Lesson 2: Suppression of Native American and Indigenous Musical Expression
Lesson Overview
This lesson discusses the suppression of Native American and Indigenous musical expression and shares videos of the kind of music that was banned and has been brought back and repurposed.
Materials to Download
Opening Activity
Return to the exit ticket question from the last class and have them share some answers. Push students a little with prompts such as:
- What if your parents were arrested for going to church?
- What if you were taken from your parents and sent to a boarding school where you were not allowed to listen to your music, sing your songs, wear your clothes or speak your language?
Suppression and Resistance of Indigenous Music
√ Distribute Suppression and Resistance of Indigenous Music handout
- Give students time to read the handout.
- Then, show the video examples shown below of the kind of music that was banned and brought back and repurposed for as time allows.
Big Drum
Black Lodge Singers
Rose Creek Sunset Singers
Hand Drum
Hand Drum Contest – 2019 Gathering of Nations Pow Wow
Chubby Cree at EPCOR Holiday Gala
Throat Singing
Tanya Tagaq – The Sounds of Throat Singing
Beatrice Deer and and Pauyungie Nutaraaluk Throat Singing
Bird Singing
The Birds Singers Live from the Archive NAMAC
Birdsingers
Lesson Closure
Four Corners
Associate each corner of the classroom with one of the acts of resistance below. Ask students to choose a corner based on how they might behave if their music and language was forbidden at school. What acts of resistance might you be most likely to engage in?
- Meet in secret to listen to your music
- Run away to go home
- Organize a protest
- Publicly disobey the rules
Alternative Four Corners. If students do not feel comfortable doing a moving activity, an option could be to have them choose one of the four “corners” and speak on it or write about it quickly.