John W. Johnson Traditional Music Recordings (Indiana University)

The John W. Johnson Traditional Music Recordings is an archive of traditional music that was recorded by John W. Johnson at SOMAC, Muqdisho, Afgooye and in the Sool region of Somalia from February to October 1987.

These collections include Somali poetry, with recitations of a multitude of genres, religious music associated with Ramadan, recreational poetry and songs, welcoming and children's songs, modern Somali poetry sung mainly in heelo (hees) genre, with a few examples of early heelo, Wiglo, and Dhaanto genres, mainly on topics of politics and love. Also included are interviews on the history of modern Somali poetry.

There are 102 sound cassettes: analog, 1 7/8 ips + documentation and 77 named informants and 21 unidentified vocals. The collection was deposited at the Archives of Traditional Music by Johnson in 1989.