Mickey RyanAmerican Indian ValuesMusic Hist and Lit 1

It amazes me how important music can be in different cultures, but at the same time take vastly different roles within the community and lives of the participants. It is also of course very strange for me to observe many of the facets of their musical ideas. For instance, the lack of pursuit of complexity or even general success through music is a concept that is foreign to me. Music in my culture and life is something that is involved with nearly everything. School, religion, play, (even shower time) all involve music in some way. In some of these ways, this ties me to the world of the American Indians, or at least those who used music in a cultural, societal sense. I use music every day as a way to communicate and connect to others. They American Indians did this as well, but also to connect to their deities, perhaps even more so. I think perhaps the largest distinction could be this religious focus in the American Indians. In my life and culture music seems to be an entirely personal and human art form that we use to share and connect with others. More and more modern humans are reaching great fame and success through creation or performance of music. As someone pursuing music, the concept of giving all credit in my field to a higher power seems slightly strange. While not entirely the same, I constantly associate different songs or musics with my daily activities or habits. The American Indians took this to a greater extent, for use of ceremony or prayer, but it is amazing to me to find such connection centuries apart.