Stephen F. Duncan, DMA - Duncans@ziavms.enmu.edu
Eastern New Mexico University
Portales, NM USA
Popular version of paper 4aMUb6
Presented Thursday morning, December 5, 1996
Third Joint ASA/ASJ Meeting, Honolulu, Hawaii
Embargoed until December 5, 1996
Construction techniques used in making gourd rattles for the Kiowa Tia Piah Society (a hereditary warrior society) are examined. As a member of the Memphis Tia Piah Society (a clan of gourd dancers which can trace its foundation to the Kiowa nation), this writer has been privileged to observe firsthand many of the current customs. Tribal elders, headmen, and friends have provided much information about those ancient customs from which these are derived. This work draws upon both written and oral tradition as well as research done as a participant-observer for a number of years. A brief history of the Kiowa Tia Piah Society is provided. Gourd rattles in their various forms are some of the oldest musical instruments found on the Plains. Currently gourds are made from traditional bottle gourds, small tin cans, large (military) salt shakers, and metal tea balls. An anthropological emic model has been followed throughout. The Second World War was a turning point for many Native Americans. The indigenous peoples who were drafted into the military served with great distinction. The military experience was a great leveler allowing native soldiers to be the equal of whites. Even to the point that they were allowed to drink alcohol at local bars -- remember there were still laws against this in the U. S. The plains tribes found a way to translate the old ways into useful modern ways (Rhodes, 1984).
The warrior societies which had been set aside during the allotment and assimilation period were reorganized. Fortunately there were people left who still remembered the old ways and the old songs. Women again sang songs of victory (War mothers' Songs) and men sang songs of brave deeds. The warrior societies found a logical and useful extension in serving veterans returning from the Second World war. Much like the non-Indian veterans organizations (e.g. Veterans of Foreign Wars and American Legion) these societies honored the returning soldiers (Boyd, 1981).
Native Americans began writing new songs -- songs of the deeds of the valiant soldiers, songs of mothers for their absent sons, songs of honor much like the old days. A new type of song emerged, the flag song which took the same place as the National Anthem.
Among the reorganized societies was the Tia Piah Society. Members of Tia Piah Society (Kiowa warrior society) were still alive who remembered the old days and the old songs. They passed those on and re-established the society as a veterans' organization. As time has gone on it has developed into an important part of the Pow Wow circuit and has engendered an intertribal social dance -- the gourd dance. Primarily a dance for veterans and their families, this dance is found throughout the various nations in the United States.
When a young man had distinguished himself enough to be considered a man he might be taken in by one of the six warrior societies. Three of these societies still exist today: The Tia Piah Society (within this also existed the Koitsenko or the ten bravest warriors). Members of this society were the protectors of the tribe. Referred to by other tribes as dog soldiers, these men were willing to lose their lives in defense of the people. They dance with a gourd and a fan. Their emblems are the bandoleer made of silver and mescal beads and a blanket made of red and blue trade cloth. The Kiowa have passed this society on to other tribes as an intertribal veterans dance (Boyd 1981)
According to the Kiowa, this type of dance comes to us from Red Wolf (Ku-ee-Goodle-tey) who gave it is a gift to a brave young warrior. He asked the young warrior to pass it on to other brave men and to protect the people. The society was called Tdien-pei-gah (presently Tia Piah) which means skunk berries. There are several conflicting stories about the origin of this term, but no one is certain how it came to be applied to the gourd dancers (Boyd 1981, McDermott, 1996).
The Kiowa Tia Piah Society holds its Annual during the Fourth of July South of Carnegie, Oklahoma. Members of the Kiowa Tia Piah Society and other clans which owe their existence to the Kiowa Tia Piah (Memphis Tia Piah Society and Gulf Coast Tia Piah Society to name two) gather together to celebrate the dances of the society. The communication which occurs between the younger and older members of these two societies takes two basic forms. First, there is the formal interaction. This included the gathering of the boys with Grandfather Rabbit and their service at the Annual. Second, there is the informal interaction between younger people and older people throughout the gathering.
The Annual truly begins with a religious service preceding the actual dances. Native American Church members arrive early and make preparations for honoring Doyem Daw-k'hee. This service is led by elders and asks blessings of Jesus and His Father upon the gathering and all the participants. It is usually includes a smoke. This sets the tone of the entire gathering. Younger men attend the services and the young boys spend time with Grandfather Rabbit. In an informal way families gather to renew friendships and discuss how the previous year has gone. During the informal gatherings, the elders are given places of honor, the younger folk listen attentively and join in discussion while the younger ones play together impromptu games.
During the following day, Gourd Dancing is done under the direction of the headmen of the Kiowa Tia Piah Society. It is easy to identify these four headmen as they each wear a distinctive turban made from otter fur and bring with them their lance. These four lances are then driven into the ground in a row inside the circle (dance arena) next to the drum which occupies the center of the arena. Each headmen usually place his feather bonnet upon his lance after it has been driven into the ground. These lances serve as the symbol of their authority. A headman may choose to honor someone during a given dance session by inviting them to dance with their lance. If so, the lance is removed from the ground and grasped in the honoree's right hand throughout the song. The society members will dance after the starting song. The headman directs the dancers -- none may rise until he rises, none may enter the arena until he enters the arena.
The head dancer is always a man of some standing within the community. He is honored as are all those worthy of esteem. The members dance in a large circle around the central drum. This drum is the focus of the universe -- the still point around which the world turns. The women dance behind the men in a larger circle. During the Gourd Dance sessions, the boys of the Rabbit Society serve as helpers. The Rabbit Society gathers together every day under the tutelage of Grandfather Rabbit to learn more about the history of the society and how to be a human being. Grandfather Rabbit teaches these boys the history of the Kiowa through stories. The boys gather around him and willingly listen to his stories.
The Society takes a leisurely dinner break where friends and relatives take time to just talk. The children play, the young men meet the young women, the elders talk and tell stories and generally everyone has a good time. Families put together dinner and invite their friends to come and partake in it -- no one goes hungry and no one goes without someone to talk with. It is during this unstructured time that the young and old play together -- always with respect and always having fun. It seems that the elders have almost as much fun watching the young ones play as the young ones have while playing. It is interesting to note that although each generation has been raised with different values in the majority culture, the common experiences of the Annual bond them together much more than is often the case in the majority culture. The young people often play hand held video games, something not thought of in the days of the elders. The elders do not seem to look down on this, but often have bought the games for the children. The generations bridge the age divisions created in the majority culture through this interaction during the annual (Oyer and Oyer, 1976).
Hard-shell bottle gourds (Largenaria siceraria) have been used throughout the world for centuries. They make excellent water carriers and can easily be shaped into numerous useful implements. Perhaps the oldest musical instrument found on the plains was a gourd with the seeds dried inside of it. The construction technology is occurrant; the available materials are shaped with the available technology (all of which is at a relatively low level) (McDermott).
The modern gourd rattle is composed of two major parts: a wooden rod and some sort of hollow container. The hollow container (the gourd) is pierced so that the rod can extend entirely through it. The rod is conical at the top end so that the gourd can not be pushed past a selected point. Once filled with beans, seeds, shot or beads, the gourd is tied into position to the rod. Various decorations are added including peyote beading of the handle and the endcap, leather braid on the handle and feathers or horsehair at the top.
Many fine Native American artists are producing gourds for use in the gourd dance societies. The popularity of ornamental gourds for decoration and of hand crafted gourds for dancing has made it difficult for the artists to keep up with the demand for their work. The quality of the beadwork and of artistic designs applied to a gourd add much to its value, but musically the instruments are so designed as to please the ears of the individual dancer (McDermott).
References
Boyd, Maurice and Pauahty, Linn (1981). Kiowa Voices: Ceremonial Dance, Ritual and Song, Volume I. Fort Worth, Texas: The Texas Christian University Press,.
_____ (1983). Kiowa Voices: Myths, Legends and Folktales, Volume II. Fort Worth, Texas: The Texas Christian University Press.
Cozad, Leonard, Sr. Commentator (1975). Kiowa Gourd Dance Volume 1. Taos, New Mexico: Indian House. [Sound Recording and commentator's notes]
Jaimes, M. Annette, ed. (1992). The State of Native America: Genocide, Colonization, and Resistance. Boston: South End Press.
McDermott, Maura. (June 1996) "Spirit of the Gourd: The Kiowa's cultural future may be tied toa 4,000-year-old crop." Oklahoma Today, Volume 46, Number 4, pp.32-9.
Mishkin, Bernard. (1966) Rank and Warfare Among the Plains Indians. Seattle: University of Washington Press.
Nye, Captain Wilbur Sturtevant. (1937). Carbine and Lance: The Story of Old Fort Sill. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press.
Oyer, Herbert J., Ph.D. and E. Jane Oyer, Ph.D. ed. (1976). Aging and Communication. Baltimore: University Park Press.
Rhodes, Willard (1984). Music of the American Indian: Kiowa 2nd edition. Washington D. C.: Archive of Folk Culture/ Library of Congress. [Sound Recording and author's notes]
Society for Ethnomusicology (1994). A Manual for Documentation Fieldwork and Preservation for Ethnomusicologists. Bloomington, Indiana: Author.
Takaki, Ronald (1993). A Different Mirror: A History of Multicultural America.. Boston: Little, Brown and Company.
Biography
Stephen F. Duncan, OCCA b. 1961. D.M.A. (Sacred Music) - University of Memphis. B.A., B.M.E., M.M. Southwestern Oklahoma State University at Weatherford.
Dr. Duncan is an assistant professor of music at the School of Music at Eastern New Mexico University in Portales, New Mexico.
He is a member of the Memphis Tia Piah Society. He is currently the secretary for the Southwest Chapter of the Society for Ethnomusicology.
He has presented workshops on diversity for:
The National Meeting of the AAC&U (Association of American Colleges and Universities), Jan. 1995;NMMEA (New Mexico Music Educators Association) Jan. 1995;
The NAMT (National Association of Music Therapists) convention, Nov. 1994;
The 4th Annual International Conference on Advanced Materials in Cancun, Mexico; and
The Southwest Regional Meeting of the Society for Ethnomusicology (1996).
Dr. Duncan is a priest of the Orthodox Catholic Church of America, serving as pastor of Holy Wisdom Orthodox Community in the Diocese of the Southwest.