For my musical trip, I decided to take a trip back to where I attended high school, Utqiagvik, Alaska. Also known as Barrow, my family and I have lived there for roughly 7 years and I have seen and listened to some great Iñupiaq music and performances. Living there gave me a great opportunity to see the value and cultural significance of music and dance. During any get together or celebration, multiple dance groups perform to drummers. While the music I have listened to does not necessarily speak any words but if they did it was usually Iñupiaq. It is made up of mostly chants and dance moves.
The above video is at a celebration called Kiviq. This is a gathering and celebration that occurs every other year where a bunch of different cultural groups meet. All the other villages of the North Slope are invited to several days of singing and dancing, and sharing of food. Mostly, it means Iñupiat dance groups from all over the place, sometimes people even come in from Canada and participate (Wall, 2013). It is usually held in the high school gym as it is a great way to get many people seating with the bleachers.
The positioning of people also matters in how they are trying to portray their story. That is also a major aspect is the storytelling of it all and sharing of knowledge. The dancing is performed mainly by the guys beating the drum and singing and the dancers in front performing the moves. The ladies stand and move their arms while bending their knees to the beat. The guys stand and move their arms and occasionally stomping their feet to the beat of the drum (Jackson, 2017). The music relies heavily on the beat of the drum and the speed of it.
This music will sound different as it has been around for a very long time and does not need to meet any western music standards, has it evolved? yes. But the way these songs are performed and the instruments have stayed the same. At UAF, we have dance groups like Inu-Yupiaq which combines the Iñupiaq and Yupik dance styles and RSS is a big supporter and host of that group. Overall, Iñupiaq music delves into the relationship between storytelling and celebration and if you ever get the chance to go to Barrow during Christmas or 4th of July, that is when they have some of the bigger celebrations and opportunities to see dance groups other than Kiviq every other year.
Wall, Daniel, and Danielwalldammit. “KIVGIQ!!!” Northierthanthou, 2 May 2013, northierthanthou.com/2013/05/02/kivgiq/.
I absolutely love Alaska Native music and dancing, the performances are amazing to me I think because it is so different from what my normal music is. I think next time making it could be cool to see if there are big comparisons between different tribes music, or even looking in Native American in places like the lower 48s music! Good job!!
I really enjoyed your description of Iñupiaq music and its role in storytelling and community. The focus on drumming and movement to convey stories without words is fascinating, and I agree with your appreciation for how these traditions stay connected to their roots while subtly evolving.
It might also be interesting to explore how rhythm and tempo vary to express different themes or how Iñupiaq music compares with other indigenous Alaskan styles, like Yupik dances. Great job capturing the essence of these traditions!
This was really cool! Growing up in Alaska and hearing Alaska Native music from time to time, it was nice to learn a little more about Inupiaq music. Something worth looking at would be timbre of the music, in my opinion the drums and vocals give the music a warm, rich and powerful feel to it.
"Soul Meets Body" by Death Cab for Cutie is part of their album Plans . It is a blend of indie rock and indie pop. It was released August 8, 2005 and written/composed by Benjamin Gibbard and produced by guitarist Chris Walla. The are from the United States. It reached #1 on the US Adult Alternative Songs and #60 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in 2005-2006 (Billboard). While listening to this song, I get swept into the acoustics of the guitar, the catchy melody, and like Elsa Bray wrote in The Independent, ""a melody softly soaring through my atmosphere" summing up the effect it has on its listener." I couldn't agree more. The way this song can be played on repeat and to relate to certain lyrics and interpreting them into your own meaning "...where soul meets body" could have so many meanings to it and for me it means you are meeting yourself where you are. You are becoming one with yourself and learning to "... let the sun wrap its arms a
Hey everyone, my name is Garrett Taylor. I am currently a full-time staff member for UAF and just graduated from UAF this past May with my bachelors in Biological Sciences with a concentration in cell and molecular biology. I enjoy playing video games and board games, reading, and hanging/being around my friends. I have lived in Alaska for around 7 years now. I have lived in Barrow up on the North Slope, Cordova down in Southeast, but I have mainly lived in Fairbanks to attend school and work here. This photo is of me. Unfortunately, I do no play any music. I dabbled with the violin in 5th grade which was roughly 13 years ago at this point? I do enjoy listening to music. Growing up, our car radio was always todays country. Now that I am older, I still listen to country but not nearly as much. I mostly listen to indie and a lot of pop music and todays top hits. As of now I have only been to one concert and it was One Republic and that was a long time ago. I do not even listen to them
"Jenny (I Wanna Ruin Our Friendship)" is by an electropop virtual band called Studio Killers. The band is made up of four members, vocalist and designer Cherry, keyboardist Goldie Foxx, DJ Dyna Mink, and manager Bipolar Bear. Each members true identity is unknown but the bands origin is the United Kingdom, Finland, and Denmark. While the song I chose was released back in 2013, it made a reappearance in 2021 on social media when they re-released it with German artist, Kim Petras. It was written, produced, and performed by the Studio Killers with additional songwriting by Rob Davis (Discogs). The song is 3:36 with a BPM of 134 (Beatport) and a bar signature of 4 beats per bar. "Jenny" charted at #7 on the US Hot Dance/Electronic Songs on Billboard in 2020/2021 as well as #2 on official Finnish charts (Suomen virallinen lista). It is played in the key B major. There are 5 chords when you look at it and they are Am, F, C, Dm, and G. The feeling of the music is a very
I absolutely love Alaska Native music and dancing, the performances are amazing to me I think because it is so different from what my normal music is. I think next time making it could be cool to see if there are big comparisons between different tribes music, or even looking in Native American in places like the lower 48s music! Good job!!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed your description of Iñupiaq music and its role in storytelling and community. The focus on drumming and movement to convey stories without words is fascinating, and I agree with your appreciation for how these traditions stay connected to their roots while subtly evolving.
ReplyDeleteIt might also be interesting to explore how rhythm and tempo vary to express different themes or how Iñupiaq music compares with other indigenous Alaskan styles, like Yupik dances. Great job capturing the essence of these traditions!
This was really cool! Growing up in Alaska and hearing Alaska Native music from time to time, it was nice to learn a little more about Inupiaq music. Something worth looking at would be timbre of the music, in my opinion the drums and vocals give the music a warm, rich and powerful feel to it.
ReplyDelete