American Warriors: Songs For Indian Veterans

From the Label
The compilation of American Warriors was inspired by a 1994 Congressional mandate to create a memorial honoring Indian war veterans. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of this release will be donated to a fund to help create that memorial in Washington, DC. (The fund will be administered by the National Congress of American Indians.)

Album producer and Smithsonian ethnomusicologist Thomas Vennum, Jr. calls the collection "...a concept that was long overdue; a recording whose release would draw attention to the often overlooked participation of American Indians in the United States Armed Forces, and at the same time directly honor Indian veterans by helping to create a national memorial for them." A scholar specializing in Native American music and culture, Vennum feels that the album is "an opportunity to reciprocate for the many favors and services that my Indian friends have granted me over the years. Additionally, it defines nearly a decade of collaboration with Mickey Hart in ethnomusicological matters, specifically in American Indian music." Among the most notable collaborations between Hart and Vennum is the 1992 Rykodisc/360º Productions release HONOR THE EARTH POWWOW: Songs of the Great Lakes Indians -- cited by the Library of Congress as the finest powwow recording ever submitted for consideration for their annual Selected List.

Featuring performances from six tribes -- Ojibway (Chippewa), Menominee, Blackfeet, Hochunk (Winnebago), Kiowa, and Lakota (Sioux), the 13 tracks on American Warriors document more than a century of Native American participation in warfare. Culled from a variety of sources, American Warriors proffers a broad scope of historical recordings. Included are a protective song used by a warrior in battle with former enemies (the sound source of which is a 1910 wax cylinder recording made by ethnomusicologist Frances Densmore), a 1945 radio broadcast of the Kiowa War Mothers' Chapter Singers from the "Indians for Indians Hour" on KTCA in Norman, Oklahoma, and the performance of five previously unrecorded Lakota Victory Dance songs. The latter, which were composed after the Battle of the Little Bighorn and have been kept alive in Lakota oral tradition, are introduced and performed on American Warriors by Edgar Red Cloud, great-grandson of Lakota Chief Red Cloud (who participated in the 1876 battle which saw George Custer's Army forces routed by Lakota and Northern Cheyenne warriors). Also featured are four Winnebago Service Songs, composed to honor each of the major branches of the armed services (Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines), and performed in succession by the Winnebago Sons, of Baraboo, Wisconsin.

Tracks:

War Paint/Soldier Boy
In The South The Birds Are Flying
Lakota (Sioux) Little Bighorn Victory Songs
Carnegie War Mothers' Chapter (Kiowa) Veterans Songs
World War I & II
Canadian (Lakota) Flag Song
American (Lakota) Flag Song
Four Hochunk (Winnebago) Service Song-Army
Four Hochunk (Winnebago) Service Song-Navy
Four Hochunk (Winnebago) Service Song-Marines
Four Hochunk (Winnebago) Service Song-Air Force
Menominee Vietnam Veterans Song
Indian Boys From Desert Storm

Customer Reviews:

Great Native American Music.......2002-01-08

If your looking for some good powwow music, check this CD out. I love it. It provides a great overview of Native American music, focusing in upon songs designed to honor veterans and warriors. One song on this CD is even a wax cylander recording of a war song from Little Big Horn! However, the most interesting songs on here are those from more recent wars in which Native Americans fought and died; namely WWI, WWII and Desert Storm. The music on here honors the brave soldiers who gave their lives defending there homelands, whethe of Native American descent or not. All too often people forget that Native Americans have contributed to this country, and continue to do so even today. This CD honors those who's contributions have too long been ignored. It is a very beautiful and inspirational CD.

A great comemoration album.......1999-05-30

This is a great album not only for American Indian Veterans but American Veterans as a whole. Those who served and those currently serving in our armed forces are true warriors in every sense of the word.

Awarded the Best Record of the year.......1998-08-01

This record is recognized as the best record of the year at the Native American Music Awards for 1997.

World Music: