Peyote songs are a form of
Native American music
Indigenous music of North America, which includes American Indian music or Native American music, is the
music that is used, created or performed by Indigenous peoples of North America, including Native Americans in the United States and Abor ...
, now most often performed as part of the
Native American Church
The Native American Church (NAC), also known as Peyotism and Peyote Religion, is a Native American religion that teaches a combination of traditional Native American beliefs and Christianity, with sacramental use of the entheogen peyote. Th ...
. They are typically accompanied by a
rattle and
water drum, and are used in a ceremonial aspect during the
sacrament
A sacrament is a Christian rite that is recognized as being particularly important and significant. There are various views on the existence and meaning of such rites. Many Christians consider the sacraments to be a visible symbol of the rea ...
al taking of
peyote
The peyote (; ''Lophophora williamsii'' ) is a small, spineless cactus which contains Psychoactive cactus, psychoactive alkaloids, particularly mescaline. ''Peyote'' is a Spanish word derived from the Nahuatl (), meaning "caterpillar Pupa#Cocoo ...
.
History
Peyote songs began with the blend of the
Ute music style with
Navajo
The Navajo (; British English: Navaho; nv, Diné or ') are a Native Americans in the United States, Native American people of the Southwestern United States.
With more than 399,494 enrolled tribal members , the Navajo Nation is the largest fe ...
singing. Ed Tiendle Yeahquo composed over 120 peyote songs, many are still sung in NAC today. Vocal style,
melodic contour, and
rhythm
Rhythm (from Greek , ''rhythmos'', "any regular recurring motion, symmetry") generally means a " movement marked by the regulated succession of strong and weak elements, or of opposite or different conditions". This general meaning of regular re ...
in Peyote songs is closer to Apache than Plains, featuring only two
durational values, predominating thirds and
fifths of Apache music with the tile-type melodic contour,
incomplete repetitions, and
isorhythm
Isorhythm (from the Greek for "the same rhythm") is a musical technique using a repeating rhythmic pattern, called a ''talea'', in at least one voice part throughout a composition. ''Taleae'' are typically applied to one or more melodic patterns o ...
ic tendencies of Plains-Pueblo music. The
cadential formula use is also probably of Apache origin.
In recent years, modernized peyote songs have been popularized by
Verdell Primeaux
Verdell Primeaux is an Oglala, Yankton/ Ponca singer and songwriter in the Native American Church tradition of peyote songs, accompanied by rattle and water drum. He and Johnny Mike ( Navajo) are known as the duo ''Primeaux and Mike''.
Primea ...
, a
Sioux
The Sioux or Oceti Sakowin (; Dakota: /otʃʰeːtʰi ʃakoːwĩ/) are groups of Native American tribes and First Nations peoples in North America. The modern Sioux consist of two major divisions based on language divisions: the Dakota and ...
, and
Johnny Mike
Johnny Mike is a Canadian politician, who was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Nunavut in the 2013 election. He represented the electoral district of Pangnirtung
Pangnirtung (or Pang, also Pangniqtuuq, in syllabics: ᐸᖕᓂᖅᑑ ...
, a
Navajo
The Navajo (; British English: Navaho; nv, Diné or ') are a Native Americans in the United States, Native American people of the Southwestern United States.
With more than 399,494 enrolled tribal members , the Navajo Nation is the largest fe ...
.
Jim Pepper, who came from a
Kaw and
Creek family, used a peyote song he learned from his grandfather as the basis for the 1969 popular song "Witchi Tai To", which has since gone on to become a jazz and pop standard.
Usage
Peyote music is often associated with the consumption of
peyote
The peyote (; ''Lophophora williamsii'' ) is a small, spineless cactus which contains Psychoactive cactus, psychoactive alkaloids, particularly mescaline. ''Peyote'' is a Spanish word derived from the Nahuatl (), meaning "caterpillar Pupa#Cocoo ...
cactus.
Its consumption can be used in religious sacrament among North American native peoples.
Peyote music is largely associated with healing rituals as well as major life events in the peyote community.
See also
*
Native American Church
The Native American Church (NAC), also known as Peyotism and Peyote Religion, is a Native American religion that teaches a combination of traditional Native American beliefs and Christianity, with sacramental use of the entheogen peyote. Th ...
is a
Native American religious movement characterized by mixed traditional and
Christian
Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...
beliefs and by sacramental use of the
entheogen
Entheogens are psychoactive substances that induce alterations in perception, mood, consciousness, cognition, or behavior for the purposes of engendering spiritual development or otherwiseRätsch, Christian, ''The Encyclopedia of Psychoac ...
peyote
The peyote (; ''Lophophora williamsii'' ) is a small, spineless cactus which contains Psychoactive cactus, psychoactive alkaloids, particularly mescaline. ''Peyote'' is a Spanish word derived from the Nahuatl (), meaning "caterpillar Pupa#Cocoo ...
.
References
{{Reflist
Native American Church
Southwestern Indian music