Native American Music

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Native American Music Native American music is a genre that present day Americans are subconsciously familiar with, as it has been woven into everyday life. However, this music is extremely versatile and has deep roots in the different cultures of the many tribes that once roamed the entire continent of North America. The people of these tribes used music for spiritual, personal, ritual, and celebration purposes, and depending on the intention, different instruments and composition techniques were used. These different types of music blend together to form a cultural experience and helps look into the lives of the Native Americans of the past. Just like with stories of the past, the music of Native Americans was passed down by word of mouth, or by teaching an apprentice how to play an instrument. Whether it was the beats of a drum, the notes of a flute, or the singing of a song, the elders of a tribe would teach their successors how to replicate the music just as they had been taught years before. Along with the actual performance of the music, the physical construction of the instruments was passed down from generation to generation (Williams). Some of the instruments of the Native Americans required advanced craftsmanship, for example the turtle shell rattle, which different tribes created differently based on whatever raw materials were abundant in their territories. Rattles are important to the Native American culture because they are a sign of independence and utilize the “three kingdoms”: the animal kingdom for the material used to create the container, the mineral kingdom for the paints or sound and the plant kingdom for the wooden handle of the rattle. The Native Americans realized the power of the music being able to attract spiritual energy through the trance-like state brought on by the music. It was often believed that chants accompanied by

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