Chicken scratch
Template:Short description Template:About Template:Indigenous music of North America Chicken scratch (also known as waila music) is a kind of dance music developed by the Tohono O'odham people. The genre evolved out of acoustic fiddle bands in southern Arizona, in the Sonoran Desert. These bands began playing European and Mexican tunes, in styles that include the polka, schottisch and mazurka.<ref name="polkaetal">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }} Pulse of the Planet also mentions cumbia as a more recent influence</ref>
Chicken scratch, however, is at its root an interpretation of norteño music, which is itself a Mexican adaptation of polka. Many chicken scratch bands still play polka songs with a distinctive flourish, and may also play the waltz or conjunto.<ref name="polkawaltzconjunto">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Chicken scratch dance is based on the "walking two step or the walking polka and the emphasis is on a very smooth gliding movement";<ref name="Pulse of the Planet">Pulse of the Planet</ref> dancers may also perform the mazurka or the chote, though no matter the style, it is always performed counterclockwise.<ref name="americasstory">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Chicken scratch is usually played with a band including alto saxophone, bass, guitar, drums and accordion,<ref name="americasstory"/> though the original style used only percussion, guitar and violin, with the accordion and saxophone added in the 1950s.<ref name="violin">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }} (in French)</ref> Its home is the Tohono O'odham Indian Reservation, Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community and Gila River Indian Community.
The term waila comes from Spanish bailar, meaning to dance.<ref name="means594">Template:RoughGuide</ref> The term chicken scratch comes from a description of traditional Tohono O'odham dance, which involves kicking the heels high in the air, which supposedly bears a resemblance to a chicken scratching.<ref name="Pulse of the Planet"/>
The most famous performers are likely the Joaquín Brothers, Los Papagos Molinas with Virgil Molina,<ref name="means594"/> and Southern Scratch.<ref>Southern Scratch. Template:Webarchive Canyon Records (23 April 2009)</ref> The Annual Waila Festival in Tucson, Arizona, is well-known,<ref name="americasstory"/> as is the Rock-A-Bye Music Fest in Casa Grande, Arizona. Canyon Records and Rock-A-Bye Records are the best known labels for the genre.
In 2011, a "Best Waila" category was added to the Native American Music Awards.<ref name="bestwaila">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>