Navajo Peyote Songs
Music is everywhere; it has been part of ceremonies and special gatherings throughout the ages. Peyote song is being used by the Navajo People for religious purposes. Singing and listening to Navajo peyote Song allows non-natives to understand about the Native American spiritual beliefs, their rich culture and music. Navajo music is being created by the people of the region and the best known music that has been making the place remarkable is the existence of peyote song.
Music in Navajo Culture
Music has been a central part of the religious and rich culture of the Native American people. The earlier Navajo peyote song is being accompanied by instrumentals such as flutes, whistles, drums, rattles and other percussion instruments that is being sung in vocal and by a certain group. During the earlier times the singers were being referred as medicine people; those who do qualify to perform one or more than 30 ceremonials and other countless prayer rituals. Peyote songs are scared form of music that makes the Navajo spiritual literature complex and comprehensive. Sacred songs are considered as classic songs rather than popular music because it carries with it, a deep sense of faith and spiritual belief. Most of the traditional music does last for more than an hour.
Connection of Peyote Songs and Ceremonies
The Native American has established a strong connection to peyote songs wherein they made used of the plant in the healing ceremonies being undertaken; the plant is highly regarded as a sacred medicine that plays an important role during the ceremony. The church of the Native Americans is not the same as to how the Christian Church is being set. Peyote meetings are also done in Navajo Hogan or teepee. It is the Christian belief that peyote and peyote meetings was being derived from.
The meetings itself made use of prayers to Jesus, Songs and a sacred altar to show their strong faith and belief. Though the peyote church was being influenced by the Christian belief its structure is different from Christianity. The peyote belief has encountered problems even before because it was being banned by the lawmakers. It is the time that the peyote songs were not being heard. Ceremonies and meeting are stopped because of the governments order. This happens due to ignorance being showed by the early government of the United States of America. It was in the year 1976 that the law ordering the peyote church to stop was being lifted by the state. This is the time that the peyote song was again being sung on ceremonies being undertaken by the Native American People.
Peyote Sons of Today
As of today peyote songs can be heard by simply purchasing albums that contains those religious songs intended to help people and heal them in the best way possible. A numerous number of peyote songs were being created and passed from a certain community to another group of people who has been trying to learn how the meetings and ceremonies were being undertaken by simply listening to recorded songs. The songs regarding god and beliefs show that the Native American people are open to different spiritual ideas from other cultures. The peyote music has been evolving nowadays; from acapela it is now being accompanied with musical instruments that are being powered by electricity to make its sound more pleasing to the ear.
