The divine language of Music

Last week on my lunch break I was feeling a little restless. Some days bullshitting in the break room just isn't appealing. Thursdays (payday-my reason for living) we get an extra 15 minutes for lunch, and I needed to get out and do something to quell my overwhelming boredom. So, I decided to go check out the Museum of the American Indian. I've worked downtown for five years, often passing by this impressive looking building wondering what's inside. There's no admission fee so why not get lost in the silence of the vast exhibit halls for a little while? As impressive (and a bit overwhelming) as the building looks from the outside, it's just as impressive (and a bit overwhelming) on the inside. With two immense floors of exhibits I was sure I wouldn't be able to go through everything on my lunch break, but what I did see was truly impressive and interesting. The intricate carvings, paintings, woven textiles, clothing, headdress, ect. Art and spirituality are so interwoven into the essence of the Native people's culture. It's truly beautiful. I don't think I could adequately express that beauty. Life, death, love, war, peace, all these intricate universal themes expressed so complexly in the simplicity of a carving or painting, or dance.What spoke to me most though, was the importance of music to Inuit peoples. Music is an integral part of their culture and daily lives. Songs are used to express everything from birth, death, marriage, a welcoming to visitors, a successful hunt. Songs are used to express emotions from joy, love, loneliness, hatred, comedy, insults. Individuals have ownership of certain songs as a sign of life experiences. However, some songs were commonly owned, not by any one individual. A person could also give their ownership of a song to another individual as a sign of respect or appreciation. This concept of giving the ownership of your song, your life experience over to another person just struck me as such an immense act of love and respect for that person. It's almost like you would in essence be giving a piece of your soul to someone else to own.
Music has always spoken to me on some visceral level. Awe struck as I have always been by the power music has to divide or unite people. It really is a universal language that transcends cultures or differences. I've always been happiest in my life when I surround myself with it. Whether with the various music lessons I begged my parents to sign me up for as a child, going to a concert, or just listening to the radio, music has always been where I find my peace. Maybe that's why I carried that part of the museum with me above all else. In any case, I was glad I finally endeavored to explore the museum. Maybe one day I'll go back when I have more time and get lost for a little while to see what else I find.