American Indian Folk Music Influences

Subject: American Indian Folk Music Influences
From: Amos
Date: 06 Dec 10 - 11:03 PM

A friend wrote saying he was interested in the syncretic musical history of Indian music influencing American folk music. I dug up a few web pages but they were kind of sketchy.

Has anyone done or read any studies about actual intersections between early American whites and American Indian music? Tere is no question that there was a lot of interaction, itermarriage, and exchange between the 1600's and the 1900's but I'd be curious to know if anyone has documented the musical aspects of the exchange.

Amos

Here's one discussion, but it's kinda vague.

Subject: RE: American Indian Folk Music Influences
From: Amos
Date: 06 Dec 10 - 11:09 PM

American Indian influence on early blues discussed inconclusively here.

A

Subject: RE: American Indian Folk Music Influences
From: katlaughing
Date: 06 Dec 10 - 11:11 PM

There's Natalie Curtis's book The Indians' Book which has a lot of their songs written down in her hand with lyrics. I have it in hardback.

Here's one review of it from Amazon:

This review is from: The Indians' Book (Paperback)
This is a monumental work of history. Thanks to the efforts of Natalie Curtis and other recorders in the early twentieth century, there are many songs and stories of American Indians which have not been lost. The 149 songs recorded (in their original language and in translation), the myths and legends, and the interviews are from tribes all over the United States. These groups include the Wabanaki, Dakota, Pawnee, Cheyenne, Arapaho, Kiowa, Winnebago, Kwakiutl, Pima, Apache, Mojave-Apache, Yuma, Navajo, Zuñi, San Juan, Acoma, Laguna, and Hopi. This is a reference book to be treasured.

Subject: RE: American Indian Folk Music Influences
From: Amos
Date: 06 Dec 10 - 11:15 PM

Clark Kimberling's notes on the long history of American Indian music includes one very interesting point. He says (but does not document it) that the common belief among American Indian tribes was not that the individual created song, but that he served as a vessel for song to come into from the spirits.

This is a very fundamental difference, worth reflecting n.


A