After doing this, she travels a certain ways to where the seven brothers live and surprises all of them with the wardrobe that she has to offer to offer to them, which makes them very grateful to the girl and she becomes a household member in their tipi with them all. The youngest brother in a group of seven is a very courageous, protective, and fearless to a certain degree. He shows these qualities in the story by refusing to allow a gigantic group of buffalo take the girl away from him and his brothers, and he refuses to let his guard down, even when the size of the individual buffalos that greet him, one at the time, to claim the girl from him continuously increase in size and a promise of death is threatened and/or guaranteed upon him by the leader of the buffalo when he comes around with the rest of his group.
The main intent of this story is to explain how the well-known constellation called the Big Dipper happened to appear in the sky, be created, and still exist to this very day. The story says that the quillwork girl, together with the seven brothers, transformed into the Big Dipper by the youngest brother's magic after they became stranded on a cloud high in the sky after holding onto a tree (which the youngest brother continuously made grow taller and taller with a set of magic arrows that he had at the time) as part of an attempt to escape the angry buffalo that made a desperate attempt to destroy all of them by smashing into the base of the tree to bring it down after he was refused the right to take the girl from the seven brothers. Some other messages behind this myth that can possibly be observed include always being well-prepared and alert in case of emergencies, which is the case with the youngest brothers being able to efficiently provide a quick escape for himself and the others when the buffalo tried to kill them all. In addition, the myth can possibly be telling people that it is important to look on the bright side especially in a seemingly hopeless situation, which is the case when the rest of the brothers ask their youngest sibling how their future will be once they become stranded up in the clouds for eternity, to which he says for them not to worry and provides the solution of turning all of them into stars. This myth can compare to the one about Dirty Face in the sense that the myth concludes with the transformation of the main character(s) into some other form and/or being as the result of certain events that occur before this happens. Another way that this myth can compare to the myth about Dirty Face is that both of them express the idea that hard work and/or labor can produce some significant results in the context of a myth, sometimes for the better and sometimes for the worse.
In the other myth that I chose, entitled "Tata and Nena," the main characters that make significant appearances in the myth are Tata, Nena, and Tlaloc. Tata and Nena are together a religious pair who are portrayed as being forgetful, and pitiful. The two of them portray these qualities in the myth when they temporarily suffer a case of memory loss by forgetting to only consume two ear pieces of corn under Tlaloc's orders when they decide to retrieve a fish from the water and devour it and then afterwards recalling that they weren't supposed to do that. The two of them are pitiful in the sense that they are punished by Tlaloc who transforms them into dogs after accidentally going against his regulations, and in the general sense that two holy-spirited people like Tata and Nena don't really deserve a fate like this, especially since it wasn't there intention to screw their good image up in Tlaloc's perspective of them both. Tlaloc, who is a god, is depicted as being generous and cruel at certain parts of them myth. In the myth, he is generous by giving Tata and Nena a special opportunity to be wary of the flood that he plans to have the whole world wiped out with and giving them food and a mode of transportation to carry them both off to a certain location. However, he is also depicted as being cruel when he ends up transforming two good-spirited people, being Tata and Nena, into dogs when they accidentally let the fact that they both couldn't eat anything else but the food that was supplied to them by Tlaloc himself and really didn't deserve this future. One of the main intents of this story can possibly be that people should cherish the natural resources that are given to them and the good opportunities that they could obtain in their lives, while trying not to let themselves get carried away with abusing the rights that they have to the valuable sources and opportunities that might be given to them in their lifetimes. Another possible main intent of this story is to explain the fact that even the most good-spirited people in the world are subject to the consequences of certain actions that are considered to be unacceptable to others around them. This myth can compare to the myth about Dirty Face in the sense that the main characters are turned into animals as a punishment and as a result of a certain action(s) that they performed in the myth. These two myths definitely reflect the Native American culture in their own specific ways.
Wednesday, October 2, 2013
Reading Journal #7
Chapter 1 in the book Music of the First Nations by Tara Browner, with Paula Conlon leading the discussion in the chapter, allows readers to learn that the Iglulik Inuit culture(s) do not fair too much differently from other Native American cultures. However, there a few significant practices in their cultures that make them stand out from the rest as being unique in their own special ways. These practices are usually present in the ways in which these Native Americans go about making their own music, which includes everything from the creation of song lyrics and drums to live musical rituals and/or performances by the Native Americans. One of the main similarities between the Iglulik Inuit people and other fellow Native Americans is present in the live musical gatherings and events that they hold. In comparison to other Native American cultures, the Iglulik Inuit people see the importance of many individual elements of music working together to add to the brilliance of a live musical performance, including the melody, lyrics, and the forms of dancing to the music. Besides this, the Iglulik Inuit also use live musical performances as ways of communicating with one another, sometimes making funny statements toward each other as part of traditional gatherings. Despite this, the Iglulik Inuit also consider the idea of physical violence (sometimes in a form of hand-to-hand combat) as a part of musical competitions, which is something never mentioned about in other Native American cultures that the class has talked about so far.
Another one of the main similarities is present in how the Iglulik Inuit people make drums. The main commonalities include that the top cover of a drum is made from animal skin. In addition, it is common that this cover, "is bound tightly to the frame with sinew or string" (Conlon & Browner 10). However, there is a major difference in the making of the mallet that is used to play this drum, being that is made from the outer layer of a seal. This is no too common among several Native American tribes, because the Iglulik Inuit people live up more towards the northern tip of the planet in the eastern Arctic regions of the Earth above the United States of America. One other main similarity in the Iglulik Inuit culture that is reflective of other Native American cultures involves the specific relationship that individuals might have with their own music. It is mentioned that like other Native American cultures, "the character of Iglulik Inuit is personal" (Conlon & Browner 9). However, despite this fact, the Iglulik Inuit people tend to leave their music open to all eyes and ears wanting to take a look at and analyze it, and hear for themselves. The book mentions an example of this when is states, "For instance, it is not necessary to ask permission before singing someone else's song" (Nattiez 1988: 45, Conlon & Browner 9). This is something that was never discussed about in discussions on other Native American culture that took place in class. The main similarities, and some difference, between the Iglulik Inuit and other Native Americans are significant in their own ways.
On another note, it is important to discuss how the Native American drumming styles and compositions of the Rain, Ghost, and Sun dances in certain Native American cultures compare with other general forms of Native American drumming present in other Native American music compositions as well as with African American drumming patterns and compositions as well. Some similarities that can be found revolve around how drums and other musical instruments are incorporated into and/or used in a composition. These common features include drums being played in constant, repetitive beats that carry on throughout an entire composition, and that different sections in a song are always indicated by specific changes in instrumental patterns that occur at specific points. Besides this, another general instrument of choice shared among these cultures is some variation of a metallic instrument that makes some sort of jingling noise, which might be a bell in some cases. Other similarities are present in the lyrical context of Native American and African American musical compositions. This involves how singers usually perform the lyrics in a kind of chanting tone of voice and use different pitches in their vocal ranges at specific sections in their songs. In addition, specifically among the Sun, Ghost, and Rain dances, as well as other Native American compositions, is the usage of certain vocables, such as "hey," "ya," and "ho." One other main similarity between these forms of cultural music is that they are all used at certain times for specific cultural events and/or celebrations that are extremely significant to the respective culture that a certain kind of music belongs to. In connecting with this idea, a common thing between these different kinds of music is that they each can unify the people that make them up in one way or another. The commonalities between these different cultures' music are definitely significant in there own ways.
Another one of the main similarities is present in how the Iglulik Inuit people make drums. The main commonalities include that the top cover of a drum is made from animal skin. In addition, it is common that this cover, "is bound tightly to the frame with sinew or string" (Conlon & Browner 10). However, there is a major difference in the making of the mallet that is used to play this drum, being that is made from the outer layer of a seal. This is no too common among several Native American tribes, because the Iglulik Inuit people live up more towards the northern tip of the planet in the eastern Arctic regions of the Earth above the United States of America. One other main similarity in the Iglulik Inuit culture that is reflective of other Native American cultures involves the specific relationship that individuals might have with their own music. It is mentioned that like other Native American cultures, "the character of Iglulik Inuit is personal" (Conlon & Browner 9). However, despite this fact, the Iglulik Inuit people tend to leave their music open to all eyes and ears wanting to take a look at and analyze it, and hear for themselves. The book mentions an example of this when is states, "For instance, it is not necessary to ask permission before singing someone else's song" (Nattiez 1988: 45, Conlon & Browner 9). This is something that was never discussed about in discussions on other Native American culture that took place in class. The main similarities, and some difference, between the Iglulik Inuit and other Native Americans are significant in their own ways.
On another note, it is important to discuss how the Native American drumming styles and compositions of the Rain, Ghost, and Sun dances in certain Native American cultures compare with other general forms of Native American drumming present in other Native American music compositions as well as with African American drumming patterns and compositions as well. Some similarities that can be found revolve around how drums and other musical instruments are incorporated into and/or used in a composition. These common features include drums being played in constant, repetitive beats that carry on throughout an entire composition, and that different sections in a song are always indicated by specific changes in instrumental patterns that occur at specific points. Besides this, another general instrument of choice shared among these cultures is some variation of a metallic instrument that makes some sort of jingling noise, which might be a bell in some cases. Other similarities are present in the lyrical context of Native American and African American musical compositions. This involves how singers usually perform the lyrics in a kind of chanting tone of voice and use different pitches in their vocal ranges at specific sections in their songs. In addition, specifically among the Sun, Ghost, and Rain dances, as well as other Native American compositions, is the usage of certain vocables, such as "hey," "ya," and "ho." One other main similarity between these forms of cultural music is that they are all used at certain times for specific cultural events and/or celebrations that are extremely significant to the respective culture that a certain kind of music belongs to. In connecting with this idea, a common thing between these different kinds of music is that they each can unify the people that make them up in one way or another. The commonalities between these different cultures' music are definitely significant in there own ways.
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