Voice first
In most Apache musical traditions, the human voice is the core of the music, and instruments support it. Singing is often done by a singer or a group of singers, and the beat that accompanies it is not merely background: it keeps the song together and gives it shape. Practices differ between the Western Apache, Chiricahua, Mescalero, Jicarilla, Lipan and Plains Apache, who share a language family but have separate histories and neighbors. A description that fits one community may not fit another.
The water drum
The Apache water drum is one of the instruments most associated with Apache song in public descriptions, particularly in ceremonial contexts. In general terms, it is a small vessel, traditionally a clay pot and later often a metal one, partly filled with water, with a piece of hide stretched tightly over the opening. The amount of water and the tension of the hide affect the sound, which is typically deep and resonant, and makers and players adjust it with care. How the drum is prepared and used in ceremony is not something that outsiders should describe in detail, and this article does not. Players generally learn from experienced people in their own communities.
Water drums are not unique to Apache peoples; similar instruments are found among several other Native nations, with local variations. This is a reminder to name the group when describing a practice and not to assume that a description of one nation’s drum applies to another’s.
Rattles, bells and other sounds
Rattles made from rawhide, gourds or other materials appear in Native music across the Southwest, and Apache communities are known to have used rattles in some settings. Deer-hoof or metal jingles on clothing and regalia add a sound that moves with the dancer, as do tin cones sewn to garments. Hand drums, including the large drums used at modern gatherings, are part of the picture, particularly at events where several nations come together, and the Apache powwow is one setting where Apache singers and drummers may join a broader Native music community.
The Apache fiddle
The Apache fiddle is a one-string instrument usually described as made from a hollowed agave stalk and played with a bow. It is widely documented in Apache communities and is often described as having a gentle, quiet tone. Sources differ about its origin and about whether European stringed instruments influenced its design, so a cautious statement is that its history is debated. It is sometimes played in social settings, and it has become a symbol of Apache musical creativity, with some contemporary makers and players keeping it alive.
Social music and dance
Not all Apache music is ceremonial. There are songs and dances for social occasions, and the Apache social dances found at community events differ by nation and by generation. Some music is borrowed and adapted from neighboring peoples, and in modern times Apache singers and bands have also performed in country, rock, folk and other styles. Treating Apache music as something that exists only in the past misses a large and active musical life.
Recordings and archives
Documenting Apache music has a long and mixed history. Researchers began making field recordings of Native song in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, and archives such as the Library of Congress hold collections that include such material from many nations. These recordings are valuable but were not always made with the full consent of singers or communities, and access to some material is restricted. Many nations now prefer to manage their own recordings through cultural programs, tribal museums and language projects.
For listeners today, the most responsible starting points are:
- Recordings released by Apache artists themselves, including contemporary albums.
- Labels that specialize in Native music, such as Canyon Records in Phoenix, though their catalogs include many nations, and any given album should be checked for the nation it represents.
- Cultural programs and Apache song preservation efforts run by the nations, which sometimes publish selected material.
Some songs are simply not recorded or released, and that is a decision made within communities. A missing recording is not evidence that a tradition has vanished.
Listening carefully
When approaching Apache music, a listener can look for the singer’s name and nation, note whether a piece is intended for public performance and avoid treating any recording as a representation of every Apache community. The music is a living tradition, passed from person to person, and its rhythms and melodies continue to be made today.