I noticed in a Pow Wow I attended that the shaman was pretty much dressed the same as I was except that he was equipped with a hawk or owl wing and fanned smoke all over the room the festivities would be held in.
It wasn't until recently that I figured out how he got the high pitch in his voice while reciting what appeared to be a prayer or blessing. He must have suffered then what I am suffering now. It's the only thing that makes sense. He must have had a large kidney stone.
I know that there has been a time or two that I came close to that pitch in my recent kidney stone adventure. Feeling like one is being gutted from the inside out with a dull knife makes for many new vocalizations you didn't know existed in you before. The Doc already took care of one of them, but has to go back in tomorrow at oh-dark-thirty to blast one or two more with ultrasound to get the rest of them out.
Natives didn't have this ability in the distant past, so I figure they just had to live with their malady, thus making the shaman the perpetual noisy one of the group. This tells me the tribes were very resourceful in use of their manpower, however, I will be extremely happy to conclude my blessing everything in sight and returning to my quieter, reflective existence post haste!