The Earth's Heartbeat: Native American Music

All plants are our brothers and sisters,
they talk to us and if we listen, we can hear them.
If we wonder often, the gift of knowledge will come.

– Arapaho nation literature[1]

You’ve seen and heard it before: American Indians playing drums and other instruments while vocalizing in a language you don’t understand. At least that’s how Native American music has generally been depicted in films and on television. But unless you happen to have studied and already enjoy the music of indigenous tribes, there’s much to be discovered about this rarely explored area of music.

Indian culture is closely tied to nature, and music has always played a meaningful role in this relationship. Although the earliest examples of Indian music can be found in documents written by European explorers, researchers believe American Indian music dates back many centuries before those documents were written.[2]

There are hundreds of Native American tribes throughout the United States and every tribe has music that reflects its own traditions. Music performances tell stories about a tribe’s heritage, wars, triumphs and defeats, are essential for ceremonies and celebrations, and employed for specific purposes like asking for rain or a successful hunt.[3] From invoking spirits and speaking to the dead, from singing prayers and songs to curing the sick, traditional Indian music is an integral part of people’s daily lives and  includes some of the most haunting songs and instrumentals you’re likely to hear.

The most important instrument used in Indian culture is the human voice. Solos, duos and group singing are common but unlike most European music, early American Indian music generally doesn’t include vocal harmonies and can often sound “out of tune.”[4]  For example, when people sing together they may perform on pitch (blended unison) or without trying to sing exactly together (unblended unison). The Inuits use throat singing which produces a wailing sound by tightening and loosening the muscles in the throat, and may emphasize vibrato (a rapid, slight variation in pitch) as part of the aesthetic. When several tribes meet to share each others’ music, vocables (words that don’t have meanings) are often substituted for actual words so everyone can sing the songs performed by other tribes.[5] Adding unconventional rhythms and accompanying them with irregular drum beats results in music that can sound unusual and complex.

Even though vocal harmonies may not be present, Indians do create harmonies by merging instruments built from materials found in nature. The three most significant types of instruments used by almost all of the tribes are drums, flutes, and rattles.

Drums are the oldest instruments on earth and the ones most important to Native Americans. Drums are thought to speak to the player: The vibrations help the player tune into the natural frequency of the earth and bring balance and renewal to the drummer. Numerous oral traditions refer to drumbeats as the earth’s heartbeat (the spirit of life) and rapid drumming can signal the manifestation of a spirit presence.

The drums are usually made using hollowed logs or wooden frames with animal skin stretched across the opening. Some small drums are hand held, single-sided drums on a frame; other small drums like water drums are created by stretching a moist, tanned hide over a wooden vessel or gourd filled with water. Extremely large drums are built so many men and women can play the instrument simultaneously when Indian nations come together to share songs and dances. The process of creating and playing a drum combines earth, air, water, and fire — all of the earth’s elements each with its own sound — resulting in an instrument that represents the circle of life.[6] Because of their significance, small Native American drums often become treasured family heirlooms: They stay with the family for generations and are played during family gatherings.

The Native American flute is believed to be the third oldest known musical instrument in the world. Created after drums and rattles, bone flutes date back over 60,000 years. Originally played for personal reasons like meditation and healing, one of its uses was for finding a mate. A common Dakota legend about the creation of the wood flute tells the story of a young man who wanted to attract the attention of a maiden:

“A very long time ago there was a young man who was very interested in a beautiful young girl. He was always trying to get her attention, but she never seemed to notice him. Whenever she was present he would ride his horse proudly, but nothing he did seemed to attract her. One day when the girls were down by the river getting water, the young man went down to the river and began diving off rocks and swimming across the river, to show her how skilled he was, but again she paid him no mind.

Dejected, the young man walked into the nearby old growth forest and sat down at the base of a long dead cedar tree. As he sat there thinking about this girl, a woodpecker landed on a hollowed limb that was over his head… the limb had been hollowed over time from the wind and weather. The woodpecker began to peck holes….tap, tap, tap……… along the length of this hollowed limb…….. tap. tap, tap…….as the woodpecker pecked, the limb broke off and fell next to the young man…[and] as the wind blew over this hollow limb with the holes in it, he heard musical voices coming from it. He picked it up and found that when he blew into this limb and covered the holes, he could make beautiful, mournful music to match the feelings in his heart. He sat there for a time making up haunting melodies.

The young girl heard this music coming from the old growth forest, and it was such a soulful sound that it captured her heart. She followed the sound of music into the woods, where she saw him sitting there at the base of this cedar tree playing this first flute that was given to him by the woodpecker, and as she listened she fell in love with his music and fell in love with him. They went off hand in hand to live happily ever after.”[7]