The place of indigenous music

[Gerard Willemsen]

Music is the language of a culture, and near the heart of the people. For Sami, that is the traditional sami chant, the yoik. But the use of yoik in church is controversial among even Sami. Some are yoiking, to praise the Lord, and the yoik is bearing their praise to the heavens. Others however associate to other things related to prechristian religion and find it difficult to hear it in a Chrsitian context.
Personally I can aprreciate yoik and many other kinds of music, which, I feel, can be used to praise God. But it may not become a dividing issue. We must find a good balance. We try to do that in the Sami setting, and I think we find our way there, but it would be interesting to hear from other experiences as and how you use indigenous music forms in church.

Gerard

[hushasha40]

There are currently about a dozen Native American missions in the Episcopal Diocese of Minnesota. Our histories are tied in with the great American missionary movements of the middle and late 19th century. Currently, I attend All Saints' Episcopal Indian Mission, one of only a handful of Episcopal mission serving Native Americans in urban settings within the USA. While Episcopal missions on Dakota and Ojibwe reservations in Minnesota, South Dakota, and North Dakota have been singing Dakota and Ojibwe hymns (that is traditional European/American music with Dakota or Ojibwe lyrics), for most of their histories, it is at urban missions like All Saints' where the challenge to inculturate liturgy has begun. A big part of this challenge is continuing to sing the traditional Dakota and Ojibwe hymns as well as to now retranslate the Dakota and Ojibwe hymns back into English to better understand the Native theologies pronounced within the hymns. For example, in a Dakota hymn, the term "Wanikiya" is used in the hymns which can be translated as "the source of all life," referring to God. Since most Dakota in Minneapolis do not speak their tribal language anymore after generations of forced assimilation, this project is opening up many Native Americans to a better understanding of their own people's references and perceptions of God. It is undoing the violence inherent with the "conversion" processes that the Church long used (and some denominations still continue to insist upon) to disinherit Native Americans/First Peoples from their God-given understandings of life and their place within creation.

While some communities on reservations still insist on "leaving the drum at the door" when entering the church, All Saints' and other urban missions are much more welcoming of inculturating liturgy with drum songs, using sage smoke, dancing, and the use of Native American prayers in Native languages and English.

[Gerard Willemsen]

Exciting to learn what happens over there. That is the direction we want to go as well.
Just a wondering from someone who does not know: what is sage smoke?
Gerard

[hushasha40]

There are various types of sage. Most people are familiar with common sage (salvia officianalis) which is native to Europe and the Mediterranean region and is used in cooking. White sage (salvia alpiana) and many types of sagebrush (artemisia) are native to North America and are ceremonially used by Native Americans. The smoke produced by burning the dried leaves and stems of sage and sagebrush is regarded by many Native Americans as purifying and cleansing. Other plants such as sweetgrass (Hierochloe odorata) (also called "buffalo grass") and cedar are also used for ceremonies. However, various tribe and individuals hold certain of these plants as more spiritually significant than others. For example, a Lakota friend of mine maintains that sweet grass is used more for protection, whereas sage is simply purifying and soothing.

[Gerard Willemsen]

Thanks! The latin names give me the clue to which plants they are. Did not know that sage was used that way.
Gerard

[Gerard Willemsen]

hushasha40 said:

the challenge to inculturate liturgy has begun.
While some communities on reservations still insist on "leaving the drum at the door" when entering the church, All Saints' and other urban missions are much more welcoming of inculturating liturgy with drum songs, using sage smoke, dancing, and the use of Native American prayers in Native languages and English.

We are very much struggling with the inculturation process ourselves. As I stated before, the use of traditional yoik, a highly personal chant, is controversial in the northern part of Sámi land. I find it a beatiful way of expressing prayer and worship, because it is so personal. But in certain areas Sámi associate with "paganism". It is really a struggle how to go forward when both feelings are present in the church. We do not want to hurt anyone who feels bad about yoik, but I would at the same time stimulate inculturation.
This is not as problematic at all in churches outside the Sámi core area.
Nevertheless, I try to make use of both yoik and other Sámi symbols whenever possible, but always being prepared to talk about it and to explain why.


The drum is more difficult still. A drum in church is OK, but a Sámi drum is another story. Again, the problem is associations (people do not associate the popular african drums with anything). And the bad associations some have have of course their ground in what the church has teached before. We really created the difficulties ourselves.

Would be interesting to learn from some more peoples experiences.

[mtnfreak68]

I am Sami-Lenape (which is an eastern woodland), but grew up with Ojibway and Mohawk cultures and am just now learning about what it is to be and worship as a Sami and Lenape. I have worshipped as an Indigenous Christian for about 8 yrs now as an Inidgenous person - drum and all and have found that reading books by Richard Twiss (Wiconi) and learning songs by Jonathan Maracle (Brokenwalls) to be very healing and empowering.

I use sage often and occasionally cedar and sweetgrass and my prayer life would likely be less committed and powerful without it.

The only time I have seen these things used in a church though is while at Christian Indigenous Gatherings...I would love to start a Sami church that would be very cool!!

I wish that I knew or could learn to joik because I would do it for sure...there are few things as powerful as praising God in your own culture.

[Gerard Willemsen]

Well welcome to this forum to start with! And thanks for your comment!

Indigenous music is not used much in churches, but I have seen it in some churches. I was at one church in the US having a separate room for Lakota services, and this room had many Lakota symbols, I thinbk they alse use sage. I'm sure there are more churches but not many. I have experienced the use of sage once, during my one and only visit to the US. I know many Christians would object, but for me it was a new but powerful experience, very positive.

We try to use Sámi traditions in our church over here, like yoik. I know there is a DVD for learning yoik, can't remember the title just now. I did see it in Kautokeino the other week. You should be able to find it on the Internet.
Do you have any contacts with other Sámi in your area? Where are you located?

[erinanne]

Hello:

I just signed in the 15th day of November 2016. I noticed no new postings for several years and this site may be abandoned. What is prayer? A topic that keeps returning for me to examine.
I discovered my mothers' tounge this last year. Something I learned in the North American Native "Sweat Lodge" or Church of America, is to know our "Center"...where we come from...
our people...our tribe......our mother tounge. For many of us we need to go through many generations to find the answer to these questions. I have been in search of since 1997 and only this year
through DNA testing to give a location, could I even come close. And now my mother and I know and have so many family mysteries answered. I know my center now. Where my blood comes from. Who I am.
Being babtized episcapol/evangical luthern.. The christian faith of my Sami linieage, has been a journey for sure. We do not talk to the animals!!!! I can understand the misperception because we develope communication with them.
However that works. I just now understand my behavoirs as a child that were condemend by most adults. And one of them was the mimicking of the songs and sounds of birds, dogs, and any other creature that pipped
or peeped. I yoiked everywhere I went, hushed for the "Loudness" when I would find a place that would get the greatest vibrations from my efforts. My Grandmother so gently showed me that I could continue that in Church. I was 5. But I could not sing alone or from my soul anymore. This was me as a childs perception. But my blood was 6 generations from my homeland and I did not know I was only expressing the natural order of things from the people I come from.
Jesus Christ has helped us survive...until we could thrive again without oppression....Do you really believe that time has come? hmmm In the sweat lodge, we leave the drum at the alter (in front of the door) until it is time to bring them in along with clappers, flutes, etc....We sing our songs from our soul in prayer. We worship, we praise, we humble and ask for grace. We are grateful, we find lost love, we weep in grief, our song is heard. And we all have a christian influience of teachings that enter the lodge with us. Is it not time you let the drums come in?