Using Multimedia to Expand the Audience of ... - Richard Repp

Using Multimedia 32
customs in their religion, art, and music. There is a need to update the archives of the
developments of Huichol music, as both ethnomusicology and technology have
undergone transformations within the past twenty years with the goal of improving
procedures and outcomes. The digital technology of the World Wide Web, the Internet,
and multimedia allows flexibility and durability in this process. This multimedia project
intends to promote a better understanding of this culture through the utilization of wideranging
technological developments available to enhance ethnographic collections.
Huichol History
While there is relatively little documentation regarding Huichol music,
available literature describes their religion, embroidered clothing (see Figures 11 & 12),
folk art (see Figures 13, 14a & 14b), and language of this indigenous group. The Huichol
currently maintain their distinctive religion and cultural dress, minimally influenced by
the Spaniard’s conquest and colonization of Mexico.
Figure 11. Attire of the Huichol violinists
Huichol, as a close-knit farming community, deems every member as essential
to the survival of their society. Referring to themselves as Wixárika or Wizrarika, (a