User:Lrli/Indigenous music of North America

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Indigenous music of North America, which includes American Indian music or Native American music, is the music that is used, created or performed by Indigenous peoples of North America, including Native Americans in the United States and Aboriginal peoples in Canada, Indigenous peoples of Mexico, and other North American countries—especially traditional tribal music, such as Pueblo music and Inuit music. In addition to the traditional music of the Native American groups, there now exist pan-Indianism and intertribal genres as well as distinct Native American subgenres of popular music including: rock, blues, hip hop, classical, film music, and reggae, as well as unique popular styles like chicken scratch and New Mexico music.

Music areas[edit]

Caribbean[edit]

Many styles of music existed amongst the indigenous people of the Caribbean islands, and the Taíno are a noteworthy example. In terms of vocals, Taíno songs typically took strophic form, where lyrics change over a constant melody for each verse. Additionally, when singing in large groups, Taíno songs often involved one vocal soloist and an entire indigenous choir singing melodic lines back and forth in a form of call and response. Additionally, like most indigenous music of North America, Taíno songs were based around the 5-pitch, pentatonic scale.

As for Taíno instrumentation, both the guiro and maracas were believed to have originated from the Taíno in modern-day Puerto Rico. The guiro is a percussion instrument made by carving shells of certain fruits and leaving parallel notch marks on the surface. It is typically played with an accompanying stick or wire fork called pua. By rubbing the pua on the carved shell, a ratchety and rasping sound is elicited and like most percussive instruments, the purpose of the guiro is providing a feeling of beat to the music. Maracas are another percussive instrument. They are made from the edible figs of the Higuera tree, which cannot be too big nor small. Once the pulp is removed from the fruit. pebbles are added to the inside of the fruit shell through two holes bored into its surface. A handle is then added to finish the crafting of the instrument. Maracas are played by shaking the tiny pebble-containing fruit husks with the handles. Another instrument includes the Fotuto, which was made via the seashells of marine species such as Charonia variegata, a species of sea snail. Indigenous Taíno blew through the small orifices located on the shells, which produced certain bass tones. Fotuto not only had its uses in musical festivities, but also acted as an effective tool for alerting Taíno fisherman of bad weather.

A prominent aspect of Taíno music is that of Areitos. Described by Spanish conquistadors as musical events ranging from rituals, celebrations, work songs, funeral observances, and drunken parties, Areito may have simply meant "group" or "activity" in the native Taíno language. Ultimately, Areitos became more than socioreligious musical events. As Spanish colonists began exploiting the Taíno and imposing Spanish culture, Areitos became a symbol of indigenous defiance and resistance. Reports exist of a Taíno female chief named Anacona, who ruled Xaragua (modern day Port-au-Prince) and led native revolts after the death of her brother at the hands of Spanish colonists. She also held Areito performances with many of her serving maidens which included songs that described the cruelty and malice of the Spanish colonists in their treatment of the Taíno as well as the blissfulness of life before the Spanish made first contact with the natives. In fact,19th century Cuban Composer Antonio Bachiller y Morales's "poem-song" is dedicated to Anacona and her heroic story. Areito dances varied widely in style with typical performances including line dances, dances that did not move more than one or two steps in either direction, and call-response styles akin to country dancing.

Northeastern Mexico[edit]

A primary style of indigenous music in Northeastern Mexico is that of the Huastec/Huaxtec indigenous group (otherwise known as Huapango style). Instruments that are emblematic of Huapango style include three-holed flutes made from sugar cane wood, small ocarinas (known as Kokowilotl), bronze bells, and a wide array of percussion instruments such as turtle shells and slit-drums known as nukup or teponaxtli.

All instruments listed above have origins that predate the arrival of any settler colonialists or foreign presence in modern-day Mexico. Many of the instruments are deeply entrenched with Huastec beliefs and culture. For example, when making a teponaxtli, Huastec belief dictates that the maker must craft the drum beside the roots of the tree that the drum's wood originated from. Additionally, the crafter must make offerings to the drum, leaving food, drinks, candles, and prayers to ensure that it maintains a good sound.

Eventually, with the arrival of Spanish colonialists and African slaves into Huastec territory, Huapango style evolved into what is known as Son Huasteco, a style more indicative of the original indigenous music infused with Spanish and African influences. With Spanish influence came the introduction of new instruments such as the Jarana (a smaller five-stringed guitar), Huapanguera (an eight-stringed baroque guitar), and the violin. In fact, the Son Huasteco style of violin playing is notably unique in comparison to other modern-day styles in Mexico. Songs are most often written with a 6/8 time signature (which some attribute to West-African influences), and the violinist (along with a Jarana and Huapanguera player to form a trio) has flexibility in manipulating the tempo, slowing and speeding the music as they see fit, which is very akin to a tempo rubato, although to a slightly larger degree. in fact one could say that Son Huasteco is rather improvisatory, both in speed and pitch.

Son Huasteco music frequently involves singing too. Songs are often about natural environment, elements of daily life, strong emotions, and stories. The singer will typically sing poetic verses in a strophic or verse-repeating form. Then, the singer may give the spotlight to the musicians, where a violin or Jarana may improvise for a verse or two. Then, the singer will continue singing their verses again in an A-B-A format. In some songs, the singer and instrumentalists may continue taking turns being the focus of the music, switching places until the song ends.

Most Son Huasteco music typically has a secular basis. However, there does exist indigeous styles of music in Mexico more centered around ritualistic and religious purposes. These styles are known as Son Costumbre or perhaps more simply, Son Indígena. This branch of Huastec music only involves music and dance as opposed to the key feature of singing in most Son Huasteco styles. One instance where Son Costumbre is used for rituals is for corn harvesting, an essential food sources for the Huastec region. Sets of Canarios, or small pieces, are played during important ceremonies such as weddings to pray to the gods for a successful corn harvest. These rituals are known as Tlamanes. Interestingly, the Harp is regarded in a particularly sacred position by Huastec culture, to the point where Harp music can only be played for religious ceremonies. For example, harps like the kuarsono (a 22 or 24-stringed harp) were played to pray to the gods for rain when water was scarce or for Day of the Dead celebrations (which are known as Xantolo).

References

Vázquez Córdoba, H. M. (2021). Building appreciation for Indigenous cultures in Mexico via music education (Doctoral dissertation).

Parthun, P. (1976). Tribal Music in North America. Music Educators Journal, 62(5), 32-45.

Herrera, Jorge A. (2021, January 19). The Huastecan Violin Style of Northwestern Mexico. Center for World Music. https://centerforworldmusic.org/2021/01/instrument-huastecan-violin/

Muñoz, K. A. C. (2013). Huapangueros reclaiming son huasteco in trans-local festivals: youth, women and nahua musicians (Doctoral dissertation).

Stevenson, R. M. (2021). MUSIC IN AZTEC AND INCA TERRITORY. Univ of California Press.

PBS. “Areito,” n.d. https://www.pbs.org/buenavista/music/a_areito.html.

Maestri, Nicoletta. “Areitos: Ancient Caribbean Taíno Dancing and Singing Ceremonies.” ThoughtCo (blog), n.d. https://www.thoughtco.com/areitos-ceremony-169589.

Taíno Museum. “Fotuto Shell Musical Instrument,” n.d. https://tainomuseum.org/portfolio-view/fotuto-shell-musical-instrument/.

Christoforo-Mitchell, Rose. “The Heritage and Culture of Puerto Ricans.” Curricular Resources, The Family in Art and Material Culture, 2 (n.d.). https://teachersinstitute.yale.edu/curriculum/units/1991/2/91.02.06/16.