Introduction
The creation and performance of music and dance have played an essential part in the lives of North America's indigenous peoples since their beginnings on the continent. Although European settlement was a devastating event for native peoples in the Americas, their music and dance traditions endure and prosper in old ceremonies and new songs, flourishing in cultures where continuity, adaptation, and innovation had always been vital elements of life. Contemporary Native Americans continue this pattern, participating in age-old religious rituals, dancing in intertribal celebrations, singing native-language hymns in church, and listening to the latest in Indian country, rock, and hip-hop music.
Native American music is a broad category, and includes "classical" music by native composers (such as symphonies and ballets), Christian hymns, and popular music. In this chapter the primary focus is upon the two most widespread musical genres: traditional music associated with specific tribes, and intertribal music, which may be performed by native people regardless of their tribal affiliation.
Although many large-scale generalizations may be made about Native American music and dance, Indian peoples of the past and present have distinctive tribal repertories of songs and dances, enhanced and expanded by occasional sharing with neighboring tribes. Because their spiritual and religious beliefs grew from the life experiences and needs of those who practiced them, Native American ceremonies reflected (and continue to reflect) a remarkable diversity, mirrored in the accompanying music and dance.
Intertribal music (sometimes known as "Pan-Indian" music), such as pow-wow and flute music styles, came from the sharing of tribal-specific traditions with others, often through the medium of one community "purchasing" the right to perform a specific style of music and dance. This practice expanded throughout the 20th century, and at the present time pow-wows may be found in within a few hours drive of any geographic locale.
Competition singing, known as Inuit throat singing, was done by both men and women in the Northwest Coast and among Inuit and other Arctic peoples.
