“The Social Background of Eskimo Music in Northwest Alaska” |
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Abstract Music is a reflection of society; it is the creative expression of individuals that is deeply embedded in culture. Thomas F. Johnston in “The Social Background of Eskimo Music in Northwest Alaska” explores the music of this location and reveals it as a unique crystallization of culture. In this article, Johnston looks at the following determinants of culture as also relative to music: “(1) The subsistence resources, (2) long-term sessility, (3) geographic location, (4) tolerant missionization, (5) mass media affect, (6) changing government policy, (7) language, (8) the Land Claims movement.” In discussing the rich subsistence resources in the Bering Strait, Johnston illuminates how this attribute of Alaskan culture is reflected in the many instruments made from mammal resources. Moreover, music is often associated with subsistence festivals such as the June Whaling Feast and the New Year Inviting-In. The geographical isolation of northwestern Alaska affects the inhabitants of the location. As Johnston explains, this isolation is alleviated through musical activity. Music not only functions as social interaction through ceremonies but also becomes a cathartic release from the cold and dark winters. Johnston also discusses the effects of missionization on Northwestern Alaskan music. Some missionaries taught the Inupiaq songs using solfeggio syllables. However, the Inupiaq found the sounds to be humorous and used the songs as a vehicle for satire. Unfortunately, missionaries from other religions wiped out almost all musical forms and dancing in the Northwest for it is the “work of the devil.” In this article, Johnston delineates the central tenets of Northwest Alaskan culture. He then reveals how these tenets are also central to Inupiaq music. Inherent in the music are the ideologies and histories that are embedded in the culture. Ultimately, the author successfully reveals how culture effects and produces music.
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