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All Genres > World > World Traditions > OMAHA INDIAN MUSIC: Omaha Indian Music - Traditional Dance Songs Volume-II (2-CD Set) Dance has always been inseparable from Omaha Indian culture, though their context may have changed over the years. The most time-honored ones, however, are based on their own cultural history and have changed very little over the centuries. Alice Fletcher (1838-1923) was a pioneer ethnologist and leader in the movement to bring Native Americans into the mainstream of white society. She was born in Cuba in 1838. Her father died when she was only twenty months old and she appears to have experienced enormous family problems thereafter. However; she discovered anthropology and Indian affairs and by 1880 was studying archaeology under the informal mentorship of Frederick Putnam, the Director of the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology. Her interest in archaeology drew her toward living Indians, and in 1881 she arranged to live with and study the Omaha Indians of Nebraska. Her time with the Omaha launched Fletcher simultaneously into her Indian policy and anthropology careers. She was fascinated by their culture, and cataloguing their music and dances was a landmark accomplishment for which she is remembered to the present day. The second volume of the Omaha Indians Music - Traditional Dance Songs series of CDs features 41 further tracks performed by Omaha Indians and their traditional singers at the 1983 Pow-wow at Macy, Nebraska. The traditional dance tracks featured on these CDs constitute the backbone of their musical culture. Collected in this concluding compilation are time-honored items that were featured at the Pow-wow. These include various versions of the Gourd Dance Song, Whipman's Song, Honoring Song, the Half-Breed Song and several specifically dedicated performances quaintly entitled "I don't have any friends" and "You made the other tribes cry". Also available on this 2 CD set are special songs dedicated to John and Susette Turner, Joe Harlan Jr. and the reigning Pow-wow princess. EDITORIAL REVIEW: Omaha Indians, as a prominent tribe amongst Native Americans, have often been referred to as the world’s first real performers, and their dances are the continent’s oldest tradition. Highly symbolic in nature, these dances have maintained tribal morale and expressed its sense of dignity since the beginnings of recorded time. It is a mistake to assume that tribes such as the Omaha Indians are unaware of what is happening to them - they feel the erosion of their values in a fast changing world, and dance is the medium through which they express their frustration, bewilderment, longing for the past and willingness to adapt. Each tribe has its own peculiar dance forms to express its individuality with. A variety of influences go into their evolution - from esteemed animals to places of worship, beliefs, history... there is literally an endless font of inspiration for Omaha Indian dances. The fact that the traditional dance styles have suffered under the onslaught of modern influences - especially amongst the younger generations of Omaha Indians - cannot be denied; yet the basic formats have changed little over the centuries. Pow-wows are more than cultural gatherings for Omaha Indians - they present an opportunity for intertribal competition, and it is in dance that this spirit is evinced at its fiercest. This 2 CD set from A2ZCDS completes the series of traditional Omaha Indians dance songs and is an integral part of the whole collection. ----------------------------------------------------------- CUSTOMER'S REVIEWS: "The first 2 CD set had been a rewarding buy and I naturally snapped up the second set, too. Omaha Indians Music - Traditional Dance Songs 2-CD Set Vol-II is, in every way, as captivating as the first. I would also like to express my appreciation for the prompt delivery of the innovative CDs." Customer's Name: Gloria Jimenez (Wilmington, Delaware) "It is amazing that such ethnic music is actually available. I think we are missing out on a lot as Americans by allowing our own history to be swept under the carpet by modernization. I was deeply moved by the music on Omaha Indians Music - Traditional Dance Songs 2-CD Set Vol-II and feel richer and more aware for owning it." Customer's Name: Michael Wirth (Lexington-Fayette, Kentucky) Check out the artist's website: http://www.a2zcds.com/Products/Omaha_Indian_Music_Traditional_Dance_Vol_II_CD_557.htm Track List: 1. Gourd Dance Song - I 2. Gourd Dance Song - II 3. Gourd Dance Song - III 4. Gourd Dance Song - IV 5. Whipman's Song 6. Tail Dancers' Song 7. Pow-Wow Princess Song 8. The warriors are being honored 9. General Dancing Song 10. Honoring Song - I 11. Honoring Song - II 12. Half-Breed Song 13. In Place of the Whipman's Song 14. Tail Dancers' Song 15. I don't have any friends 16. God, watch over us 17. You made the other tribes cry 18. Song Before Dancers Clear the Arena 19. Warm-Up Song for Dancers 20. General Dancing Song - I 21. Na'gthewaan Song 22. General Dancing Song - II 23. Giveaway Song 24. Whipman's Song - I 25. Tail Dancers' Song - I 26. Sneak Up Song 27. Memorial Song 28. Family Song 29. Flut Song 30. Veteran Song 31. Farewell Song 32. Family Song 33. Whipman's Song - II 34. Tail Dancers' Song - II 35. Song for Two Tail Dancers 36. Green Corn Dance Song 37. Pow-Wow Princess Candidate Song 38. Whipman's Song - III 39. Song Sung During the Joe Harlan, Jr. Special 40. Song for the Pow-Wow Princess 41. Unidentified Song - I 42. Unidentified Song - I Suggested CDs:
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