Nootka Indian Music of the Pacific North West Coast

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.

Track Listing

101	Canoe Paddle Song	Peter Webster	01:50
102	Entrance Song #1, or Quiquatla Dance	Peter Webster	02:00
103	Entrance Song #2, or Calling Song - Quiquatla Dance	Peter Webster	09:07
104	Medicine Man Song	Peter Webster	03:57
105	Whale Song	Peter Webster	05:05
106	Farewell Song	Peter Webster	03:24
201	Echo Song - Paddle Song	George Clutesi	02:41
202	Welcome Song	George Clutesi	03:31
203	Warrior Song	George Clutesi	02:20
204	Victory Song	George Clutesi	03:00
205	Farewell Song	George Clutesi	01:50
206	Wolf Song	Mungo Martin	04:04
207	Sisiutl Song	Mungo Martin	02:20
208	Robin Song	Mungo Martin	02:29
301	Grizzly Bear Song	Fred Louis and Ella Thompson	02:07
302	Wolf Dance	Fred Louis and Ella Thompson	02:03
303	Victory Song	Fred Louis and Ella Thompson	01:42
304	Hinikeets Song	Fred Louis and Ella Thompson	03:40
305	Himikitsem	Fred Louis and Ella Thompson	01:40
306	Ha Ma Mai	Fred Louis and Ella Thompson	01:58
307	Himikitsem (Headdress Song)	Fred Louis and Ella Thompson	02:20
308	Mountain Song - Tsho Va Da	Fred Louis and Ella Thompson	02:43
309	Invitation Song	Fred Louis and Ella Thompson	02:34
310	Tama	Fred Louis	03:08
401	Sea Serpent Headdress Song	Frank Williams	02:39
402	Hinikeets - Sea Serpent Song	n/a	02:20
403	Quiquatla Dance	Frank Williams	02:52
404	Hamatsa Song	Frank Williams	01:54
405	Song from the Hopachisat Tribe	n/a	02:10
406	Comparison of Two Versions of the Welcome Song: Sung at Port Alberni Festivites, 1951	George Clutesi	02:16
407	Comparison of Two Versions of the Welcome Song: Sung by George Clutesi & His Port Alberni Group, 1967	George Clutesi	03:35
408	Clan Song	Joe Titian	03:45
409	For Topahti / Potlatch Song	Joe Titian	02:29