Perry Silverbird

Indigenous music is an umbrella term for the traditional and contemporary music of Indigenous (original) peoples across the world. It centers the music of communities whose presence in a territory predates later settler or immigrant populations, and whose cultural continuity is rooted in place, kinship, and customary law. The label describes a social and political relationship rather than a single musical sound: what counts as "indigenous" is defined less by musical traits and more by a people’s historical and political status in their homelands. As a result, Indigenous music comprises an immense diversity of styles—from powwow and Inuit throat singing to Sámi joik, Yolngu manikay, Tuvan khoomii, Andean siku panpipe ensembles, West African griot traditions, Polynesian mele, and thousands more. Common through-lines include the primacy of voice and community participation; close ties between music, dance, and ceremony; cyclical or additive rhythms; place-based timbres and instruments (rattles, frame drums, flutes, zithers, jaw harps, didgeridoo, etc.); and languages, stories, and cosmologies that encode ecological and historical knowledge.

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.