{"product_id":"singing-the-songs-of-my-ancestors-the-life-and-music-of-helma-swan-makah-elder-9780806134512","title":"Singing the Songs of My Ancestors: The Life and Music of Helma Swan, Makah Elder","description":"\u003cp\u003eEver since she was a small child, Helma Swan, the daughter of a Northwest Coast chief, loved and learned the music of her people. As an adult she began to sing, even though traditionally Makah singers had been men. How did such a situation develop? In her own words, Helma Swan tells the unusual story of her life, her music, and how she became a singer. An excellent storyteller, she speaks of both musical and non-musical activities and events. In addition to discussing song ownership and other Makah musical concepts, she describes songs, dances, and potlatch ceremonies; proper care of masks and costumes; and changing views of Native music education. More generally, she speaks of cultural changes that have had profound effects on contemporary Makah life.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDrawing on more than twenty years of research and oral history interviews, Linda J. Goodman in \u003ci\u003eSinging the Songs of My Ancestors\u003c\/i\u003e presents a somewhat different point of view-that of the anthropologist\/ethnomusicologist interested in Makah culture and history as well as the changing musical and ceremonial roles of Makah men and women. Her information provides a context for Helma Swan's stories and songs. Taken together, the two perspectives allow the reader to embark on a vivid and absorbing journey through Makah life, music, and ceremony spanning most of the twentieth century. Studies of American Indian women musicians are rare; this is the first to focus on a Northwest Coast woman who is an outstanding singer and storyteller as well as a conservator of her tribe's cultural traditions.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"University of Oklahoma Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50845374021906,"sku":"9780806134512","price":38.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_bbe2d0d4-27f8-4ba0-b543-8da88ae32203.jpg?v=1737349246","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/singing-the-songs-of-my-ancestors-the-life-and-music-of-helma-swan-makah-elder-9780806134512","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}