#indigenous music

[thenuclearmallard]

Whale hunt dance in Chukotka

[fadinglake]

I take everything back. This is the only thing that is REAL punk:

(Bandcamp link)

[lesbiansandgayssupporttheminers]

Ummet Ozcan X Otyken Altay (Official Music Video)

Have I shared this before?

Absolute banger. All the vibes.

[meliissa-art]

"Hedie" is a traditional Even song. But traditional songs can be remixed too <3

[luulapants]

I just remembered this AMAZING uquiz I made a while ago and people should go take it.

[frauncestavern]

FAKE indie lofi folk fans: teehee i love indie bands like neutral milk hotel and the mountain goats i will now post about them to my many online followers

REAL indie lofi folk fans: will someone else besides me please please please  listen to this incredible 1964 recording of a young girl in the mountains of Peru singing about marriage in the Quechuan language 

[patrocles]

MATO WAYUHI → fall out boy

[cock-holliday]

Some 20-odd years ago I got introduced to the Indigenous musical group Runa Pacha. They would perform at a fall festival a few towns over and sell pan flutes, jewelry, clothes, and my family's go-to: CDs. Their website is still functional if you want to buy their stuff,:

Runa Arts world of Indigenous Arts and Crafts is an authentic Native owned and operated gift shop. We are proud to offer the finest quality Native American Indian handcrafted sterling silver-turquoise jewelry, fine stitch beadwork, colorful textiles, cultural-historical books, and traditional/contemporary Native American music.

Their facebook has been updated as of Dec 2023, and they are on last.fm

One of my faves of their songs:

[bubblegrungeprincess]

Native Americans are still victims of constant violence. They are deprived of water, food, housing, and medical care by the US government. Their women and children are kidnapped, sexually assaulted, and murdered at bewildering rates, all virtually ignored by law enforcement. Remember and support them on this day and every day.

[themostfinalofpams]

Looking for fellow Native music enthusiasts to play a Native American Heritage Month Marathon on Stationhead November 10th - 11th! I want to play music by and highlight amazing Indigenous artists in November and give other Native folks the opportunity to do so as part of this event as well. I will continue to feature Indigenous musicians in my Stationhead streams all month long, but also wanted to do something fun in collaboration with other Indigenous folks to celebrate Indigenous music!

[thenuclearmallard]

Native Siberian music

[ethn11winter24]

The Power of Native American Protest Music

By Ithzy Lopez-Casiano

Native Americans have been the targets of genocide and hatred since the foundation of the United States of America. Music has always been an outlet for expression in every culture. What better way to combine the two and create music with a purpose- a purpose to speak up, fight back, and inspire. Protest music started gaining popularity around the late 1960s and 1970s. Some recognizable artists who made career-changing hits with their protest music are Bob Dylan, Creedence Clearwater Revival, and John Lennon. However, this post is not about any of these artists or their causes. Instead, this space is dedicated to focusing on the remarkable works of Indigenous musicians only and the impacts they continue to have on Indigenous issues. 

A Little Bit of History... 

The United States was founded upon corruption and the genocide of Indigenous peoples; therefore, there is systemic wrongdoing by the American government today. Protest songs emerge as a response to the need to protest. Since the rise in popularity of protest music in the mid-1960s, numerous reasons fueled this need for dissent. Indigenous history since the colonization has, unfortunately, been full of rage and tears, from events like Wounded Knee to the Red Power Movement to current environmental activism. Indigenous artists have found ways to express their anger towards American government and injustice. Here are some key events that inspired artists to speak up: 

"The Rock" occupation-- The occupation of Alcatraz Island on November 4th, 1969, sparked the Red Power Movement, although it wasn't simply the sole cause of the entire movement. The 18-month occupation of "the Rock" was led by Bay Area Native American students and community members. The purpose  was to draw attention to the promises the Johnson administration had neglected to fulfill. "The Proclamation of the Indians of All Tribes", proposed treaty stating,"We will purchase said Alcatraz Island for twenty-four dollars ($24) in glass beads and red cloth, a precedent sent by the white man's purchase of a similar island about 300 years ago." (The Alcatraz Proclamation: Annotated). The government ended the occupation by cutting electricity and basic resources to the island, forcing everyone to leave. 

Environmental Justice Efforts-- Indigenous peoples are constant battles for the protection and preservation of their ancestral burial grounds and land resources. In 1990, Congress passed the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act. Native Americans across the country advocate for the restoration of land and water resources, like the Kumeyaay tribe and Tohono O'odham tribe protesting against the boarder wall's impact on wildlife habitats, or the Standing Rock Sioux tribe protesting against the Dakota Access Pipeline.

Indigenous Musicians and Their Work 

Let's delve into the heart of the matter. Who are Native American artists that make protest music and what does it sound like? I have created a Spotify playlist with some of the artists I've discovered and you can listen to it HERE. 

As mentioned earlier, Native American issues have persisted for a long time, so the music varies in dates depending on the most relevant issues of the era. Here are some of the top impactful musicians that I have compiled:  

In 1962 Peter LeFarge wrote "The Ballad of Ira Hayes," he was one of the first musicians that wrote music about Indigenous issues. This song recounts the story of Ira Hayes who was a Native American and Pima Marine who served in World War II. He was one of the six men in the iconic photograph who stood the American flag up in Iwo Jima. Despite being recognized as a war hero, Hayes faced discrimination and injustice upon returning home.

In 1969 the Native American rock and funk band Redbone was founded. Redbone became popular for their performances and music that heavily reflected their culture and traditions. Known for their top hit "Come And Get Your Love," they also produced their powerful protest song "We Were All Wounded at Wounded Knee" bringing awareness to the tragic 1890 massacre which killed about 300 people of the Lakota tribe.  

Jimi Hendrix, of Cherokee and African descent, continues to be one of the most influential and iconic musicians of all time. He was well known for being antiwar and preforming live extended guitar riffs of his songs as political statements. His most notable antiwar songs include "Machine Gun" and his cover of "Star Spangled Banner" preformed at Woodstock in 1970. 

Buffy Sainte-Marie is widely recognized for her protest music in the 1960s within the folk rock genre. She has been a dedicated activist for Indigenous rights and cultural preservation. Her activism extended to issues like Native American education and the treatment of Indigenous peoples. Some of her most impactful songs are "Universal Soldier" and "Now That The Buffalo's Gone." 

Aztlan Underground, founded  in 1989, gained traction with their 1995 album Decolonize, addressing social justice issues for Native Americans and indigenous Mexican-Americans. I personally love this album a lot because their sound is classic 90s hip hop and rock. 

In more recent times, Raye Zaragoza has been releasing music centered around Native American issues. Her popular song "In The River" (2016) raises awareness of the Dakota Access Pipeline issue and its dangerous effects on the Standing Rock Sioux reservation's water supply. 

The Importance of Protest Music 

Buffy Sainte-Marie wrote an article titled "The Power of Protest Songs"(2013). She explains the importance of protest music and why it can be more significant and effective than any other written protest work. 

"My 1963 song “Universal Soldier” impacted thousands of soldiers, students and families during the Vietnam war. It made a difference to the lives of people who are still thanking me 50 years later. On the other hand, along with “Now That the Buffalo’s Gone” and other Native American issue songs, it got me blacklisted by two political administrations and effectively silenced my voice in the United States, just when Native peoples most needed to be heard" (Sainte-Marie par 3).  

What Sainte-Marie experienced reflects a pattern of history where artists who engage in activism, especially on controversial or challenging topics, may face backlash from authorities or institutions. Sainte-Marie's experience highlights the complex relationship between art, activism, and political repercussions. Despite the challenges, her enduring impact on those who were influenced by her music demonstrates the lasting power of art to inspire and provoke thought.  

Sainte-Marie's philosophy on protest music is that it must contribute to a movement to help verbalize the raw emotions of the cause. Protest music is supposed to inspire others to act and fight!  

According to Sainte-Marie, the ingredients to a good protest song are as follows: "brief, well-focused and catchy for the short attention spans of ordinary people" (Sainte-Marie, par 7). She describes protest songs as good journalism because they describe the moment in time they are written in, why emotions are so strong, and why the issue is important enough to be listened to.  

Protest Music Is... 

Native American protest music is a vital form of artistic and cultural expression that plays a significant role in advocacy, Indigenous empowerment, and strengthening social justice efforts. Yes, Native peoples have deep rooted traumas associated with the colonization of their land, but their musical resistance is a clear demonstration of healing and empowerment. I strongly encourage you to go and discover young artists singing about issues happening today, many of them are quite catchy! 

Works Cited:

"AIM song." YouTube, uploaded by Aligtr8, https://youtu.be/RbORbJBEhBg. Accessed 10 January 2024. 

CBC Music. "A Brief Evolution of Indigenous Protest Music." CBC, 19 March 2019, https://www.cbc.ca/music/read/a-brief-evolution-of-indigenous-protest-music-1.5062369. Accessed 10 January 2024. 

CBC Music. "Singing in the Face of Colonial Danger: Music’s Place in Indigenous Resistance." CBC, 5 July 2023, https://www.cbc.ca/music/singing-in-the-face-of-colonial-danger-music-s-place-in-indigenous-resistance-1.6504559. Accessed 13 January 2024. 

"Disaster at Wounded Knee." Library of Congress Classroom Mater. Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/classroom-materials/immigration/native-american/disaster-at-wounded-knee/. Accessed 13 January 2024. 

Howard University School of Law Library. "Indigenous Self-Determination." Civil Rights and the Law, Howard University, https://library.law.howard.edu/civilrightshistory/indigenous/selfdetermination. Accessed 13 January 2024. 

Sainte-Marie, Buffy. Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian. "The Power of Protest Songs." American Indian Magazine, https://www.americanindianmagazine.org/story/power-protest-songs. Accessed 10 January 2024. 

The New Inquiry. "The Alcatraz Proclamation: Annotated." The New Inquiry, https://thenewinquiry.com/the-alcatraz-proclamation-annotated/. Accessed 17 January 2024.

[ariel-seagull-wings]

@themousefromfantasyland @gravedangerahead @professorlehnsherr-almashy @sabugabr @faintingheroine @adarkrainbow @the-blue-fairie

MAWACA is a performing Brazilian group that is also known for the interesting research of the music from all over the world.

The repertoire consists of new versions of songs from different traditions, always establishing connections with Brazilian music elements.

MAWACA reveals the alchemical element responsible for that which makes an archaic song attractive to contemporary ears.

KOI TXANGARÉ is a war song that was part of an anthropofagic ritual among indigenous peoples of the state of Rondônia (North of Brazil), appearing in a myth from the Suruí people where their women were kidnapped by an enemy group and, in their escape trough the woods, walked with their feet turned backwards, tricking the man who hunted them.