Customer Reviews

Spirit of the First People: Native American Music Traditions of Washington State [With CD]

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Native American Music Traditions of Washington State. This book & accompanying compact disk offer a rare glimpse into the NorthWest Native American's sacred traditions of song & dance.

Arising from a unique exhibit & live performance at the Northwest Folklife Festival, Spirit of the First People is a collection of personal narratives, stories & essays on the music of the First People in the region that now encampasses Washington State. From tribe to tribe & reservation to reservation across the state, a wide range of musical genres & individual styles have developed, including social dance songs, game songs & hymns.

It takes time to re-tune our ears from listening to the artificial & steroidal music we're used to. Listening to both the CD & reading the stories is like hearing the thunder in a gorge, a hawk on the wind, snow-muffled footsteps, water rushing to the sea. The voices of the People of the Earth whose ears have heard its heartbeats & remember the stories.

Tucked into the many memories of boarding school, singing the songs to life, berry gathering & potlatches is a gallery of exquisite black & white archival photos as well has full color ones of today's families, ceremonial regalia & drums.

A rare treat & an inspired gift for someone you know who favors music of a First People. A treasure! For my full review do check out: [my website].

I am a graduate student at WSU in Pullman. This text is an excellent resource for those wishing to deepen their understanding and appreciation for Northwest Native American culture. The accompanying CD is the only one that I could locate which has authentic Northwest tribal music; most Native American music available through retail outlets today are the melodic flute tunes of Southwestern tribes.

Book includes information on instruments, dance regalia, as well as histories about musical traditions.

Tribes included in the CD include the Makah, Quileute, Yakama, Chinook, Skokomish, Tulalip, Lummi, Okanogan, Spokane, Nez Perce, Umatilla, and Colville.
I would recommend this book to anyone!