Beatriz Pichi Malen

Mapuche folk music is the traditional music of the Mapuche people of south‑central Chile and parts of Argentina. It centers on voice, ritual percussion and aerophones, and is inseparable from Mapuche cosmology, language (Mapudungun), and communal ceremony. The sound world is marked by the kultrún (a sacred frame drum) that provides steady pulses and ceremonial accents; the trutruka (a long natural trumpet) that provides powerful, droning calls; the pifilca (end-blown whistle) that adds piercing melodic figures; and the trompe (jaw harp), whose buzzing timbre articulates intimate, rhythmic ostinati. Singing styles (ül, tayül) range from free, incantatory laments to responsorial chants with simple, repetitive melodies—often in pentatonic or anhemitonic modes. The result is a music that can be meditative, communal, and trance-inducing, but also celebratory and dance-oriented in social contexts.

Native American music encompasses the diverse vocal and instrumental traditions of the Indigenous peoples of North America. It is primarily voice-centered, with communal singing supported by large powwow drums, hand/frame drums, water drums, rattles, and the Native American flute. Melodies often use pentatonic or anhemitonic scales and feature terraced (descending) contour, vocables (non-lexical syllables) alongside texts in Indigenous languages, and cyclic repetition in sets of 4 (reflecting cultural symbolism). Music serves ceremonial, social, healing, and storytelling functions, and is inseparable from dance and regalia. While distinct regional styles exist (Plains powwow, Southwestern Pueblo/Navajo, Great Basin, Northwest Coast polyphony, Inuit throat singing, Southeastern stomp dance traditions), all emphasize community participation, spiritual intention, and strong rhythmic grounding. Contemporary scenes range from traditional powwow and peyote songs to modern fusions that respect traditional aesthetics while engaging new forms.