Nootka Indian Pacific Nw / Var Nootka Indian Pacific Nw / Var CD

The Nootka people, now referred to as Nuu-chah-nulth, live along the coast of British Columbia, Canada, on and around Vancouver Island. Their music shows a clear history of polyphonic tradition, which the liner notes claim to be the earliest instance in the region. Song leaders begin some vocal songs unaccompanied, but then are joined by followers and drum beats. On many tracks, the musicians offer introductions; the inclusion of the spoken word is significant because it gives both a more complete picture of the singer and a glimpse into the cultural significance and meaning of the songs. The fieldwork experience gathering songs in this region was very challenging due to the fact that each individual song was traditionally personally owned, and permission from the owner was needed in order to sing it. Dr. Ida Halpern (1910-1987), an Austrian-born Canadian musicologist who studied not only the Nootka but also several other coastal tribes of British Columbia, collected these tracks. Other recordings by Dr. Halpern include Kwakiutl: Indian Music of the Pacific Northwest, Haida: Indian Music of the Pacific Northwest, and Indian Music of the Pacific Northwest Coast.

1. Canoe Paddle Song 2. Entrance Song #1, or Quiquatla Dance 3. Entrance Song #2, or Calling Song - Quiquatla Dance 4. Medicine Man Song 5. Whale Song 6. Farewell Song 7. Echo Song - Paddle Song 8. Welcome Song 9. Warrior Song 10. Victory Song 11. Farewell Song 12. Wolf Song 13. Sisiutl Song 14. Robin Song 15. Grizzly Bear Song 16. Wolf Dance 17. Victory Song 18. Hinikeets Song 19. Himikitsem 20. Ha Ma Mai 21. Himikitsem (Headdress Song) 22. Mountain Song - Tsho Va Da 23. Invitation Song 24. Tama 25. Sea Serpent Headdress Song 26. Hinikeets - Sea Serpent Song 27. Quiquatla Dance 28. Hamatsa Song 29. Song from the Hopachisat Tribe 30. Comparison of Two Versions of the Welcome Song: Sung at Port Alberni Festivites, 1951 31. Comparison of Two Versions of the Welcome Song: Sung By George Clutesi ; His Port Alberni Group, 1967 32. Clan Song 33. For Topahti / Potlatch Song