The Importance of Song in the Flathead Indian Vision Quest

Abstract

A ll people, in no matter what culture, must be able to place their music firmly in the context of the totality of their beliefs, experiences and activities, for without such ties, music can not exist. This means that there must be a body of theory connected with any music system, not necessarily a theory of the structure of music sound, although that may be present as well, but rather a theory of what music is, what it does, and how it is coordinated with the total environment, both natural and cultural, in which man moves. For the Flathead, the most important single fact about music and its relationship to the total world is its origin in the supernatural sphere. While it is clearly recognized that some songs are individually composed by human beings, and that some other songs are borrowed from neighboring peoples, all true and proper songs, particularly in the past, owe their origin to a variety of contacts experienced by humans with beings which, though a part of this world, are superhuman and the source of both individual and tribal powers and skills. Thus a sharp distinction is drawn by the Flathead between what they call make-up and all other songs. Make-up songs are those which are composed by individuals in a conscious process of creation, and those which are known to be borrowed from other peoples; these songs have no inherent power and, according to the Flathead, are used for enjoyment. Non-make-up songs, on the other hand, are those which are taught or given to human beings by superhuman forces in a variety of situations. It is believed by the Flathead that in former times, all songs derived from such experiences, and that none were made up by individuals or borrowed from other tribes; today, music is a melange of all three sources, and it is a matter of regret and concern to older members of the society that the real Flathead songs are steadily decreasing in importance in the total repertoire. Songs which derive from the supernatural lead to two types of power for the individual who receives them; in one case this is shamanistic power while in the other, power is scattered and of such a nature that the individual remains simply a person with special capabilities for doing or effecting special things. Thus while a person may have special powers in love, gambling, hunting, war, or other social situations, the shaman has a concentration of songs which center primarily about curing, although he may have obtained other skills through song as well.