Indian Blues
American Indians and the Politics of Music 1879-1934 John W. Troutman
University of Oklahoma Press ISBN: 978-0-8061-4019-3
Buy at Amazon File Under: Music, Politics, Native Americans
In the late nineteenth and early 20th Century the policy of the American Government was no longer the extinguishing of the Native American people but the extinghiushing of their culture. In the eyes of many Americans at the time this was being done to save the individuals. The view was that if the Native Americans stayed true to their culture, they would soon be eradicated, but if they assimilated into white society the individuals would be saved. One of the fronts on this war against the culture was to be the end of native language, dance and music. The younger generation was sent to residential schools to learn a new culture that did not include their traditional music and dance.
This book looks at Indian music and how it became politicized during that time period. It is a unique and fresh perspective that I had never considered. Troutman looks at three spheres of the intersection of politics and music. First how it affected life on the reservation. The Lakotas used this affront to revitalize their dance and culture resulting in the ghost dance phenomenom. Secondly, he looks off the reservation at the aforementioned residential schools. As teachers did their best to teach new instruments and music in hope of imposing the civilized agenda, the Native American students could not help but incorporate their experiences and culture into their learning. The third section deals with the newly formed all indian and tribal bands that criss-crossed the country, sometimes playing up to the stereotypes of Indians that their audience had, more often using that stereotype to advance their own agenda.
I think George Patton (or someone like him) once said that history is written by the winners. Thusly, most of the ideas we have about Native Americans has been filtered through the stories that the winners want us to hear. We really have no understanding of native culture. Books like this helps give us this much needed perspective.
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