Navajo Music
Navajo is a traditional music that is always vocal and is sung with almost all
the instruments that include drumsticks, rattles, rasp, flute, whistle and
bullroarer. These instruments are used in singing special types of songs. In
1982, there were even 1000 singers who were taught to perform on ceremonies and
religious festivals more than one time..
These singers were also known as ‘Medicine People’ as they would create
beauty in the world, and good health for people, serenity and balance by the
sweetness in their singing. The most sacred holy songs, the lyrics consisted
of spiritual literature were known as the classical music whereas the other
kind of songs that include personal, songs on nation, comedy songs, love
songs and songs on fun were known as popular music.
The popular songs were sung in the public places in their functions and
ceremonies whereas the classical songs were only performed at the holy
places. The ceremonies lasted up to ten days and they would keep performing
rituals that restore balance between good and evil or positive and negative
forces. The hataalii use to perform songs to call upon the Navajo gods and
natural forces to hear a sick person and they also used some healing tools
to heal that person.
The songs that lasted for more than one hour were usually sung in groups.
The songs sung on women tell us that how a girl is born in the spring grows
out to be a young girl in the summers and then becomes an adult in autumn
and then an old lady in the winter. These songs are so melodious that they
show the life cycle o a girl over and over again. The songs sung on the boys
consist of the songs like the Hero Twins, Monster Slayer and
Born-for-the-Water.
The songs also tell us that how these boys try and get rid of giant and evil
monsters from this world. The songs that followed one after the other
immediately were created from the complex repetition of more than four or
five phrases. The songs of children were sung on animals, such as pets and
livestock. The songs were about the family members and the songs on child’s
daily life routine.
The mothers used to sing song for their children when they used to try from
which the children also learnt to sing songs from their childhood. The
mothers also taught their children the songs and prayers for self-protection
from bad things and other evils in Navajo traditions. The songs that were
sun for the children usually start with chanting and then followed by at
least one paragraph of lyrics and again ended the song with the same chant.
All the traditional songs were sung with chants. The Christmas songs and the
nursery rhymes dido on have lyrics in them but they were singing with
specific type of chants. Today both type of songs y be depending on the
knowledge and ability of the particular teacher. The songs were a major part
of Navajo culture..
