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168the singing of the Nootka and Kwakiutl were also discussed by Ida Halpern at the“Centennial Workshop on Ethnomusicology” in 1967: “There are slight polyphonictendencies noticeable. However, to speak of polyphony when there is a slight momentarydiscrepancy of pitch should not be considered true polyphony, but unintentionalpolyphony. Some of the Nootka songs, however, have a more truly polyphonic feelingthan those of the Kwakiutl” (Halpern, 1975:25). Later she notes that polyphonic moments“always occurred the same way in the same song” (pg. 42).According to Keeling vocal counterpoint is particularly characteristic for theCalifornian Indians: “Throughout this area the various tribes also perform seculardances such as Shakehead Dance or the Pomo Ball Dance, and these illustrate the basicstyle of group singing in the region. This music resembles the Northwestern style in thatit is contrapuntal , but the nature of the counterpoint is very different. In north-centralCalifornia, the solo part is augmented by another basically rhythmic part known as “therock.” This is an accompaniment, sung by one person, and the singing itself is called“holding rock”. In addition to the soloist and the “rock” there is rhythmic beating ofclapsticks (played by the singer) and often the sound of whistles blown by dancers, sothat the whole musical texture is fairly complex” (Keeling 2001:415-416). “…Thepresence of vocal counterpoint as a basic element in public singing is one of the mostdistinctive characteristics. While certain types of polyphony have been noted amongtribes of the Northwest Coast, true rhythmic counterpoint is much more prevalent inCalifornia than in other regions of North America. Contrapuntal styles have beendescribed here among the Northwestern and north-central California nations, but othertypes o f counterpoint are also evident in historical sources and archival recordings ofmusic pertaining to certain earlier rituals of Southern California groups” (ibid :418).Another important region for indigenous polyphonic traditions was theEastern Coast. In the Northeast, drone was mostly used. Roberts mentionspolyphonic songs with several singers singing a main melody and others carrying a drone(Roberts, 1936:7). Menomini also used a drone “to help the singers” (Densmore,1939:26). In another interesting case, “ Female informant, wife of a medicine man,helped her husband to sing by standing beside him and singing a drone above hismelody” (Nettl, 1961:359). Therefore, drone could be a top part as well. The Delawareand Fox Indians also used drone in their traditional songs (Baker, 1882:14).Information about polyphony from Southwestern USA is more fragmentaryand only mentions a couple of tribes from remote regions: the Yaqui women sang a veryhigh drone (octave and fifths above the tonic) (Fillmore, 1889:306). The Papago womenalso used a drone above the melody “for the space of three or four measures” (Densmore,1929:14). Call-and-response with the soloist and chorus “stepping” on each other (oroverlapping) in a dance song of the Creek Indians has been eloquently described: “It is ...difficult to divide between where the leader stops and the chorus comes in . . . The moreanimated the dance becomes, the more merged and rapid are the parts. The effect of thisis . . . bordering almost on harmony” (Speck, 1911:162. Cited from Nettl, 1961:360). TheCherokee and Shawnee are also documented to have the same kind of responsorialsinging with parts “stepping” on each other (Nettl, 1961:360).Information on Plain Indian polyphony is also available. And again, we seethe use of drone, sung by women of the Pawnee Indians from the northwest and south