Essential Understanding #1: Native American peoples have maintained their diverse and dynamic identities through continued practice of their lifeways and artistic expressions. These lifeways adapt and change in response to social, economic, and environmental changes and factors.

Essential Understanding #2: Indigenous peoples have created music since Time Immemorial but have often been intentionally excluded in music/arts education even as much of contemporary music has Native influences.

Essential Understanding #3: “Understanding artwork provides insights into individuals’ own and others’ cultures and societies, while also providing opportunities to access, express, and integrate meaning across a variety of content areas.”(Arts CAS Conceptual Framework)

Essential Understanding #4: Explain how connections to varied contexts and daily life enhance musicians’ creativity, performance, and response. Music Standards High School Composition Theory Strand