Authenticity in Fusion Music: A Case Study among Indigenous Churches in Brazil

Indigenous peoples of Brazil have come to faith in Christ in large numbers in recent decades. As Christianity takes root in each culture, it may incorporate expressive forms of music and art, which can range from those identical to earlier cultural forms to those which are fully imported. But what happens when musicians and artists of a local indigenous community fuse elements from a variety of genres and create their own music? Are they just imitations of external forms? Or are they authentic creations from elements that have now become their own sounds, too?

Christian musicians among the Xerente (pronounced Sheh-´ren-teh) have created their own fusion genre(s) to express their faith, communicate the gospel, and edify their churches. Their music includes elements from their cultural tradition as well as from (secular) genres of the northeastern region of Brazil. Is it, then, authentically Xerente? As we discuss in this book, independent of tangible markers or its long history, the authenticity of an art form can be demonstrated through a number of connections with the community and signposted by its meaning and function among the people, as well as the competence and agency of the people in their artistic choices.

Elsen Portugal is the vice president of academic affairs and professor of intercultural studies at Champion Christian College in Hot Springs, Arkansas. He is a musician and lifelong cross-cultural worker. He has authored a number of articles on the topics of worship and arts published in English and in Portuguese. Currently, he is completing the writing of Ethnodoxology: An Introduction in Portuguese, as well developing courses related to this discipline.