Music of Indigenous Americans

 1. The Indigenous people of the Andes Mountains have many types of instruments, in class we talked about the drums and harps of the people of the area. I was interested in the flutes that were shown in one of the videos, so I started researching into the types of flutes they use. One that I found was called a quena. The quena is high pitched but has a strong timbre, and is a aerophone. They are typically made of wood and are played from the front similarly to an instrument like a recorder. Below are some videos showing examples of the instrument and here is a website with more information

2. After learning about the Native American Powwows I wanted to learn more about the origins of the event. The powwow is known as a celebration of traditions of the indigenous people of North America. The term and the events origins are in the meetings of native spiritual leaders. It is debated where the first Powwow was held, but before there were organized Powwows, there public dances and gatherings which went by many names. There were a few origins of the Powwow, but one in particular was called the grass dance, which is also a a name of a dance style. The grass dance gathering became popular on reservations, as it was originally a way for warriors to continue their practices. The tradition truly took form when the reservations began and the removal of the natives from their land. The Powwow is now known as an inter-tribal celebration and gathering to continue native traditions in many ways. To learn more visit here or here.

3. While learning about indigenous music, there were a few mentions of the water drum. I knew that this was the only type of water drum in the whole world which made me curious. I wanted to know where exactly it came from and what it sounded like. There are two types of these drums, which are the Iroquois type and the Yaqui type. There are several regions in which the drum can be found. Here is a website with more information. Below are some examples of songs featuring the type of drum.