ABSTRACT
Looking first at the study of everyday musical life, the contrasting access point of a small-scale, rural, non-Western people, reinforces conclusions found in earlier studies of Western populations and so exemplifies the applicability of those to other social settings. Music’s extra-musicality, then, is a space within which we can exercise critical agency over different parts of our lives, one where we can consider and reconsider the meaning and the ethics of such interconnectivities. In certain settings, hierarchies reserve space where participants can display their skill, memory, or dedication. Elsewhere, music-related energies are deployed more freely, but almost always, those involved were mindful of expectations related to setting, intended function, or personal relationship. As a small, indigenous population, the Bunun were subjected to colonization and then to forced settlement just a few generations ago. Many in the world inhabit less secure environments than the Bunun; many face situations where directly hostile opponents actively seek to deny them a voice.
