General > Frauds
Passing as Native Musicians
critter - a white non-ndn person:
My 2cents. As an avid music lover. Yes, I've heard DSE and I even have 1 maybe 2 of his cd's.. packed in a box somewhere or I'd dig them out and look them over.. maybe I will anyway, just take me a day or two to go through the boxes..
Anyway, thing is, is if I had looked at the cd in the store, and saw it was some white guy playing Native flute, I would not have bought it. So, he had to have had *something* in there to make me think I was buying Native flute player music.
I'm a little picky about my music, not saying a white person couldn't or wouldn't be able to play Native 'style' flute, because I do believe 'music' has a certain 'calling'.. but, I wouldn't buy without hearing it first, as I would be more inclined to buy without hearing if I believed the player was Native. However, having said that.. I do like the cd I have, and am glad I purchased it.
However, I would not have without hearing it first if I'd known he was not Native. Because, I believe 'music' is in some ways, like 'spirits' and in this context, in what I'd read earlier on the board, of 'spirits' 'belonging' to one or another culture, the spirit of the music does as well. Doesn't mean I don't believe they (music and spirits) cannot be with some other, .. I mean, who am I to say what a music or spirit is going to choose to do? But, I would not buy Native flute music played by a white guy unless I'd heard it first.
I'm picky about my music. I think most of the radio music these days is void of anything but a lot of noise. To me, music, real music, comes through when no one is looking, or acting the part, it is a humble player who plays for the music, and not for the audience.
So, if you look at in the regard that I purchased because I believed he was Native, then it was fraud. But I'll have to dig out the cd (it's an old one) and take another look. Maybe I missed something on it..
BlackWolf:
I think the Nammys ( Native American Music Awards ) uses the Self Identification Criteria. So basically anyone can learn to play a Native American flute, get good enough at it and win a Native American Music Award.. Considering the fact that virtually every white person in the South Eastern United States claims to be part Cherokee, than we're talking about A LOT of people that would qualify under the self identification criteria. . I think if people want to identify as a Native American Musician, then it should be based on some reasonable evidence. Not necessarily that you have to be enrolled with a Federally Recognized Tribe, but at least that one can REASONABLY say that your Indian. I think in a sense, all of these questionable claims have really tarnished the industry.
Critter said
--- Quote ---Anyway, thing is, is if I had looked at the cd in the store, and saw it was some white guy playing Native flute, I would not have bought it. So, he had to have had *something* in there to make me think I was buying Native flute player music.
--- End quote ---
I think Critter has a very good point and I don't think that she is the only one that thinks this way either. When someone walks into a Music Store or somewhere else, and they want to buy Native American Music, then I would assume that they want music that is actually performed by a Native American Musician. Its just like if I wanted to purchase authentic Tibetan Music, I would want that music to be performed by actual Tibetan people. Even though others could probably replicate Tibetan Music fairly accurately, it would never be the same thing as listening to the “Real Thing”. The other part of it, is that I know cases of Real Indians, who come from Traditional Comminutes who are being cut out of the market by these questionable “Native American Musicians”.
Diana:
I looked up the membership application and nomination submission form on the nammy website and there is nothing specific about nominee's being Indian. But on the entry forms, page 3, it does ask for Tribal Affiliation and a Tribal Community Reference. I also noticed on page 6 under catagory guidelines at the bottom it has this: NATIVE HEART For an artist of non-native heritage who has contributed to an eligible recording.
It seems a little confusing, hmmm.
http://www.nativeamericanmusicawards.com/howtonominate.cfm
http://content.bandzoogle.com/users/wwwnativeamericanmusicawardsco/files/NAMA11-Submission-membership-forms.pdf
Lim lemtsh,
Diana
critter - a white non-ndn person:
Well, as far as 'nammys' and 'grammys'.. that's the music industry.. and I think they have a different look at it in terms of sales, more or less. Some very talented people will never see an award, because they aren't on the music charts. I personally have a itch about the entire music industry and how they exploit music to the point that half the stuff 'available' to people is canned and modeled and many times it's just replication of what sold before.. once in a great while a real music will surface in the industry and make the charts.. but not often enough for my tastes.
So, it is not surprising to me that anyone who can 'sell' their music can get an award. It doesn't matter if the person playing is white, native, black, or whatever.. what matters is that the 'consensus' among the industry and industry followers agree that it's the best and gets the award.
I've heard crap music get such awards and I can't believe it. Therefore, I never watch the grammys, nammys or any such shows anymore. Not when I've heard music that blows them out of the water.. but is never played on the 'charts' because well, you have to pay people to play your music on the radio, and if they play it a lot, then the general public thinks it must be a good song because it's played 30 times a day.. ho hum.. Sorry, my rant.. just don't like the industry. And I don't put much credit on what they 'sell' with their awards..
edit: I should add that I throw the 'nammys' in here with the 'grammy' type shows because I'm so turned off from these types of shows.. however, I can't say I ever saw the 'nammys' so maybe it is a different setup and not about the dollar and mass public brainwashing...
bls926:
BlackWolf, I'm not saying that hanging out with Indians, dressing like an Indian, getting your picture taken with Indians, will make you Indian. The point I was trying to make is that we don't know that John Two-Hawks isn't Lakota and obviously there are many who do accept him. Before we label someone a liar and a fraud, we need facts. So far, we have none.
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