Native American Misappropriation

Music is a creative art form that allows the artist to construct something that expresses a purpose. It evolves over time and changes as the world changes, taking on many different motivations behind the melody and lyrics. In today’s society, anger, oppression, racism, and negative opinions rule the media and popular culture. I believe that African Americans need to show their self worth and not let white people hold them back. With the music in white culture often mocking African American culture and portraying negative stereotypes, African Americans have to find ways to gain respect. In acknowledgement of the negative portrayal of their culture, African Americans respond by creating songs and videos that express their pride in their culture and heritage, react to white oppression, and communicate their independence.

African American influence in music has been an ever present and controversial subject in American history. Stemming from many different cultures, religions and backgrounds, large portions of American music was introduced by, and credited to African Americans. Although in many cases, this music was used for entertainment by the masses or majority, contrary to popular belief, black music served a greater purpose than just recreation. Dating all the way back to the beginning of slavery in the U.S. during the 17th century, music has been used to make a statement and send a message. As African American music progressed over the years, there were common themes expressed as the genres evolved. It has been an open letter to the world, documenting and protesting the ongoing oppression faced by blacks in the United States, as well as an outlet for frustration. For many African Americans, the music gave them the only voice that couldn’t be silenced by their oppressors.

An often forgotten group of oppressed people are Native Americans. Many gloss over or just ignore the injustices they have faced. Such examples of their oppression are prevalent but often neglected. Such as how they were faced with many injustices from american settlers as they tried to force them from their land , the countless massacres, and lastly the atrocities they faced on the trail of tears.

It's very often that the public has the impression that Native American cultures were inflexible, unchanging societies, with little or variation through the centuries. This is the central theme of this chapter I believe because throughout my days on this earth I have heard plenty of puts on the Native community. I believe the author was trying to address people with negative views on the Native community and open their eyes to the beauty, land, social classes, and development of the Native culture and this book counter acts the misconception of society. Throughout these chapters the dynamic culture of the Northwest Coast people are revealed. With a history that has many twist and turns just like in other civilization these 1400 miles called

The folk genre has origins all the way back to the 19th century, which in many ways is mirrored by many popular genres in modern musical genres. To make it easy folk music is merely, “ballads and songs which are composed and conveyed vocally, without being written.”(Mclean 12) Though what we distinguish ‘folk’ today as stylistically very different to what ‘folk’ was during the 19th century, at its basic form, it still holds the same standards and concepts, describing the simpler times. Through vigorous research, it’s hard to overlook the past and expansion of folk music originating from the south, and how it could help understand the significance for observing and expanding the dynamics of southern race relationships. Equally, race

The roots of modern american rock and roll music, are firmly planted in Africa. As the native Africans were torn apart from their family’s and brought to the new world their lives were immediately and drastically changed forever. Finding themselves immersed in a completely new environment with a foreign culture, they thankfully persevered and carried on with their own traditions and most importantly to this paper, musical ones. Most American slaves originated from Western and Central Africa. The West Africans carried a musical tradition rich with long melody lines, complicated rhythms (poly rhythmics) and stringed instruments CITATION. The West Africans music was also strongly integrated into their everyday lives. Songs were preformed for religious ceremonies and dances and music was often a

Assumptions. Representations. These two things play an important role on the way we view and think about things. Not understanding where the facts originated from or whose point of view is being represented it can cause a loss of communication where things can be misrepresented. Sadly, this has often occurred to many Native American stories because it’s mostly written through a non native point of view and stories begin to be not accurate.

On Thursday September 22, I attended a common reading event with a classmate. Dr. Adrienne Keene, Native scholar, writer, blogger, and activist, was the guest speaker for the particular event. She is known to be a part of the Cherokee Nation. Dr. Keene gave a presentation on how people in today’s society tend to misrepresent Native Americans through pop culture and media. She mainly talked about stereotyping and cultural appropriation. Classmates told her that she did not appear to be an Indian and they thought all Native Americans were extinct. Even her faculty said hurtful things to her.

When hearing the words, “African Americans,” “Hispanics,”or “Caucasians,” the majority of people in America will generally categorize the traits of these nationalities based upon their roles displayed in the media, books, movies, or first-hand experience. The actions being made by their associations is stereotyping; defined in the Merriam-Webster dictionary as, “[believing] unfairly that all people or things with a particular characteristic are the same,” revealing that even unknowingly, people are allowing nationalities to fall under a list of behavioral, cultural, and moral traits.

With that of culture comes our identity through music. The “death of the blues” serves as an example in how culture is put up to the challenge of change. Melody, Chinatown, and Big Mat represent “the loss of folk culture which accompanied the Great Migration of Black people from the rural South to the industrial North” (Waldron 58). As we begin to read, we are able to interpret their lives and identity in the South through Melody’s music. This

"A conversation with Dennis Mcnally music and race in the 20th century". (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.grammymuseum.org/events/detail/a-conversation-with-dennis-mcnally-music-and-race-in-the-20th-century

For my paper, I will explore Native American music with a focus on the Native American flute from the perspective of the Cheyenne and Lakota Tribes. The Native American flute is integral to songs that are meditative, spiritual, and healing. Ceremonial music is said to have originated from deities or respected individuals while different tribes have their own sacred songs. While there are public songs, most songs are ancient, sacred, meditative, express stories, and celebrate harvest times during varying seasons. Generally speaking, Native American music is highly percussive with drums and rattles, but also reliant on vocables.

Many Native Americans thought that the Spaniards, where a kind of enemies. That is why they were always in a fight with them the, Native Americans thought that the Spaniards were willing to overpower them, therfore Native Americans will kill the Spaniards before they have a chance to kill Native Americans first. But, there were times were Native Americans would process the situation and rather not kill them but, help them. Was it a mistake? Maybe, but they were human enough to understand that the Spaniards may have a family waiting for them somewhere and their children would be there to welcome them home. Rather than Native Americans to kill the Spaniards in that moment, they will spare their life’s and protect them in any kind of way the

From the painful roots of slavery, the blues and other ‘race music’ would become the foundation for an entirely new style of music that would be used and reused for centuries. Slavery in America formed the beginning of influential forms of music that were nothing like their musical

American Indian life in the present time can be characterized as one big melting pot. Some societies try to preserve their own identity, while other groups came together in some way and brought their cultures together. A lot of what is known about their music has come from the past century when technological advancements were just beginning to take place. It was also during this period of time that there was a lot of turmoil between the whites. It was obvious that each tribe had its own musical identity, whether it dealt with style, uses of, or ideas of what music was. At that time there were thousands of groups, all speaking their own language, and each had several songs to accompany ceremonies, dances, and to divide society. Anthropologists have put them into categories according to their ways of life.