Author Question: What are some musical features of Ghost Dance music? What will be an ideal ... (Read 76 times)

saraeharris · **on:** Jul 25, 2018

What are some musical features of Ghost Dance music?

What will be an ideal response?

Question 2

What is the history of Ghost Dance music?

What will be an ideal response?

kalskdjl1212 · **Reply #1 on:** Jul 25, 2018

Answer to Question 1

Narrow melodic range (a fifth)
Unaccompanied solo singing
Predominance of melodic phrases that end on the tonic
The consistent use of paired phrases in which every phrase is rendered twice, yielding forms of aabb, aabbcc, aabbccdd, etc.

Answer to Question 2

Was originated in 1890 by Wovoka (the Cutter) who was also known as Jack Wilson. He was a Paviotso (Northern Paiute) prophet. He lived near the Walker River Reservation in western Nevada.
Wovoka had a revelation that directed him to tell his people to love one another and to live in peace with the whites; to work hard and not steal. He was given a dance to bring to his people. This dance would bring happiness (Worlds of Music citing Mooney, 1896, 772.).
The Ghost Dance spread across the Plains and underwent transformation. The main objective of the dance was the elimination of Whites and the restoration of hunting, and the creation of paradise on earth.
It was called nuga meaning circle or round dance (Worlds of Music citing Hittman 1992: 147.)
Despite the mainly peaceful philosophy espoused by the Ghost Dance leaders, this religion led to an infamous conflict between the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), the military, and Ghost Dancers. Sitting Bull, a spiritual leader within the community, was killed by pro-BIA Native American police. U.S. troops also opened fire on a band of Lakota near Wounded Knee Creek, killing between 200 and 300 Lakota, many of them women and children.