In class, we went over many topics that I found interesting. There were a few things that I wanted to look into more, and these things included the creation of the Native American Flute, Supaman's music, and the origins of the drums.
- When listening to a more modern Native American song, one of the instruments you could hear was the Native American flute. As we discussed in class, the flute sounds rather similar to the recorders that were given to us as young kids in school. When listening to the song, I began to wonder how these flutes were made and I came across this video called Measurements and Techniques for Making Native American Flutes. Within this video, I learned that these flutes are made of different types of wood and can also be made from other materials such as different types of bamboo, cane, and even plastic. When they were first being created, they were carved from wood by using rocks or flint knives. In order to create the holes within the chamber, one could use a knife, or even a torch, to create the holes by either carving them or burning them.
- Another instrument that I wanted to learn more about was the drums. In class we learned a little about what the drums were made of, though I wanted to know more about them. I found an article that I became fascinated with called "Native American Pow Wow drums." Within this article, I learned that some cultures believe that the first drum was brought forth by a woman, and that the spirit of this woman still resides within the drum. While searching for more information of the origins of the drum, I found the article "Native American Drums". This article stated that Native Americans viewed the drums as a living entity, and that it contained the lives of the animals and trees that were killed in order to make it. So, within both of these articles, it seems that the drums are filled with some sort of life. Another fascinating thing I read was that a designated person was chosen to look after the drum, and that person was often the oldest son within the family. Below is a video of the Super Drum Group, who I listened to after reading about the drums.
- After listening to Supaman's song during class, I quickly became curious of the artist and how he came to blend music. One of the first articles that came up was "Supaman: Rapping on the Reservation", and this one article told me most of his story. Growing up on the Crow Nation Reservation, he claimed he always listened to rap and even related to many of the songs. These songs soon became part of the reason why he lived a life of crime. At one of his lowest points, he turned to God for help. After that, he began to heal and spread the word of God through a combination of cultures. Within his raps songs, he not only incorporated aspects within the Native American culture, but he also incorporated Christianity within the lyrics. I found his entire story interesting, though I was even more amazed when I realized how many different styles and cultures he included within his music. I also loved his story and how his life started to go downhill, though he decided to turn around and do what he could to help others. Below is a link to Supaman's YouTube page, as I could not decide which song of his I wanted to include within this blog. Overall, it is so fun to go through and find the bits of Native American culture within his songs. Two of which include vocables and a high range. Another way he included his culture was through the music videos, where he included people from his tribe and even other tribes.
