Studies on the Northern Aché, an indigenous group from Paraguay, have produced intriguing findings with respect to their attachment to music. This study reinforces the significance of dance and lullabies in their culture. The study, published in Current Biology, highlights that the loss of these cultural practices among the Northern Aché may challenge the notion that such behaviors are universal human traits. This research was guided by a devoted team under the direction of anthropologist Hill. Between 1977 and 2020, they lived with these Northern Aché communities for more than 120 months.
The Northern Aché’s distinctive musical traditions sharpened into clarity as the researchers explored how their cultural practices changed over the course of 30 years. Acute population loss has taken a toll on their lively musical traditions. Moreover, exposure to outside, non-corrupting forces, such as their former Paraguayan missionaries, has contributed to this renewal. The study raises questions about the universality of dance and lullabies, suggesting these behaviors may not be as inherent to humanity as previously believed.
Cultural Shifts Among the Northern Aché
The Northern Aché have gone through dramatic shifts in their cultural practices relatively recently. The introduction of external influences, especially from missionaries, forced them to adapt their style and customs. Although new forms of singing were adopted, the dynamic world of dance and expressive forms of infant-directed song that flourished in the old world mostly disappeared.
Hill’s longitudinal observations contributed to the insight that singing among the Northern Aché largely takes place as a solo pursuit. Adults often enter into very few contexts for singing, except possibly for singing in church. This last finding is particularly notable as it goes against conventional wisdom. Most people culturally conditioned as Westerners will agree that communal expressions of music are important in all cultures.
“Aside from church singing introduced by missionaries, Northern Aché adults sing alone and in a limited number of contexts,” – Manvir Singh
The individual focus of singing suggests a unique way of understanding music for the Northern Aché. Unlike most other cultures, they might not view music as a collective experience. Hill’s portrait of their music-making practice shows a community bending and reshaping to fit the terms of new realities, but keeping features of their identity intact.
Impact of Population Decline
The study also considers how historical population decline among the Northern Aché contributed to the erosion of traditional cultural practices. During these eras of intensive and extreme population displacement, a lot of these practices, like shamanism and horticultural practices, disappeared. This decline likely played a role in diminishing practices like dance and lullabies, which are often integral to cultural continuity.
Hill’s years of fieldwork made clear that children in the Northern Aché community frequently imitate adult songs. Yet this mimicry occurs only in so many specific contexts, underlining the lack of shared musical experiences that have eroded.
“It’s not that the Northern Aché don’t have any need for lullabies,” – Singh
From the scientists’ perspective, lullabies have never stopped being a practical tool to calm babies. For them, there’s little more than a surface need for these practices that hangs in the air, unactualized, in the cultural atmosphere of today.
Challenging Universal Assumptions
These results put pressure on our cultural narrative that assumes dance and lullabies are universal to all humanity. In the past, practices positively reinforcing responsive caregiving have been viewed as evidence-based, universal tenets of the human experience backed by cross-cultural research. Singh noted this paradigm shift in understanding:
“Dance and infant-related song are widely considered universal, a view that has been supported by cross-cultural research, including my own,” – Singh
In short, the study makes a compelling case that humans are biologically inclined toward musical expression. How these behaviors manifest can vary widely from culture to culture. Singh stressed that this doesn’t rule out other evolutionary adaptations for music.
“This doesn’t refute the possibility that humans have genetically evolved adaptations for dancing and responding to lullabies,” – Singh
The artistic collaboration between Hill and Singh highlights the need to preserve and document these unique cultural expressions. Singh remarked on Hill’s observations, stating,
“I found his observations totally fascinating and hugely important and urged him to publish them.”