Music in the Americas
As I have been learning about the amazing Native American culture I have been very interested into the costumes they wear for singing and dancing. They all are so colorful, elaborate, & jaw dropping. I have noticed though, the costumes the men wear are always more elaborate than the women’s and children’s. Yet while the men have more of a show case, the women tend to have brighter neon colors.
As I researched simply, “Why do the men have more elaborate costumes than women in Native American culture” it brought me across this website linked below . After reading this, it lead me away from thinking of it being separated by genders, but that their costumes always symbolize something. For example, the women’s costume distinct which tribe they are from.
The men’s fancy war dance costume originates from the Wild West. It is more elaborate because the use of it was to be used as a distraction and to be eye catching. They would use this to get the attention of train loads of European’s that had come to observe what was left of the “wild frontier.”
In studying Native American music, the drum seems to be one of the most prominent instruments. It is almost played in every piece of music I have heard this far. I looked into why this is such a respected instrument in this culture and was lead to this video titled “The Native American Drum: Into the Circle.”
Young Native Americans remember being told “take care of this drum, and it will take care of you.” The circle signifies how life is never ending. They play the drum intuitively and use it as a way of worship and healing.
Another culture we have studied is the Andeans. A lot of their music was influenced by the Spanish. The Spanish invaders brought stringed instruments such as the violin, guitar, harps, etc. Andean musicians took this and evolved it in many different directions.
One particular instrument is the charango. This instrument peaked my interest because how it was made, by armadillos! The front of the 5 string instrument looks normal until the back! The resonating part of the instrument is a shell of an animal.
This website goes more in depth here: https://worldmusiccentral.org/2016/11/22/the-charango-a-peculiar-instrument/
I find it very memorizing how creative people can be. Using the surroundings that you have to create an instrument is amazing. It is spectacular that music can really be made by anything. I love seeing how people from all over the world make music their own.
Kaylyn, I enjoyed reading your blog! I was also curious about the significance of the NA regalia. I think the pride that each person has for their indigenous culture is beautiful. To know where you come from and to proudly represent that place through your outward appearance speaks volumes about the importance of community and family within these nations. Great post!
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Hey girl! I really enjoyed reading your blog! It was interesting to discover that the men's dance costumes originated from the Wild West. I also learned that the men's dance costumes are more elaborate because it was utilized as a distraction.
ReplyDeleteI love what you said about the drum and how important it is with healing and in the core of the culture, Kaylyn. I love how the drum is a symbol of life for them, representing a heartbeat and being a circle shape to show how life goes on in a circle.
ReplyDeleteHi Kaylyn! I loved your blog! One thing I love about doing these blog comments is that I can learn about things that I, too, am curious about but I don't have to do any of the research! I was incredibly curious about the regalia, so thank you for sharing. It's very interesting that the garb was originally created to be, essentially, a tourist attraction. You write about the drum and why it's important to Native Americans, saying that the shape of the drum is symbolic of life everlasting. I think that is an incredible way to look at life, and it makes me wish I wasn't raised Catholic! I also wrote about the Charango because it is just so bizarre that it is traditionally constructed from the shell of an armadillo.
ReplyDeleteKaylyn, your blog was really interesting to read and I learned a lot from it! I also researched the drum and it is so fascinating. I love that it represents life and the core of the Native American music. I also loved how you informed your audience of the different instruments in the Andean culture. Thank you for this awesome blog!
ReplyDeleteHi Kaylyn, I also found that throughout the past week have been very interested in the attire for Native American dancing and what might their origins be. I found it interesting how mens costumes were meant to be so fashy as to act as a distraction- I had no idea! I also found it interesting that the women's were colored by their designated tribes, following the idea that they were mostly matrilineal.
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