David, I got it from a genuine Native American, a member of one of the Northwest tribes whom I met at a science fiction convention. Other than a certain ruddiness of complexion, I would not have known his ethnic background if he hadn't mentioned it. He was an anthropologist by profession, a fan of science fiction, and an aspiring writer of science fiction. By the way, he had no objection to being referred to as an "Indian." He was amused by the fact that the sobriquet was probably first given by a European (Columbus) who didn't know when he set out where he was going, when he got there he didn't know where he was, and when he got back, he didn't know where he had been.

Anyway, he said that most chanting, dancing, and drumming is considered part of their tribal spiritual or religious ceremonies and they don't like non-Indians doing it when they don't understand it and it is not within its proper ceremonial context. Nor do they like it to be recorded and played outside of that context.

So, out of respect for Native American culture, non-Native Americans should leave it alone.

Besides, as I said, in addition to being an American and the descendant of Scottish and Swedish immigrants, most of the songs I sing are also immigrants. I sing many English, Irish, Scottish, and Welsh songs and ballads. I also sing many "American" songs, which were brought over by Europeans settling in America and that varied over time and transmission by "the folk process"—along with songs written here by and about mountaineers, miners, loggers, not to mention courting songs, love songs, et al.

Since this is what many of my friends such as Bob "Deckman" Nelson, Nancy Quensé, Stewart Hendrickson, Reggie Miles, Judy Flenniken, and others also sing, this, to me is "indigenous music."

I hear a lot of music on the radio or television (Bon Jovi, The Tragically Hip, Clint Black, The Metropolitan Opera, The Chicago Symphony, P. D. Q. Bach) that, although I may enjoy listening to it, I do not care to perform it myself.

People make their own culture, which, if it's a living culture,, keeps varying all the time. To insist that people conform to arbitrary cultural norms will surely kill a culture.

Don Firth