Music of the Warao of Venezuela : song people of the rain forest / Dale A. Olsen.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Olsen, Dale A. (Dale Alan)

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Warao Indians--Music--History and criticism.

Warao Indians.

Folk music--Venezuela--History and criticism.

Folk music.

Folk music--Venezuela.

Warao Indians--Venezuela--Music.

Music--Venezuela.

Music.

Warao Indians--Music--History and criticism--Venezuela.

Folk music--History and criticism--Venezuela.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xxix, 444 p. ) ill., maps, music ; 1 sound disc (4 3/4 in.)

Place of Publication:

Gainesville : University Press of Florida, 1996.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Cultural tragedy often accompanies the death of biological species in the South American rain forests. As fragile as the ecosystem is, however, the culture of the Warao Native Americans (inhabitants of the lower Orinoco River delta in Venezuela) continues to thrive. In this lively blend of musicology, anthropology, and environmental awareness, Dale Olsen shows that music holds together much of their existence. For the Warao, who live in a rain forest habitat that remains relatively undisturbed by outside influences, nearly all aspects of life include music; it offers diversion, stability, protection, and power. Olsen divides their musical genres into three categories: music for pleasure, such as dancing; music for utility, including lullabies; and music for theurgy - the largest group, which includes all songs pertaining to cosmology or calling upon supernatural forces. These may include shamanistic songs for curing illnesses or for causing illness and death, as well as songs for love, dreaming, making rain, healing wounds, or for cutting down sacred trees to build large canoes. Olsen provides musical and textual transcriptions of many songs, which are translated, explained, analyzed, and included on an enclosed compact disk. He presents detailed information about Warao musical instruments, relating them to mythology, describing them (with numerous photographs), and placing them in their circum-Caribbean context.

Contents:

Introduction: fieldwork and musical contexts. Field method ; Native contexts for music ; Shamanism and other native musical/spiritual specializations

The Warao: canoe people of the rain forest. The setting and the people ; Warao cosmology and religion ; Warao view of life and death

Musical background of the Warao. Music for pleasure ; Music for utility ; Music for theurgy

Musical and sound-producing instruments. Descriptions, origins, and myths ; Masters of musical instruments ; Crosscultural correlations

Songs for pleasure. Dakotu song styles and culture dynamics ; The Dakotu dance context: Hohomare (Maremare)

Lullabies: songs for utility. Hoerekitane song style ; Hoerekitane song texts

Wisiratu shaman songs. The Wisiratu teachers ; Wisiratu shamanism ; Wisiratu apprenticeship songs ; Hebu illnesses: their causes, symptoms, and treatments ; Wisiratu curing songs ; A Wisiratu shaman's curing ritual performance

Bahanarotu shaman songs. The Bahanarotu teachers ; Bahanarotu shamanism ; Bahanarotu apprenticeship songs ; Bahanarotu curing songs ; The song of the creator bird of the dawn

Hoarotu shaman songs. The Hoarotu teachers ; Hoarotu shamanism ; Hoarotu inflicting songs ; Hoarotu curing songs

Hoa curing songs. Hoa as musical and physical therapy ; Hoa curing songs and the singers

Hoa magical protection songs. The animals, the ogres, and the song style ; Hoa magical protection song texts

Hoa magical love songs. Nisahoa ; Marehoa ; Marehoa music and song texts

Magical songs for canoe building. Large canoe construction: the song style and the ritual ; Small canoe construction: the song style and the process

Religious festival music. Nahanamu ; Habi sanuka

Power as music, music as power. Power as conversation: naming ; Power as music: voice masking ; Power as music: thirdness foundation interval ; Power as music: repetition ; Power as music: multipart singing ; Power as music: melodic expansion and microtonal rising ; Music as power: states of consciousness ; Music as power: the belief system ; Music as malevolent power: the myth

Conclusion: "Ah, such beautiful music!".

Sound disc includes: Traveling song with ehuru drum, Talejo Tovar (1:18)

Two muhusemoi flutes, nahanamu festival music (:49)

Two isimoi clarinets, hahanamu festival music (2:02)

Ensemble music (muhusemoi, isimoi, hebu mataro, sewei) and dance from nahanamu festival (3:07)

Two versions of dakotu dance song "Iboma Sanuka" (3:20)

Dakotu dance song "Naniobo" (2:05)

Two hoerekitane lullabies (2:15)

Wisiratu shaman curing song (2:15)

Wisiratu shaman curing duet (3:00)

Wisiratu shaman curing song (1:55)

Wisiratu shaman curing ritual (12:53)

Bahanarotu shaman apprenticeship song (2:15)

Bahanarotu shaman curing ritual (2:08)

Bahanarotu shaman "Song of the creator bird of the dawn" (4:50)

Hoarotu shaman inflicting ritual (3:15)

Hoarotu shaman curing ritual : solo (3:45)

Hoarotu shaman curing ritual : duet (5:03)

Hoarotu shaman curing ritual : trio (5:43)

hoa curing song for hatchet cut (1:00)

hoa curing song for snakebite (1:26)

hoa curing song for snakebite (1:36)

hoa curing song for birth complications (2:50)

Magical protection hoa song against transformed agouti (2:33)

Marehoa magical love song (2:32).

Notes:

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

0-8130-2315-7

Publisher Number:

heb05914 hdl