Outstanding CD
Zekeriyah | Chicago, IL | 01/05/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This CD is a must if you enjoy Native American music, dance and culture. Although most of the material is relatively short, it allows the CD to be filled with music representing almost every region or "culture area" of North America and a wide range of styles and periods, from contemporary to traditional and pretty much everything in between. Again, as I said this is excellent for authentic Native American music, but you should really be aware of what to expect before rushing out to get this CD. Powwow music can be rough on western ears at first. Once you get used to it though you'll really like it. Theres a couple songs by the contemporary artists like Ulali (Cherokee) and Joanne Shenandoah (Iroquois) on here which are really great to listen to, along with Lakhota and Pueblo flute songs, love songs of the Ojibwa, social dances of the Iroquois and traditional Dine (Navajo) and Pueblo songs. Beyond that, theres also some more unusual and obscure stuff, like Betty Mae Jumper (former chief of the Seminole Nation of Florida) performing traditional Seminole songs and gospel, and Nancy Richardson (Karok IIRC) performing several songs of the Indians of northern California, including the Kick Dance which was used to initiate shaman. Theres lots more too, including a Buffy Sainte-Marie's interesting (but quite enjoyable) mix of northern Plains style music with modern pop/rock. Overall, I cannot recommend this CD enough. Even though it only dwells on a small part of Native American music (that performed by women and even then limited to North America) it still does a wonderful job of sampling the diversity. More obscure stuff, such as that of the Nations of California and the Southeast, is included alongside contemporary and traditional music of the Plains, the Southwest and the north, so theres a really good mix. Obviously not everything was covered, but its still a nice introduction. Check it out."