Arapaho music
Indigenous music of North America |
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Music of indigenous tribes and peoples |
Types of music |
Instruments |
Awards ceremonies and awards |
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The
Sun Dance
The Arapaho Sun Dance, performed in the summer when the Arapaho bands come together for the occasion, is a ceremony performed in order to guide warriors on a
There are also Arapaho folk songs taught by guardian spirits, which are only supposed to be sung when the recipient is near death.
Secular music
Secular Arapaho songs include a wide variety of round dances in triple meter, the snake dance, the rabbit dance (a partner dance introduced after European contact) and a turtle dance, along with lullabies, children's, war, historical, and courtship songs.
Ghost Dance
The Ghost Dance was a religion, introduced from tribes further west than the Arapaho in the 1880s. In 1891, the religion was outlawed by the United States, leading to a rebellion among the adherents and culminating in the Wounded Knee Massacre. Music was an integral part of the Ghost Dance, and included folk songs that were retained long after the movement ended (ibid, 151).
Peyote songs
References
- Nettl, Bruno (1965). Folk and Traditional Music of the Western Continents. Prentice-Hall, Inc.
Further reading
- Densmore, Frances (1964). Cheyenne and Arapaho Music. Southwest Museum. ISBN 0-916561-12-7.