When we talk about preserving cultural heritage, we often focus on tangible items like ancient architecture, artifacts, and traditional crafts. However, culture is not only about physical relics of the past. It is also about non-tangible elements that have been passed down through generations, such as language, folklore, myths, and music. One of the most captivating cultural domains that encapsulates the spirit of a race and resonates through time and space is music. Among the highly rich and varied indigenous music scenes in North America, Cherokee music stands out. As a compelling manifestation of Cherokee culture, it played (and continues to play) a significant role in ceremonial life, and in conveying stories, beliefs, and emotions.
The Roots of Cherokee Music
Traditional Cherokee music, like most Native American music, is monophonic, meaning that it consists of a single melody line without any harmonic accompaniment. This central melody could be sung solo, in unison by a chorus, or responsively between soloist and chorus. The melody is often accompanied by percussion instruments, most commonly drums and rattles.
Cherokee music, however, is more than just melody and percussion—it possesses a rhythmic and melodic complexity that varies with the context of the performance. Unlike the Western scale which is based on multiple ‘octaves’ each consisting of seven ‘tones’, Cherokee music is drawn from a five-tone scale akin to an anhemitonic pentatonic scale. Each song possesses a distinct melodic shape that communicates its purpose and emotional essence.
Purpose and Meaning
Music in Cherokee culture is intrinsically linked to ceremony, storytelling, and expressing a multitude of human experiences and emotions. However, arguably the most important function of Cherokee music lies in its spiritual significance—serving as a bridge to the divine, an avenue to communicate with the spiritual realm.
Some songs are sung as part of healing rituals to call upon the spiritual powers and solicit their intervention. Other songs are a crucial part of rites of passage ceremonies, such as births, marriages, and deaths, marking significant events in a person’s life. Some songs are part of the legend-singing tradition where mythic tales are recounted through song, preserving the ancestral wisdom and cultural memories for subsequent generations.
Changes and Preservation
Like any other aspect of culture, Cherokee music has evolved over time, influenced by various external dynamics, including contact with European settlers and missionaries, forced displacement, and globalization. However, amid these changes, there has been a continuous effort to preserve traditional Cherokee music and pass it on to succeeding generations.
Today, many musicians strive to maintain traditional Cherokee music elements while blending them with contemporary styles. Some musicians focus primarily on keeping the traditional songs alive, believing their preservation to be crucial to the continuance of Cherokee culture.
Across Cherokee communities, there are initiatives to revive traditional songs and Music Education is being emphasized in schools. ‘The Cherokee National Youth Choir’ has been pivotal in this revitalization effort, educating young Cherokees on traditional music and performing it at various events locally and internationally.
The Beat Goes On
Cherokee music, with its distinct style, deep cultural roots, and spiritual essence, continues to thrive and evolve. This musical heritage, passed down through generations, holds a sacred space in Cherokee culture and identity. As we listen to these songs, we are not merely hearing a melody; we are hearing the living, rhythmic pulse of the Cherokee people—their history, their beliefs, their emotions, and their strong enduring spirit.
Today, Cherokee music stands as a testament to the resilience and adaptability of the Cherokee people. Despite historical upheavals and cultural disruptions, Cherokee music continues to echo through time, carrying with it the stories, wisdom, and the enduring spirit of the Cherokee nation. Each rhythm resonates with the collective memory and played, it resounds with the living history of the Cherokee people — a lasting legacy echoing across generations
Sources
[1.] Mooney, James. “Myths of the Cherokee and Sacred Formulas of the Cherokees.” Nashville: Charles and Randy Elder-Booksellers, 1982.
[2.] Conley, Robert J. “A Cherokee Encyclopedia.” University of New Mexico Press, 2007.