Tanzlieder

The Na’vi dance tunes, or pamt­seo tìs­ru­se­wä, which are sung in uni­son by clan mem­bers, are all very simi­lar in cha­rac­ter. The majo­ri­ty of the­se songs are in a duple meter (two or four beats to a bar). Any kind of drum will pro­vi­de a sui­ta­ble accom­p­animent, but log drums, pole drums, small gourd drums, and tree drums are the instru­ments most com­mon­ly used to accom­pa­ny dance. It is also com­mon for the Na’vi to use whiz­zers and small one-pit­ched whist­les, blown for empha­sis during a dance.

Becau­se the Na’vi sing the­se songs while dancing, main­tai­ning the rhythm of the lyrics is con­side­red far more important than accu­ra­te­ly sin­ging the melo­dy. In the live­liest dances, the ‘sin­ging’ is redu­ced to high­ly rhyth­mic and exu­berant chan­ting or shouting.