Case Study of Navajo Music

• Nightway Ceremony - a ceremony to heal illness
• contains Yeibichai song - a song for dancing
• dancers impersonate grandfathers of the gods, who heal the sick
• all Yeibichai songs have a special phrase which is a call to the gods
• very difficult vocal style
• Enemyway Ceremony - also for healing, ridding people of spirits of outsiders
• songs for the circle dance: participants compete for most beautiful song
• example is "Shizhane"
• has humorous text
• Shootingway Ceremony - Navajo Creation Story
• Holy Young Man encounters various spirits and peoples
• Ceremony depicts his adventures
• Re-enacting parts of story helps restore balance with spirits or peoples

Native American Church - also known as Peyote Religion

• emphasizes individual worship
• some differences from tribe to tribe, but basis is Peyote ritual
• most tribes have peyote songs
• Navajo example
• text is vocables, but conveys sense of introspection
• Commanche example
• probably the origin of peyote songs
• text is translatable