Music of the Pueblos, Apache, and Navaho
Recorded by David P. McAllester, Wesleyan University, Donald N. Brown, The Taylor Museum. Edited by Donald N. Brown
©1961 The Taylor Museum of the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center
The art of gathering sounds into music is one of the oldest and most widespread arts known to man. Although music is often referred to as "the universal language," like any language it has many dialects. These dialects have developed through ages of both isolation and interaction. Some of them are more easily understood and more pleasing to a listener than others. The validity of a musical dialect does not depend upon its comprehension by a listener from an outside culture, but rather on its meaningfulness to those who "speak" the dialect. This recording presents three American Indian musical dialects from the Southwestern United States. All of the songs presented were collected in the last decade.
Music is an integral part of the Pueblo Indian's way of life. In his earliest years, lullabies are sung to him by his mother. As a child he learns the songs that accompany the games he plays. Social dance songs, gambling songs, and corn grinding songs become important for the youth. Important at all times and for all ages are the songs of the rituals – the raining ceremonials, the curing rites, the ceremonials for increase. "How can they be Indians if they don't sing songs? All Indians must have songs."
For Apache one important function of music is healing. Music does not just put the patient in the "proper frame of mind" to be healed. The music actually contains the power necessary to heal. Since music contains such power, it is always dangerous to misuse music. "For the Western Apaches I witnessed the results of a broken tabu. A medicine man sang very special songs for my recording in conditions of some secrecy and with the warning that it might bring lightning, since these matters should only be discussed in the winter. A very severe lightning storm did come up and five people in the community were so frightened by near misses that they had to have the help of a ceremonial practitioner. My medicine man was busy for some time healing one of these cases, and then came back and resumed recording with me. He went on recording the same dangerous songs. There is no doubt in my mind that he felt that they were dangerous songs, but it was a danger he could handle." (David P. McAllester, The Role of Music in Western Apache Culture.) Flute music and butterfly songs may be used in love magic. Even the songs for the Apache social dance contain sacred phrases. The Apache fiddle, probably derived from Spanish influence, is one of the few stringed musical instruments among the American Indians.
In Navaho thought also music has power–power to cure, to protect, to bring success in the hunt or harvest. There are no purely secular Navaho songs. Even those songs used on social occasions, seemingly secular, retain their ceremonial connotation. Some songs are owned by individuals and are one means to judging a man's wealth. Other belong to all the Navaho and are to be used for the general welfare. In Navaho mythology Changing Woman tells her grandchildren: "Do not forget those (songs) I taught you. The day you forget them will be the last, there will be no other days."
Thus, to the Pueblos, Apache, and Navaho music is much more than pleasure or entertainment. It is basic to ritual. It contains power. It is life itself.
The Pueblo of Taos is the northernmost of the Rio Grande Pueblos. It lies about 65 miles north of Santa Fe, New Mexico. the 1200 residents speak a dialect of the Tiwa language.
Santa Clara Pueblo is located two miles west of Espanola, New Mexico. A dialect of the Tewa language is spoken. The population is about 650.
Zuni Pueblo is located in western New Mexico, 35 miles south of Gallup. The language spoken, Zunian, is not closely related to any of the other Southwestern Indian languages. The population is about 3000.
The Apache and Navaho are relatively late-comers to the Southwest. They entered this area from the north between 500 and 1000 years ago. Both groups speak Athabascan languages. The Apache occupy two reservations in New Mexico and three reservations in Arizona with a total population over 10,500. The recordings included on the record were made on the Fort Apache reservation in eastern Arizona. The Navaho population is approaching 100,000. The principal reservation of 16,000,000 acres is located in northeaster Arizona, southeastern Utah, and northwester New Mexico.
Music is an integral part of the Pueblo Indian's way of life. In his earliest years, lullabies are sung to him by his mother. As a child he learns the songs that accompany the games he plays. Social dance songs, gambling songs, and corn grinding songs become important for the youth. Important at all times and for all ages are the songs of the rituals – the raining ceremonials, the curing rites, the ceremonials for increase. "How can they be Indians if they don't sing songs? All Indians must have songs."
For Apache one important function of music is healing. Music does not just put the patient in the "proper frame of mind" to be healed. The music actually contains the power necessary to heal. Since music contains such power, it is always dangerous to misuse music. "For the Western Apaches I witnessed the results of a broken tabu. A medicine man sang very special songs for my recording in conditions of some secrecy and with the warning that it might bring lightning, since these matters should only be discussed in the winter. A very severe lightning storm did come up and five people in the community were so frightened by near misses that they had to have the help of a ceremonial practitioner. My medicine man was busy for some time healing one of these cases, and then came back and resumed recording with me. He went on recording the same dangerous songs. There is no doubt in my mind that he felt that they were dangerous songs, but it was a danger he could handle." (David P. McAllester, The Role of Music in Western Apache Culture.) Flute music and butterfly songs may be used in love magic. Even the songs for the Apache social dance contain sacred phrases. The Apache fiddle, probably derived from Spanish influence, is one of the few stringed musical instruments among the American Indians.
In Navaho thought also music has power–power to cure, to protect, to bring success in the hunt or harvest. There are no purely secular Navaho songs. Even those songs used on social occasions, seemingly secular, retain their ceremonial connotation. Some songs are owned by individuals and are one means to judging a man's wealth. Other belong to all the Navaho and are to be used for the general welfare. In Navaho mythology Changing Woman tells her grandchildren: "Do not forget those (songs) I taught you. The day you forget them will be the last, there will be no other days."
Thus, to the Pueblos, Apache, and Navaho music is much more than pleasure or entertainment. It is basic to ritual. It contains power. It is life itself.
The Pueblo of Taos is the northernmost of the Rio Grande Pueblos. It lies about 65 miles north of Santa Fe, New Mexico. the 1200 residents speak a dialect of the Tiwa language.
Santa Clara Pueblo is located two miles west of Espanola, New Mexico. A dialect of the Tewa language is spoken. The population is about 650.
Zuni Pueblo is located in western New Mexico, 35 miles south of Gallup. The language spoken, Zunian, is not closely related to any of the other Southwestern Indian languages. The population is about 3000.
The Apache and Navaho are relatively late-comers to the Southwest. They entered this area from the north between 500 and 1000 years ago. Both groups speak Athabascan languages. The Apache occupy two reservations in New Mexico and three reservations in Arizona with a total population over 10,500. The recordings included on the record were made on the Fort Apache reservation in eastern Arizona. The Navaho population is approaching 100,000. The principal reservation of 16,000,000 acres is located in northeaster Arizona, southeastern Utah, and northwester New Mexico.
Play song |
Name |
Performed by |
Description |
Native Words |
Translation |
Notes |
 |
Round Dance Song | Recorded: 1960, Taos, New Mexico; four young Taos singers, the leader in his late 20's. | Song for the Round Dance, also called the Circle Dance and Forty-nine, are one of the most vital forms of music among the present day Indians. New songs are being composed continually by singers from many tribes throughout the United States, and traded from tribe to tribe. In the melodies, rhythm, and general structure the songs reflect strong Plains influence. This Round Dance song was described as "a new song made this year." At Taos the Round Dance is believed to be very ancient, although it is likely the dance was originally borrowed from the Southern Plains. The other Pueblos consider the dance to be primarily social in nature, and marginal to their traditional culture. | Taos | ||
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Moon Song | Recorded: 1958, Taos, New Mexico; Taos man, ca. 50. | During the summer months Moon songs re sung out-of-doors at night by groups of young men in competition with one another. When one group begins a song a second group, usually some distance away, will begin another song before the first song is ended. "They try to out-sing each other." The drum heard in the recording is not used during the competition singing. The sharp "yelps" at the end of the song are a characteristic of Moon songs. | Taos | ||
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War Dance Song | Recorded: 1958, Taos, New Mexico; Taos woman, ca 35. | "This is an old Taos War Dance song." War Dance songs, like the Round Dance songs, are still being composed and traded from tribe to tribe. The large inter-tribal gathering often sponsor War Dance contests which attract dancers from many tribes, and offer singers the opportunity to learn new songs. Kiowa and Ponca War Dance songs from Oklahoma are especially popular at Taos. The style of dancing which these songs accompany is a development from a traditional Plans dance. It is now dances only for entertainment and enjoyment. | Taos | ||
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Flute Melody 1 - Sun Dance song | Recorded: 1958, Taos, New Mexico; Taos man, ca 65. | At one time the pueblo of Taos had a reputation among other Indian peoples as a center of flute music. Today flute playing has become almost a lost art. Only a few old men remember how to play the flute, and few instruments remain in the village. Two types of end blown flutes were used at Taos: the simple end flute which is found throughout the Pueblo area, and the deflector type flute which often associated with the Plains. These songs were played on a deflector type flute which was made by the flute player "about forty years ago." It was the cedar with six stops. | Ute | ||
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Flute Melody 2 - Social Dance song | Recorded: 1958, Taos, New Mexico; Taos man, ca 65. | Taos | |||
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Social Dance Song | Recorded: 1959, Manitou Springs, Colorado; Santa Clara man, ca. 50. | This Social Dance song accompanies the "two-step dance," a style of dancing widely distributed among Indian groups. "We dance the two-step after weddings and feasts. This is a song the young people like." The rapid triple beat of the drum is not unusual in Pueblo Social Dance songs. | Santa Clara | ||
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Butterfly Dance Song | Recorded: 1960, Manitou Springs, Colorado; Sata Clara man, ca. 50 | This song of the Santa Clara Butterfly Dance is an example of the ceremonial music of the Rio Grande Pueblos. The complex rhythm with the drum accompaniment following the changes in the melody is a characteristic of this style of music; as is the opening semitone and the higher pitch at the beginning of the second theme. The melodies of the ceremonial songs tend to be more complex than the Social Dance songs, which display a strong Plains influence. The Butterfly Dance is performed in several Tewa Pueblos as a prayer for increase. | "Butterfly been flying around, come over here to place where they dancing. And when it come over here. Butterfly Dancers feel happy, nice and happy. That is what this song is about." | Santa Clara | |
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Comanche Dance Song | Recorded: 1950, near Zuni, New Mexico; Zuni man, early 20's | The Comanche Dance shows Plains influence in the costume and often adapts Oklahoma songs to Pueblo norms. "They dance to the drum with big feather headdresses, with one foot going up high. They do this sometimes in Shalako (the great Zuni mid-winter festival) or they do it in the winter or spring just to give the young people some fun. There might be 30 or 40 people in single file with the drummer in the middle. One man leads the dance. He goes back and forth between the drummer and the dancers as they sing. He announces each song. He shouts the words of the song. They make up new songs for every dance. They throw the old songs away." | Zuni | ||
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Navaho Corn Grinding Song | Recorded: 1950, near Zuni, New Mexico; Zuni man, ca. 55 | The cosmopolitan Zuni sing many songs borrowed from their Pueblo and Navaho neighbors. Navaho corn grinding songs, now largely extinct among the Navaho, are used by the Zuni along with their own songs and others borrowed from Santo Domingo when grinding the corn to make bread for the Shalako festival. Ten or fifteen men standing a small circle with a drum and sing, and the women grind in time to the music. Other women, holding ears of corn, may dance with the music. When the grinding is over, some of the corn meal is given to the singers. | Zuni | ||
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Lullabies | Recorded: 1950, near Zuni, New Mexico; Zuni woman, ca. 75 | "Only women would sing these, Men would sing a Kachina dance song or just any of these rain songs, or Comanche Dance songs, or Hahalisho songs. They would hold the baby in their laps and make them dance a little and pretty soon they would go to sleep." | Song (1) lo'lo 'atse ts'ana ko'min ts'ana okla shomi tokia poan t'atanan 'atse ko'min ts'ana ne Song (2) hm'atseki 'okshi ts'ana poke ts'ana kochi ts'ana |
Song (1) lullaby boy little crying little you beetle sleep boy crying little Song (2) my boy cottontail little jackrabbit little rat little |
Zuni |
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Kneeling Song From Na'eyes Ceremony | Recorded: 1955, near Ft. Apache, Arizona; Apache man, ca 65 | The Na'eyes or girl's puberty ceremony is a time of great celebration. The girl dances part of one night and all of the next and on into the morning, this action and the attendant ritual bringing blessing on all the people. Towards the end of the Sunrise dancing she kneels and does a swaying dance in that position. | Chorus (vocables) In the beginning earth was not known, sky was not known, Nothing could be done about it, it seemed, Nothing could be done about it, it seemed, Then it seemed earth and sky were being prepared. Thirty-two winds brought the earth together, they say. Chorus (vocables) Thirty-two kinds of plants were set upon it, they say, Eternal life and blessing were given to it, they say. Chorus (vocables) |
Apache | |
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Apache Fiddle Melody | Recorded: 1955, Cibecue, Arizona; Apache man, ca. 55 | Stringed instruments are rare in aboriginal America. A few musical bows have been described; fiddles, probably derived from European models have been found in parts of Central and South America, on the Northwest Coast, and among the Apache. The Apache fiddle (tsi'edo'ati--"wood which sings"), made of one or two horsehair strings stretched along a hollowed mescal stalk, is used recreationally played solo, by a person alone or with a small group of friends. Fiddle tunes are nearly always based on social songs: the present melody is an instrumental version of the song which follow it on the record. | Apache | ||
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Social Song | Recorded: 1955, Cibecue, Arizona; Apache man, ca. 55 | Tulapai (grey water) is a mild drink made of fermented corn sprouts. Social songs like this one are also called "Tulapai songs" as they are often sung on social occasions when a few friends settle down in a quiet place together to drink, tell stories and sing. | Fort Apache girls, I'm singing about them, They are nice girls, that's what I'm singing about. I'm right here now, which way shall I go from here? The sacred pollen of the Holy One is prepared for me, I shall rise up (to heaven}, so I have been told. |
Apache | |
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Snake Ceremonial Songs | Recorded: 1955, Cibecue; Apache ceremonial practitioner leading a chorus | These sons were recorded during a healing ceremonial for a man who had been injured in a fall from a horse. The ceremonial practitioner is leading a chorus in a series of songs invoking snake power and that of other deities. The songs went on from late afternoon, through the night and into the middle of the next morning, though the main ritual concluded at dawn. Incidental sounds of the women dancing in a long row, forward and back, arm in arm, and of the children playing can be heard. | Translations of the long texts of sacred poetry could not be obtained. In the choruses and refrains can be heard the phrase kozhonayu-- "blessed let it be," repeated over and over. | Apache | |
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Flute Melody | Recorded: 1955, near Cibecue, Arizona; Apache man, ca 60 | The flute is associated with love magic in Apache thinking. It is said that if a young man plays his flute in the right manner the girl he has in mid cannot resist him. She will become distracted and finally go out in to the night to the place where he is waiting. Apache flutes are made of river cane with three stops. | Apache | ||
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Squaw Dance Song 1 | Recorded: 1958, Sedona, Arizona; two young Navaho men from Lukachukai | Skip Dance songs provide music for dancing in the public part of the Enemyway Ceremonial, a war ritual designed to protect the patient from ghosts of slain enemies. Young men and girls, in paris, shuffle or walk with a slight bounce, side by side. They are re-enacting the return of warriors from a legendary war party. The girls receive payment from their partners as the girls of earlier times received booty from the returning warriors. | Navajo | ||
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Squaw Dance Song 2 | Recorded: 1958, Sedona, Arizona; two young Navaho men from Lukachukai | Sizedi t'aa la'do nihi diit'ash'iila | girl friend (cousin) really together we two will go | Navajo | |
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Yeibichai Song | Recorded: 1950, White Water, New Mexico; Navaho man, ca. 55 | The Yeii bichai (Granduncles of the Gods) are masked dancers who perform in the Nightway and other ceremonials. They come to lend their presence and power to the healing and initiation that take place in this rite. Teams of singers from different localities rehearse and prepare for weeks for the night-long competition. Prizes are given for the best songs, dances and costumes. When sung by a group these melodies often soar to a powerful falsetto. | Vocables. The "hu,hu, hiye-hiye-hiye, hu, hu!" is the call of the gods. | Navajo | |
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Sway Songs | Recorded: 1955, during an Enemyway ceremonial near Steamboat, Arizona | This series of short songs, in the public part of the Enemyway ceremonial, is sung by a group of men divided into two teams. First one side and then the other takes its turn, introducing songs at a higher and higher pitch until, as in the present examples, the upper limit of the falsetto range is reached. Though these songs were sung as the men stood, swaying together with the music, the same kind of song is heard in the Circle Dance where the two halves of the group form the opposite sides of a circle, holding hands, and shuffle first in one direction and then the other as they alternate in the singing. | Navajo |