Did you know that the Fort Mojave Band is thought to be the oldest among Native marching bands?
When you hear the phrase "Native American music" you may not think of tubas, trumpets and Sousa marches. Yet this rich musical tradition has been a part of Native American culture for over one hundred years.
Combining profiles of contemporary bands with fresh historical research, Sousa on the Rez: Marching to the Beat of a Different Drum offers viewers an unexpected and engaging picture of this little-known Native music scene. The documentary challenges viewers to expand their definition of Native American music and broadens their understanding of contemporary Indian life.
About this film
The phrase "Native American music" may not suggest tubas and trumpets, but march music by composers like John Philip Sousa has been a part of Native culture for over a century. SOUSA ON THE REZ: Marching to the Beat of a Different Drum is a half-hour documentary that looks at the vibrant but little known tradition of brass band music in Indian country.
The film profiles two contemporary Indian community bands: the Iroquois Indian Band from upstate New York and the Fort Mojave Tribal Band based in Needles, California. The documentary traces the origins of these groups to their founding over a one hundred years ago and uncovers a secret history of the 20th century when "all Indian bands" toured the US and abroad.
SOUSA ON THE REZ features interviews with some of today's leading Native scholars, including Philip Deloria (University of Michigan), Rayna Green (National Museum of American History) and award-winning musician and educator R. Carlos Nakai. The film also features John Troutman (University of Louisiana) who has written extensively on the topic of Native brass bands.
SOUSA ON THE REZ: Marching to the Beat of a Different Drum is a co-production with Native American Public Telecommunications and is produced in association with the Center for Independent Documentary. This documentary will be made available to public television stations nationwide in January 2013 by American Public Broadcasting.
The Bands
SOUSA ON THE REZ: Marching to the Beat of a Different Drum profiles two contemporary Indian community bands: the Iroquois Indian Band from upstate New York and the Fort Mojave Tribal Band based in Needles, California. In addition to these two tribal bands, the Navajo Nation and Zuni Pueblo also host vibrant bands.
In the 1800's and 1900's, dozens of Indian bands existed in the United States. Most Indian boarding schools had their own bands, including the band at the Carlisle Industrial School in Pennsylvania.
School bands were not the only Native groups performing marches and parade music; many tribal communities organized their own community bands that performed for both Native and non-Native audiences.
Professional ensembles toured both the US and abroad – providing employment opportunities for musicians in a time when opportunities for Native people were limited.
As march music became less popular, many of these groups disbanded. Today, four multi-generational community-based tribal bands remain, carrying on the rich tradition of Sousa on the Rez.
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Ha ha , my dad is going to like this . He loves jps