Music, like any other language that transcends generations, has always been a way to express cultural beliefs and practices, but has also experienced changes over time. It becomes very clear that music is language when we look at powwow-like gatherings of old that, according to Britannica, "existed in most native communities long before the advent of European settlement". (https://www.britannica.com/topic/powwow) At these more 'ancient' gatherings, music was used to communicate success in matters such as war, religious ceremonies, or in the forging of new alliances. It is very interesting to note however, that just like the changes one can observe in a language, the use of music began to take on new purposes and by extension, new forms. These are observable in the intertribal powwows that began to allow for the inclusion of "people from diverse indigenous nations" (https://www.britannica.com/topic/powwow) to interact in events with the same communication tool-music. One modern day example of such adjustment can be seen in this Intertribal Powwow from 4/21/2013. The outfits, movements and the 'dancers' are quite diverse.
Whether we like it or not, languages are always changing. We see the inclusion of new words to the dictionary from time to time, which starts off as small changes, but ends up being significant after a while. Some people do not welcome new changes and adjustments to language, especially when these are first introduced. As I think about this, and the fact that music is a language, I wondered if the same thing happens when traditional music is changed for any reason. From information shared with me by my Nigerian father, I have come to know that music and dance are important in daily Nigerian life. I wondered if tribal dances, like in my father's tribe - Esan, have seen great changes over the years.
To begin my search I read the blogpost of Sister Mary Morajeyo Okewola, "The role of dance in African Culture". (https://www.globalsistersreport.org/news/spirituality/column/role-dance-african-culture) She is a retired teacher and a nun. Sister Mary pointed out that in order to ensure the "accuracy of the movements that will preserve the integrity of culture, each clan in Nigeria has someone devoted to design and pass along the clan's customary moves. Because there are unique moves in each clan's culture, this "dance ace" guarantees that everybody knows what the moves are and how they are to be danced. These instructions are passed down through generations and some have never been adjusted". I wanted to see an example of a gathering with music and dance from my father's tribe, so I found this one called "Esan land dance group":
I then spoke with my father to confirm how traditional the music and dance are in this 2017 video. I also wanted to know, if there were any changes, how the elders would view such changes. He confirmed what Sis Mary said: he told me that the dance seen in the above video is the Asonogun Dance that is one of the oldest, traditional dances that exists only in his tribe. The music involves the use of local instruments like "agogo" and cymbals and the voice melodies of singers who chant in chorus and repetitive chants. He also admitted however, that the music has evolved ever so slightly, but that that elders of the tribe scoff at new rhythms and dance moves when observed.
This leads me to a third question: Is it the change of the instrument over time that would have contributed to any slight change in the music, or are the changes from other influences? This made me wonder what the "agogo", used in Edo State, Nigeria, looks like and the variations of it. I discovered that it's an instrument used around the world, and there may be slight variations to them, depending on how they are made.
