A brief history of the term "Native American" and how it has been applied to both traditional American Indian music and European-based Native American music, putting them both into one nondescript "Native American" pool, leading to a loss of identity for traditional American Indian music.

Originally written for the Santa Fe Powwow program book to help the new listener understand and appreciate the nuances of Plains Indian singing, this short article provides a running start.

A paper discussing the history of recording American Indian music from the early cylinders in 1890 up to the recording scene in 1988. Discusses early field collectors, early and present Indian record companies, differences in recording philosophy, and the oral tradition and Indian recordings. Presented at the 31st Annual Meeting of the College Music Society, Santa Fe, New Mexico, October 20, 1988.