The Sacred Hoop: Recovering the Feminine in American Indian Traditions

epetition integrates or fuses, allowing thought and word to
coalesce into one rhythmic whole, which is not as jarring to the
ear as rhyme.
Margot Astrov suggests that this characteristic device stems
from two sources, one psychic and one magical:
… this drive that forces man to express himself in rhythmic
patterns has its ultimate source in psychic needs, for
example the need of spiritual ingestion and proper
organization of all the multiform perceptions and
impressions rushing forever upon the individual from
without and within … Furthermore, repetition, verbal and
otherwise, means accumulation of power. 12
Astrov finds evidence that the first, the need to organize
perception, predominates in the ceremonies of some tribes, such
as the Apaches, and that the second, a “magically creative
quality,” is more characteristic of others, such as the Navajo. In
other words, some tribes appear to stress form while others
stress content, but either way a tribe will make its selection in
terms of which emphasis is most likely to bring about fusion
with the cosmic whole in its group and environment. This fusion
depends on the emphasis that is most congenial to the aesthetic
and psychic sense of the tribe.
One should remember, when considering rhythmic aspects of
American Indian poetic forms, that all ceremony is chanted,
drummed, and danced. American Indians often refer to a piece of
music as a dance instead of a song because song without dance
is very rare, as is song without the use of a drum or other
percussion instrument. One must also note that the drum does not
“accompany” the song, for that implies separation between
instrument and voice where no separation is recognized. Words,
structure, music, movement, and drum combine to form an
integral whole, and accompaniment per se is foreign to the