There really is no “Amazonian” genre of music–the Amazon is the second longest river in the world and a substantial diversity of people live along its banks and in the forests around it–however, most of the indigenous people who live near the Amazon, make music that finds similar inspiration in nature. For example, the Ticuma, the most populous indigenous group in the Amazon region, celebrate life events with days of dancing accompanied by locally made flutes, rattles made of seeds and a long hollowed log-drum called a “maguaré.” The Yanomami are not known to have a tradition of using instruments to accompany their singing, but since outside visitors introduced flutes they have started making wind instruments out of bamboo or animal bones. Mongabay.com introduces us to the Amazon and some of the people that live around it.
COUNTRY: Brazil, Colombia, Peru
KEY INSTRUMENTS: A capella, hand drums, Flutes
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