"Native American Sound Instruments" Through my own personal experiences and teachings from Native Americans, that have offered to enlighten me, I've gathered that there is a sacred nature rich in spirit and soul to them. The Native American lives religion as a way of life. Children of the tribe grow up in this world of spirituality and learn from example that religion can come as easily as taking a breath every day. This is no attempt to lead into the topic of religion, yet it needs to be known that the Native American sound instruments are used as a part of that religion or spirituality. There are many sound instruments used by Native Americans, but they vary accordingly from tribe to tribe. The Native American sound instruments are considered a way to almost imitate the processes of nature to attain their level of spirituality during ceremonies as well as every day life. The drum and the flute are just a few of the sound instruments used by Native Americans, yet the drum stands out as of major importance. The drum provides a center for the tribe because it tends to represent a symbolic importance. Black Elk of the Oglala tribe was once quoted as explaining that symbolic importance as, "a drum's round form represents the universe. The steady strong beat of the drum is the pulse, the heart, throbbing at the center of the universe. As the voice of Wakan Tanka, it stirs and helps us to understand the mystery and power of things." (The Spirit World, page 149) Wakan Tanka is the name given to the Great Mystery, also known as the Big Holy or the Great Spirit, and this Wakan Tanka is considered as the one ruling power known as "Good." The First Nations consider, no, they believe that every thing has a soul or a life force and that they are also dependent on each other. The drum Rodriguez 2 beats as if it is representing a heartbeat, this heartbeat could signify our beginning as if being safe inside a mother's womb. The drum is also believed to posses a "medicine" quality. A drum can be made of many types of wood as well as many types of animal skin, yet there is only preference because of each individual tribe or person making the drum. Drums can be made in a various array of sizes, again depending on preference. Sizes can range from small enough for an individual to large enough for twelve people. The average size is... ... middle of paper ... ...l living things and the Native American sound instruments may be a key to reaching the center of the spiritual universe. Works Consulted DeBelius, Maggie, "The Spirit World." The American Indians Series, ED. Henry Woodhead, Time-Life Books, 1993. Edmonds, Margot. and Clark, Ella. "Voices of the Winds:Native American Legends". New York: Facts on File, 1989. Erdoes, Richard. and Ortiz, Alfonso. "American Indian Myths and Legends", New York: Pantheon, 1984. Frances Densmore. " The Study of Indian Music", Smithsonian Report, 1941, Facsimile Reproduction, The Shorey Bookstore, Seattle, WA, 1996. R. Carlos Nakai. and James Demars. " The Art of the Native American Flute", Canyon Records Productions, Phoenix, Arizona. Richard W. Payne, M.D. "The Plains Flute",The Flutists Quarterly, 1988, Vol. 13, no.4, The National Flute Association, Ind. Ann Arbor MI. Richard W. Payne, M.D. "The Native American Plains Flutes", Toubat Trails Publishing Co. Oklahoma City Publishing Co., 1999. William K. Powers. "The Art of Courtship Among the 0glala", American Indian Art, Spring, 1980, Vol. 5, No.2, PP 40-47.
Further, prayer and medicine interplay to paint a classical image of the Native’s creed, yet, for many obsolete or preposterous existences of the shaman. To re-install beliefs present in the world for thousands of years, but have been disappearing, writers such as Neidhardt introduce the element of the
Zigmond, M. L. (1986). Kawaiisu. In W. C. Sturtevant, Handbook of North American Indians (Vol. 11, pp. 398-411). Washington: Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data.
Corbett, B. (1999). Last call in Pine Ridge For the Lakota’s in White Clay, Nebraska, death is on the house. Retrieved February 6, 2005, from http://ishgooda.org/oglala/whitcla1.htm
Smith, Rick. "The Kinaaldá Ceremony in the Navajo Nation." ATH 175 Peoples of the World. 2004. Web. 26 Apr. 2014.
The Native American flute is the third oldest known musical instrument in the world, with bone flutes dating back over 60,000 years. The first instrument found were drums, then varies whistle were made. Over time, the instrument evolved with many different materials and shapes. And these difference and changes reflect the culture of that time. Virtually, flutes were used all types of hardwoods and softwoods in history. They had many different configurations, 2, 3, 4,5,6,7 or 8 holes. The flute we used in class is 6 holes, and we also saw many different flutes in class, someone smaller, someone larger, someone with 3 holes, etc. The oldest flutes we have were made from wing bones of a Griffon Vulture [1] and a Whooper Swan [2], as well as one from mammoth tusk ivory [3].
Duane Champagne in Social Change and Cultural Continuity Among Native Nations explains that there has never been one definitive world view that comprises any one Native American culture, as there is no such thing as one “Native community” (2007:10). However, there are certain commonalities in the ways of seeing and experiencing the world that many Native communities and their religions seem to share.
Dorothea M. Susag, Roots and Branches: A Resource of Native American Literatures--Themes, Lessons, and Bibliographies (1998).
Interconnectedness is a theme that flows throughout all aspects of Cherokee culture from spirituality to medicine, as they believe everything within the world is related. They believe spiritual energy courses through all components of the universe that influence their daily life and maintaining a balance between these energies is crucial to being in harmony with Mother Nature and living a fulfilling life. Rather than having a dominant species, group or society, all components of the world are considered to be equal and to have a purposeful role (Garrett 2001 pg 1). Given this perspective, the Cherokee believe they can learn about health and medicine from plants, survival tactics from animals, and spirit freedom from birds. Due to this relationship, it is their duty to respect and revere this continuous flow of energy within the universe as they consider themselves to be brought to this earth as the keepers of Mother Nature (Garrett and Garrett 1996).
The Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act established Indian nations as the owners of Native American cultural objects, including human remains, which were found on Federal land. It requires that the American Indians provide substantial amounts of information to validate their claims. However, only federally recognized tribes are recognized under this act, so if you are an unrecognized tribe good luck claiming anything that belongs to you. After this, the existing anthropological literature will be consulted. In some instances, Indians will disagree with the literature and take steps to correct it. Indians are also likely to provide additional information that had not yet been documented. The interpretations will be written from the perspective of the claiming tribe, how they view the world, and their perception of significance of objects in religious ceremonial rites. While some might raise the question of scientific objectivity, no one will deny that this perspective had often been lacking in the literature. These interpretations are bound to bring about new insights which will challenge earlier assumptions (5).
It should also be noted that the Native American reed flutes, rattles, and drums significantly influenced the blending of different beats and rhythms into a single piece of music. Native American drums greatly influenced the variety o...
..., Edward J. Kowrach, and Thomas E. Connolly. Saga of the Coeur D'Alene Indians: an Account of Chief Joseph Seltice. Fairfield, WA: Ye Galleon, 1990. Print.
7. Starr, Emmet. History of the Cherokee Indians and Their Legends and Folk Lore. Baltimore, MD: Genealogical Pub., 2003. Print.
Kugel, Rebecca, and Lucy Eldersveld Murphy. Native women's history in eastern North America before 1900: a guide to research and writing. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2007.
There are many instruments that have been made, played, and altered. One of these instruments would be the clarinet. From experience, this instrument makes a beautiful sound when played. The clarinet has progressed and been evolutionized throughout hundreds of years. Though it has changed many times, many different musicians have mastered the clarinet and made beautiful music. Mastering the clarinet is a difficult task with all of the work put into it and the many different pieces added to it. This piece of art has many interesting details about it.
...te. In old times, most flutes were made of bamboo, which allowed even common people to play it. By covering the holes and blowing through the side hole while moving the fingers flexibly between the six holes, a sound will be produced that is leisurely and mellifluous like sound from far away. This always reminds people of a pastoral picture of a farmer riding on a bull while playing a flute