ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book explains particular musics of particular peoples at particular times or for particular purposes. It discusses 'world music' in which 'indigenous musics' often play a considerable part. The book also discusses the emergence of all things and entities that are related to and constitutive of the human world in the chants and chanting of particular performances. It deals with a challenge to broaden and deepen engagement with indigenous religious musics beyond the boundaries of single minded devotion to narrow academic disciplines. The book demonstrates the value of a fully participative and experiential engagement with researched communities. It examines the place of music in ritual as signifier and exemplifier of cyclical and linear patterns of cultural construction among the Maasai. The book also examines the music of the Mescalero Apache girls' puberty ceremony by talking about her introduction to this community and music.
