Native Sounds

The Spirit of America: Native Voices from North America & The Caribbean

nativesounds — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 20:53:46 +0000

This week’s show focused on traditional music that hits a little closer to home, indigenous music of North America & The Caribbean. The popular perception of Native American music often involves rain dances and various spirit rituals. However, Native American music is utilized for many different purposes, and both the function and style of music vary greatly based on the particular region of the continent. Below is a picture of a member of the Navajo tribe in ceremonial dress.

(Picture courtesy of http://www.firstpeople.us)

Also, highlighted in this show is the transplantation of traditional African music to the Caribbean. One aspect I mention in this show, is an inability to find traditional music of native Caribbean islanders. This could either be because of the assimilation of these people into early settlers and slaves or a large dying off of these people due to disease and conquest. However, traditional African music does still exist in the Caribbean to a large extent and is an interesting part of the music culture.

The show is located at the bottom of your screen. Apologies for the overlap with the previous show, just skip the first few minutes. Here is the playlist for the show. If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions regarding the show. Email me at nativesounds@wuog.org

African Safari: Trekking through Central and South Africa

nativesounds — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 21:15:20 +0000

Finally, I have gotten around to uploading the second installment of Native Sounds, apologies for the delay. The second week’s theme was Central and South Africa, a theme I chose for the shared history and overlapping nature of the two areas. When people often think of Traditional African music and culture, I think these regions are the ones that come to mind, full of hunter-gatherer groups that utilize music in both ritual and everyday life. A lot of this music is chant type music. However, various traditional instruments and drumming is also featured.

This picture is of a clan of the Babenzele pygmies, a group residing in the forests of Northern Congo. Like many ethnic groups in the region, the Babenzele find many of their traditions being rapidly lost to modernization and increased development in adjacent regions. Here is the playlist for the show. And down at the bottom is the actual recording. If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions for the show, email me at nativesounds@wuog.org

The Traditional Sounds of S.E. Asia

nativesounds — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 22:25:46 +0000

On the first Native Sounds, we explored the traditional indigenous music of Southeast Asia. If you are wondering what exactly defines the region of Southeast Asia, here is a handy map.

For the sake of this show, I considered everything below China and east of Burma on this map to be Southeast Asia. The musical traditions of Southeast Asia are very strong and still very alive, especially in places like the island nation of Papua New Guinea where many ethnic groups have had minimal contact with outsiders.

This weeks show highlights the very different styles of this region, from the highlands of Cambodia to the rainforests of Indonesia. Here is the full playlist: Native Sounds 1-9-10

And here is the show. If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions, email me at nativesounds@wuog.org.