Reservation Blues #1

Reading the first few chapters of Reservation Blues, I noticed an interesting theme about the importance of music to the Native Americans . For instance, when Big Mom first hears the horse's screaming song, she describes it as "...so pained and tortured that Big Mom could never have imagined it before the white man came, and never understood it later..." (Alexi 9). The fact that Big Mom is able to hear the natural music all around her and feel its emotional power, whether or not she understands it, is remarkable because many people do not have the ability to connect to music in that way. This shows how music is such an essential part of her life that she has come to look for it in all aspects of life, even in the silence that follows a song. Thomas also feels this connection to music through the guitar he obtains through Robert Johnson. The Guitar tells Thomas "Y'all need to play songs for your people...We takin' those two with us" (Alexi 23) because he knows the reservation is missing one of the key parts of its heritage. The fact that even the Guitar is out to create the art of music in the reservation shows how important it is for the Spokane tribe to embrace the musical aspect of their culture in order to become whole and flourishing again. I can relate to feeling this way about music in my own life because I know without music, I would probably be a very unhappy and static person. Music helps give me my vitality and life while keeping me grounded and helping me maintain my perspective. Music is so important to me because it helps remind me who I am and brings me through difficult times in my life.