Native American Music Shoshone

  1. The Shoshone Indians were far-ranging people. Different bands of Shoshoni Indians lived in what is now Idaho, Nevada, Wyoming, Montana, Utah, and even parts of California. Most Shoshone people still live in these areas today. How is the Shoshone Indian nation organized?
  2. Most Beutiful Flute I have ever heard. It is from an American Indiginous tribe The Shoshone. Pictures and quotes from their culture are also on this video.

The Kickass Native American Rock Bands Music History Forgot. Which included members of the Yaqui and Shoshone tribes, were not the only American Indians who. It’s that a Native American.

The Shoshone Indians are a tribe of Native Americans who traditionally lived in the western half of what would become the United States. They were a large tribe that are seen to be split up into three parts, the Western, Eastern, and Northern Shoshone, and their territory consisted of areas of Utah, Nevada, Wyoming, Idaho, Colorado, California, and Montana. The majority of them lived in the area of the Snake River in Idaho, leading to their nickname of the 'Snake Indians,' however Shoshone actually means 'The Valley People.'


Their lifestyles changed dramatically with the arrival of Europeans, with the expansion of white men into the west claiming more land. Settlers in Ohio caused some fighting, leading to the Shoshone being pushed back and restricted to less and less area, even into lands that had never traditionally been their own. American expansion continued, however, and soon the Shoshone were pushed all the way to Idaho, where they fought back harder than ever. The Bear River Massacre, in 1863, saw the United States Army attacking the Shoshone, leading to the death of at least two hundred Shoshone. In 1878 the Bannock War was the last straw and the last of the Northern Shoshone surrendered soon after.

The Shoshone were given a plot of reservation land in Idaho known as the Lemhi Indian Reservation in 1875, among other reservations in surrounding areas. The Western Shoshone were particularly stubborn in regards to obeying the orders of the United States, declaring their own sovereignty, and because of this there are many Shoshone who are still waiting for their tribe to become federally recognized. Their pre-contact population was approximately 8,000, though there are now at least 30,000 Shoshone in the United States.

Shoshone women

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Music plays an integral role in the daily life of Native Americans.

Music plays an integral role in the life of Native Americans. It is used for ceremonial purposes, recreation, expression, and healing. There are many different instruments used when making Native American music, including drums, flutes, and other percussion instruments. Perhaps the most important element of their music is the voice.

Vocals are the backbone of the music made in Native American cultures. Unusual, irregular rhythms and a somewhat off-key style of singing is used. No harmony is ever incorporated, although sometimes many people sing at once, and other times the vocals are solo. The Native American vocals are passionate, used to invoke spirits, ask for rain or healing, or are used to heal the sick. In most cases, the men and women of the tribes sing separate songs, and have their own dances. The men typically dance around in a circle, while the women usually dance in place.

Native American Music Artists


Many researchers feel that Native American music is some of the most complex ever performed. The tensing and releasing of the vocals combined with varying drum beats makes it a very intricate form of art. Another interesting item of note is that every region of the country where the Native Americans had settled produced greatly varying forms and sounds of music. With so many different tribes, the music produced is always unique to its specific group.


Shoshone Native Tribe

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Shoshone Indians Live

Generally, Eskimo music has been touted as being the most simple of all of the Native American music styles, while the Hopi, Pueblo, and Zuni tribes of the Southwestern part of the country have been known to produce much more complex sounding music. The emotion invoked from Native American music has been a great influence in modern folk music. In addition, tribal music is still very popular among music fans, and Native American CDs sell fairly well, even in today’s modern climate.

Native American Music Shoshone Indians


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