American Indian Music and Sound

Throughout the Americas music, dance, and sound have been an essential part of the spiritual, cultural, and social lives of Native peoples. Native people have also been involved in various forms of popular music—from jazz and blues to folk, country, and rock.

Music Stories

Martha Redbone with drum Martha Redbone: “Drums”
Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage
saxophone Jim Pepper: Jazz and Native American Melodies
Smithsonian Collections
Joanne Shenandoah In Our Own Voice: Songs of American Indian Women
Folkways Recordings
Quetzal Guerrero Quetzal Guerrero
National Museum of the American Indian
Stevie Salas (Ann Johansson) The Pop Charts' Native Roots
Smithsonian Magazine
Buffy Sainte-Marie, 1968, image courtesy of Nationaal Archief, Den Haag, Rijksfotoarchief: Fotocollectie Algemeen Nederlands Fotopersbureau (ANEFO), 1945-1989, provided through Wikimedia Commons. Up Where She Belongs—An Interview With Buffy Sainte-Marie
Smithsonian Magazine

Collections Sampler

  • Hand drum, probably Lakota (Teton/Western Sioux) , 1860-1870, National Museum of the American Indian
    Painted Hand Drum (probably Lakota)
  • Box Drum, Nishka, 1860-1890, National Museum of the American Indian
    Box Drum with Beaver and Halibut Designs (Nishka)
  • Women's Stomp Rattles, Oklahoma Seminole, circa 1900, National Museum of the American Indian
    Women's Stomp Rattles (Oklahoma Seminole)
  • Panpipes, probably Nazca, AD 200-500, National Museum of the American Indian
    Panpipes (probably Nazca)
  • One String Banjo, Eskimo, 1900-1930, National Museum of the American Indian
    One-String Banjo (Eskimo)
  • Portrait of Esperanza Spalding, 2010, Sandrine Lee, National Portrait Gallery
    Portrait of Esperanza Spalding by Sandrine Lee
Explore Collections Related to Native American Music

Videos

Circle of Dance

October 6, 2012–April 14, 2019 
National Museum of the American Indian in New York

Consistent across time and cultures is the use of the body to communicate and express—to tell stories, participate in the cycles of nature, mourn, pray, and celebrate.

Visit the online exhibition.

Up Where We Belong: Native Musicians in Popular Culture

August 4, 2012–August 11, 2013 
National Museum of the American Indian in New York

July 1, 2010–January 2, 2011
​National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C.

Highlights Native people who have been active participants in contemporary music. Russell "Big Chief" Moore (Gila River Indian Community), Rita Coolidge (Cherokee), Buffy Sainte-Marie (Cree), and the group Redbone are a just few of the Native performing artists who have had successful careers in popular music.

Visit the exhibition page for related content.