Delbert Blackhorse & Brian Stoner

Native American Spiritual is a broad umbrella for Indigenous North American sacred and prayer songs performed in ceremonial, healing, and devotional contexts. It includes traditional clan- and nation-specific prayer songs, medicine and blessing songs, and—most prominently in the recorded era—the harmonized peyote songs of the Native American Church (NAC). Musically, performances center the human voice supported by small, portable percussion such as the water drum and gourd rattle (especially in NAC practice) or by hand/frame drums in other traditions. Melodies often employ narrow ranges, descending contours, pentatonic or tetratonic pitch collections, and flexible intonation with glides and micro-ornaments. Texts may use Indigenous languages, English, or vocables, and are shaped by prayerful repetition, call-and-response, and four-part cyclical structures significant in many Native cosmologies. While the underlying sacred repertoires are ancient, the category coalesced as a modern recording genre in the late 19th and early 20th centuries with the spread and codification of the Native American Church and later through archival and commercial releases of ceremonial and healing songs.

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.