There is an old ancient Haida saying that is, “A great chief dies poor”. The Northwest coast region takes a great pride in the act of giving. The value of generosity was measured by how many gifts are given. It is used to measure wealth in their region. When a certain host or leader wanted to bring all of the people together they would call for a potlatch. A potlatch traditionally takes months of preparation in preparing gifts for the invited guests, housing, food, as well as theatrical entertainments and the rehearsal of great stories. Before I get into some of the more interesting aspects and experiences of a potlatch tradition I want to give a brief history of the coastal people that still use this dignity system today.
The Northwest coast Indian people inhabited a narrow belt of Pacific coastland and offshore islands from the southern boarder of Alaska to northwestern California. This specific region had extremely lush and full vegetation with vast amounts of waterways. “The region contained more than forty different languages that belong to very different linguistic families that include the Athapaskan, Azteco-Tanoan, salishan, Wakashan and Penutian and a linguistic isolate, the Haida peoples” (Giacona, Peck 2013). The potlatch was seen as a system of economic, political and social exchange, it essentially served as a banking system that distributed goods within the community and built strong lasting relationships with its neighboring people. The greatly enjoyed abundance of resources in this region allowed for people to settle in villages that consisted of large rectangular wooden long houses. These houses would hold several families with some being matrilineal or patrilineal decent. The recognition of cultural ownership ...
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...d ancient Haida indian should begin to make sense now, “A great chief dies poor”. The northwestern coastal people started a great tradition of giving and expanding relationships among different people. I believe that the potlatch is a great tool in society and I would be thrilled to attend one in the near future. The potlatch tradition possesses strong moral characteristics and giving, which are both things that this world we live in could use a little more of!
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Taking a deeper look at the meaning behind food through the eyes of traditional societies reveals nothing more than absolute complexity. Sam Gill, in Native American Religions, indisputably shows the complexity through detailed performances and explanations of sacred ceremonies held among numerous traditional societies. Ultimately, Gill explains that these societies handle their food (that gives them life), the source in which the good is obtained, and the way they go about getting their food are done in extreme symbolic manners that reflect their cosmology, religious beliefs, actions, and respect for ancestors/spirits that live among them. All of which are complexly intertwined. These aspects are demonstrated through the hunting traditions of the Alaskan Eskimo and the agricultural traditions of the Creek.
Rituals are held as a very important part of any society, including ours. They go back to ancient times or can be as simple as maintaining one’s hygiene. Non-western societies have rituals that may seem very foreign to us, but they have been engrained in their communities and are essential to their social structure. This interpretation will focus on the Great Pilgrimage, a ritual performed by Quechuan communities. We will be looking specifically at a community in the area of Sonqo.
Since these traditions have become apparent through centuries they are customary and have a tendency to lack individualism, as the group among which a person lives is seen as more important over the individual. In many parts of the world today, you can examine such cultures and see the ways that individuals offer themselves to family and community life.
This paper addresses the results of interviews, observations, and research of life in the Ottawa tribe, how they see themselves and others in society and in the tribe. I mainly focused on The Little River Band of Ottawa Indian tribe. I researched their languages, pecking order, and interviewed to discover the rituals, and traditions that they believe in. In this essay I revealed how they see themselves in society. How they see other people, how they see each other, what their values were, what a typical day was etc. I initially suspected that I would have got different responses from these questions but in reality the results in the questions were almost completely the same. I studied this topic because mostly all the people that are close to me are associated in the Ottawa tribe. I additionally love the Native American culture, I feel it is beautiful and has a free concept.
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].
Native American music has many different musical styles. Within every Native American tribe there is a variety of musical styles and instruments. In response to the research that I have conducted, there are three main musical styles that are going to be my point of focus. The Sioux Grass Dance, the Zuni Lullaby, and the Iroquois Quiver Dance are the principal methods which contribute to Native American music.
Appalachian Music Appalachee - people on the other side Folk music - What is folk music? Traditional songs existing in countries. Handed down through generations. Passes on by word of mouth, not written in musical notation. Don't know who wrote it. Melody and lyrics change as they are passed on.
Burkholder, J. Peter, Donald Jay Grout, and Claude V. Palisca. A history of western music. 8th ed. New York: W. W. Norton, 2010. Print.
Bentley, Jerry H., and Herbert F. Ziegler. Traditions & Encounters: A Global Perspective on the past. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2011. Print.
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...
A small archipelago off the northwest coast of Britsh Columbia is known as the “islands of the people.” This island is diverse in both land and sea environment. From the 1700’s when the first ship sailed off its coast and a captain logged about the existence, slow attentiveness was given to the island. Its abundance, in both natural resources physical environment, and its allure in the concealed Haida peoples, beckoned settlers to come to the island. Settlers would spark an era of prosperity and catastrophe for the native and environmental populations.
In traditional Pomo Society, decorated baskets were produced for life events literally from the cradle to the grave. Using individual development over time as your framework, identify some of the occasions for making and giving these baskets across the life cycle. Include both common uses and uses more specific to chiefs and leaders.
Breckenridge, Stan L. (2003). "The 'Path African American music for everyone. Second Edition. Iowa: Kendall-Hunt Publications, Inc. Enotes.
Powell, A. (2007). The Music of African Americans and its Impact on the American Culture in the 1960’s and the 1970’s. Miller African Centered Academy, 1. Retrieved from http://www.chatham.edu/pti/curriculum/units/2007/Powell.pdf
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