When creating my sound piece around indigenous sonic work I have to be careful not to appropriate this culture and heritage. By appropriate their auditory sonic practice this would be exploiting centuries worth of heritage without understanding or having lived their culture. Equally, I want to express the preservation of the first nation Powwow celebration and its continuing traditions to this day. Due to these hesitations, I decided to form a piece of auditory documented work; sampling historical sounds and interviews taken from first nation indigenous people themselves.
Other sound artists such as Alan Lomax, Sarah Koenig, and Chris Watson have all used sound to document their own stories. Their work blurs the lines between journalism, art, and narrative while providing a distinctive viewpoint on social, environmental, and cultural concerns. They immerse listeners into fascinating auditory environments through their precise artistry, which effectively captures the spirit of a moment in time, a location, or a community. The success of these sound artists resides in their capacity to challenge standard narrative techniques and broaden the boundaries of aural creativity while also emotionally and intellectually engaging listeners.
As a whole I wanted my documentary-styled sound piece to reflect the strength of heritage and community within first nation culture. When the music begins to drown out the interviews I wanted this to be heard in a positive stroke of optimism; highlighting its power and strength. The variations of the powwow song drown out Native Americans talking about their struggles and oppression living as an indigenous society. However, with the music overpowering this sonically it indicates the forceful connection powwow holds on preserving heritage. Within my research, I found the first ever recorded Powwow song which felt vital to include. Below are the first 15 seconds of the sound piece I am working on.