Seminario Artosundscapes: 'The Voice of the World'. Sonic Ontologies in Native California

In this presentation D. Robinson will proved a sketch of Native Californian concepts of sound, hearing, voice and ontology by focussing on the polycultural region of South-Central California. Here He looks at ethnographic accounts of the region to understand how Native Californian’s perceived different forms of sounds as different kinds of agency. For instance, He will consider the use of bullroarers by the Chumash and detail experiments on the objects production of movement and sound. Equally He incorporates recent Native Californian concepts of song and sound through his collaborative work with the Tejon Indian tribe. This involves experimental work at the rock art sites of Pleito and Echo working with Jake Hernandez, a singer for the Tejon tribe, to consider the sonic possibilities of rock art and sonic agency. Finally, this research highlights the deep importance of the Native voice in the revitalisation of both rock-art and wider society.