Cool Stuff: Native American Culture

Native Americans are people who appreciate life and community. They express this with their music and their clothing. After learning a little bit about Native American music, I knew that I had to learn more about their unique culture. A few of the things that interested me were drums, dancing and their clothing.

Drums

Drums are the heartbeat of Mother Nature that brings Native tribes together. Native Americans use drums during ceremonies to connect their people from the physical world to the spirit world. Drums bring balance to the Native's lives, and the circle shape represents the circle of life. There are many different types of drums, and they all make different sounds. Many Native American drums are made from animal hides and wood. Natives believe that animal hides give drums a unique spirit from the animal they hunted. They are usually big, between 2-3 feet, and have more than one drummer striking during ceremonies. One ceremony Native take apart in is Round Dancing.

Round Dancing

Dancing is an essential part of Native American culture. The Round Dance is a dance of community and connection to Mother Nature. It is a dance that takes place during ceremonies and social events for celebration, healing, and acknowledgment. The Cree tribe, the tribe that is known for this dance, usually hold the dance celebration during the winter months at night. It starts at night at around eight o'clock to after midnight. The dance participants dance in a circle while holding hands with other participants with the drummers in the center.  While the dancers are dancing, the drummers are striking the drums in unison and singing. The video below gives more information about round dancing and how to do it.

Regalia

If you ever go to a Pow Wow, you will see many people dressed in bright colors, feathers, and face paint. These "costumes" are Regalia. Regalia is a form of self-expression that Natives create to express themselves and feel connected to their ancestors. It is a bridge between modern-day and ancestral wear that reflects their personality. Native Americans make their Regalia out of valuable things like family heirlooms or simple materials like T-Shirts and cheap moccasins. Regalia wore by dance participants have to make sure that none of the pieces of their outfits fall off because they have to have a spiritual cleansing to make sure their dance is not imbalanced.

Sources:

http://native-dance.ca/en/renewal/cree-round-dances/

https://www.sktcorp.com/round-dancing-a-tribal-tradition-at-powwows/

https://prairieedge.com/tribe-scribe/pow-wow-regalia/

https://folklife.si.edu/online-exhibitions/american-indian-powwows/regalia/smithsonian#:~:text=Powwow%20regalia%20is%20a%20powerful,%2C%20interests%2C%20and%20family%20background.

https://drummingreview.com/native-american-drums/

http://aktalakota.stjo.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=8913#:~:text=Just%20like%20many%20things%20in,it%20to%20play%20and%20sing.

My Musical Culture

Hello everyone! My name is Bayley and music is very influential in my life. I started my musical journey when I started to sing in my church's youth choir. I went on to play the piano in the fourth grade and stopped in the seventh grade. Before I stopped playing the piano, I started playing the violin in the sixth grade and continued through high school.

Music has a special connection with me. It calms me down when I'm stressed out or nervous and gives me a boost in energy when I'm feeling tired. I like to listen to different genres and artists like Trey Songz, WizKid, and Natti Natasha. One artist who really means a lot to me is Beyonce. Her music style ranges between fast and fun to slow and sad. "Schoolin' Life" is a song that helps me whenever I have a big decision to make. As an indecisive person, I have trouble making decisions whether they are big or small. Sometimes, I make decisions on what others want me to do, but this song reminds me that I need to choose what is best for me.

During the quarantine, I discovered new artists and songs I forgot existed. One song that I had on repeat every day was "Valorie" by Mark Ronson ft. Amy Winehouse. I rediscovered this song when it was on a commercial for the Amazon Echo Show. I created many playlists during the quarantine and that song was on most of them. It reminded me of how much I missed my friends because Amy was wondering about how one of her old friends was doing.

One artist who I do not really like is Ellie Goulding. I can see why people like her because her songs sound like the perfect summer songs, but I do not like her voice. I do like some of her songs like "Love Me Like You Do" because I can relate to the lyrics. Her other songs are songs that I would not listen to in my free time.