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INDIAN STORY AND SONG
FROM NORTH AMERICA

INDIAN
STORY AND SONG

FROM NORTH AMERICA

By
ALICE C. FLETCHER

Holder of the Tbaiv Felloivsbip
Peabody Museum Harvard Uni-versity

Boston

Small Maynard & Company

Publishers

Entered at Stationers' Hall

MY INDIAN FRIENDS

from whom i have gathered

Story and Song

5b»)'> V

PREFACE.

At the Congress of Musicians held in connection
with the Trans-Mississippi Exposition at Omaha in
Julyi l8g8f several essays upon the songs of the North
American Indians were read, in illustration of which
a number of Omaha Indians, for the first time, sang
their native melodies to an audience largely composed
of trained musicians.

This unique presentation not only demonstrated the
scientific value of these aboriginal songs in the study
of the development of music, but suggested their avail-
ability as themes, novel and characteristic, for the
American composer. It was felt that this availabil-
ity would be greater if the story^ or the ceremony
which gave rise to the song, could be known, so that,
in developing the them,e, all the movements might be
consonant with the circumstances that had inspired the
motive. In response to the expressed desire of many
musicians, I have here given a number of songs in
their matrix of story.

Material like that brought together in these pages
has hitherto appeared only in scientific publications,
where it has attracted the lively interest of specialists
both in Europe and America. It is now offered in

PREFACE

a more popular fornti that the general public may share
with the student the light shed by these untutored
melodies upon the history of music ; for these songs
take us back to a stage of development antecedent to
that in which culture music appeared among the an-
cients, and reveal to us something of the foundations
upon which rests the art of music as we know it
to-day.

Many of the stories and songs in this little book are
now for the first time published. All have been gath-
ered directly from the people , in their homes ^ or as I
have listened to the earnest voice of the native priest
explaining the ancient ceremonials of his fathers.
The stories are close translations^ losing only a cer-
tain picture squeness and vigour in their foreign guise ;
but the melodies are exactly as sung by the Indians.

Indian myths embodying cosmic ideas have passages
told in song J tribal legends have their milestones of
song, folk-tales at dramatic points break into song ;
but into these rich fields I have not here entered. This
collection reveals something of the wealth of musical
and dramatic material that can be gleaned outside of
myth, legend, and folk-lore among the natives of our
country.

Aside from, its scientific value, this music possesses

PREFACE

a charm of spontaneity that cannot fail to please those
who would come near to nature and enjoy the expres-
sion of emotion untrammelled by the intellectual
control of schools. These songs are like the wild
flowers that have not yet come under the transforming

hand of the gardener

ALICE C. FLETCHER.
Peabody Museum,

Harvard University.

CONTENTS.

Story and Song of the He-dhu^-shka .... 3

Story and Song of IshM-buz-zhi 14

Story and Song of the Leader 21

The Omaha Tribal Prayer 26

Story and Song of the Bird's Nest 30

A Trysting Love-song 34

Story and Song of the Deathless Voice ... 39

Story and Song of Zo^v^-zi-moa^-de 45

Love-song. Poetical Transcription by Miss E. D.

Proctor 49

Story and Song of the Wren 53

The Omaha Funeral Song 57

Story and Song of the Mother's Vow .... 61

A Love-call 68

A Game Song from the North-west Coast . . 70

Story and Song of the Indian Coquet .... 74

An Old Man's Love-song 77

Story of the WE^-TOiv Song 81

A Pawnee Love-song 86

Story and Song of a Warrior 88

The Mocking-bird's Song 94

A Song of the Ghost Dance 96

Sacred Songs of Peace loi

Comforting the Child 108

Music in Indian Life 114

The Relation of Story and Song 120

LIST OF SONGS.

Pagb.

The Insignia of Thunder (Omaha) 6

The Warrior's Prayer (Omaha) 9

The Laugh (Ponka) 13

ISH^-i-BUZ-ZHi. Dance Song (Omaha) 18

The Leader's Song (Omaha) 24

Tribal Prayer (Omaha) 29

The Bird's Nest (Pawnee) 33

Trysting Love-song (Omaha) 36

The Deathless Voice (Dakota) 42

Zoiv^-zi-MOA^-DE (Omaha) 45

Love-song. Poetical Transcription by Miss E. D.

Proctor (Omaha) ^o

The Wren (Pawnee) 54

Song to the Spirit (Omaha) 58

The Mother's Vow (Dakota) 66

A Love-call (Omaha) 69

Game Song (Vancouver's Island) 72

The Indian Coquet (Omaha) 75

An Old Man's Love-song (Omaha) 78

We-'-toa^ Song (Dakota) 84

Love-song (Pawnee) 87

A Warrior's Song. Mi^-ka-thi (Ponka) 92

Mocking-bird's Song (Tigua) 95

Song of the Ghost Dance (Arapaho) . k . . . 98

Choral. Sacred Song of Peace (Omaha) 105

The Gift of Peace (Otoe) 107

Kawas, thy Baby is crying (Pawnee) 109

xiii

LIST OF SONGS

Pags.

Thy Father is coming (Pawnee) iii

Look Up (Pawnee) 113

Prayer for Rain (Mexico) 123

KwAKiUTL Song (British Columbia) 123

XIV

INDIAN STORY AND SONG

STORY AND SONG^ OF- T«t:'%':"
HE-DHU'-SHKA.*

It had been a warm September day ; and I was rest-
ing in my hammock, swung from a wide-spreading
tree that stood near the tent of my Indian host.
We had partaken of our evening meal beside an out-
door fire. The mother was busy clearing away the
supper dishes, the men had gone off to look after
the horses, the children had fallen asleep, and I lay
watching the shadowy darkness come out of the east
and slowly pursue the glowing trail of the retreat-
ing sun, thinking of the Indian's imagery of night
ever haunting and following upon the track of day,
seeking to gain the mastery. I was aroused from
my musings by hearing the mother say, *'It is
chilly!" for the fire had died down, and the deep
blue of twilight was all about us.

She dropped beside the embers, blew them into a
feeble blaze, threw on fresh wood, that crackled and
sent up a shower of sparks and soon bright yellow
flames illumined the under side of the branches
beneath which I was swinging.

The call of the fire summoned one tall form after

* In the Indian words and vocables the voweU have the continental sound. G is
hard, as in ^^ ; ^ is like ih in the ; ih, as in thin ; « as in French en.

;: ; INDIAN STORY AND SONG

bother otit of tbe dusky surroundings, and around
the blazing logs robes were spread here and there,
on which the men reclined. By and by the women
came and dropped down near the fire, and added
the treble of their voices to the deep tones of the
men, as the chat of the day's occurrences went on.

It was a peaceful, picturesque scene upon which I
looked ; and by very contrast my thoughts reverted
to the preceding evening, when I had attended a
meeting of the He-dhu'-shka, society composed
of warriors. The gathering had been in a large
tent; and, as the night was warm, the bottom of the
tent cover had been lifted to let the breeze blow
through. This had given an opportunity for the
crowd outside to look within and watch the cere-
mony and the dramatic dance. To the right of the
door, in two circles around the drum, sat the choir of
men and women, all in their gala dress. Each mem-
ber of the society, wrapped in his robe, with meas-
ured steps entered the tent, and silently took his
seat on the ground against the wall. The cere-
mony had opened by the choir singing the ritual
song which accompanied the act of charring the
elder wood with which the face of the Leader was
afterward to be painted. As memory brought back

THE HE-DHU'-SHKA

the scene in vivid colours, — the blazing fire in the
centre of the wide circle of muffled warriors, the
solemn aspect of the Leader awaiting the prepara-
tion of the elder wood, and his strange appearance
after the painting of his face, — I pondered wonder-
ingly as to what it all might signify. In my per-
plexity I spoke from my hammock to one of the
elder men in the group before me : —

** Grandfather, I wish you would explain to me
the meaning of what I saw yesterday at the He-dhu'-
shka Society. Tell me why the Leader put black
on his face."

My friend was accustomed to my questionings,
and all eyes were turned toward him as he replied :

**The Leader put the black cloud over his face,
because the black cloud is worn by Thunder when it
comes near to man. The song sung while this is
being done tells that the Leader is making ready
and impatiently awaits the commands of the ap-
proaching god of war. "...

This is the song which accompanied the prepara-
tion and the putting on of the insignia of the thun-
der god. The music is expressive of the tremulous
movement of the leaves, of the flying of the birds,
of the stir of all nature before the advancing storm,

PUTTING ON THE INSIGNIA OF THE
THUNDER GOD.

Omaha. He-dhu' -shka.

Harmonized by Prof. J. C. Fillmore.

Mysteriously and with Agitation.

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Non-g'dhe dhe-te hi-dha-ki-un te dhon-hi-de,
Double Drum Beat.

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Non-g'dhe dhe-te hi-dha-ki-un te dhon-hi-de,

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Non-g'dhe dhe-te hi-dha-ki-un te dhon-hi-de

in.n i iin

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Utt PedT

PUTTING ON THE INSIGNIA.

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Non-g'dhe dhe-te hi-dha-hi-un te dhon-hi-de,
F ^ P

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Non-g'dhe dhe-te hi-dha-ke-un te dhon-hi-de.

H— Try t—J^ ^y "^"^^

/w.

INDIAN STORY AND SONG

typifying the stirring of the heart of man when sum-
moned to fight the enemies of his people.

At the close of the song and ceremony of blacken-
ing the Leader's face, I had seen the Leader take
the pipe belonging to the society, fill it, and rever-
ently lift the stem upward.

"When the Leader's face is painted," continued
the old man, '*he offers the pipe to Wa-ko«'-da
(god). The words of the song then sung mean:
Wa-ko«'-da, we offer this pipe (the symbol of our
unity as a society). Accept it (and us). All the
members must join in singing this prayer, and after-
ward all must smoke the pipe."

**The He-dhu'-shka Society is very old," contin-
ued my friend. "It is said to have been in exist-
ence at the time when the Omahas and the Ponkas
were together as one tribe. There is a song with a
dance which must be given at every meeting. It
is to keep alive the memory of a battle that took
place while we were migrating westward, and where
defeat would have meant our extermination as a
tribe. I will tell you the story.*

"One morning the tribe, whose country had been
invaded by the Ponkas, made an unexpected assault

* The translation given is by my collaborator, Mr. Francis La Flesche.
8

PRAYER OF THE WARRIORS BEFORE
SMOKING THE PIPE.

Omaha. He-dhu* -shka.

Harmonized by Prof. J. C. Fillmore.

strt

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Wa-kon-da dha-ni ga dhe ke, Wa-kon-da dha - ni
Double Drum Beat.^ -#- :> =>

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ga dhe ke, Wa - kon-da dha - ni ga dhe ke, E-

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ha dha-ni hin ga we dho he dho.

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INDIAN STORY AND SONG

upon the camp of the invaders. For a time it
seemed as though the Ponkas would fare badly at
the hands of their assailants, who were determined
to drive out or destroy the intruders; but after a
desperate struggle the Ponkas pushed their enemies
back from the outskirts of the village, until finally
their retreat became a rout. Both sides suffered
great loss. The ground was strewn with the dead,
and the grass stained with the blood of the warriors
who fell in the battle; but the victory was with us,
and we had conquered the right to dwell in that
country.

*'At the outset of the conflict a man bent with
age emerged slowly from the door of one of the
tents. The breezes played with his long white
hair as he stood leaning on his staff, shading his
face with one hand and looking intently in the
direction whence came the noise of battle. As he
recognised the voice of a warrior rushing to the
fray, imitating as he ran the cry of some animal
(his tutelary god), the aged man called after him :

** *Once more! Once more be the undaunted
warrior you have hitherto been! Utter aloud your
mystic cry, and make the enemy to tremble with
fear!'

THE HE-DHU'-SHKA

"If a youth passed by, singing his death song,
the old man would ask : —

** *Who is that young man? He promises well.*
Upon being told whose son he was, the aged man
shouted : *Ho-o ! You have the spirit of your father.
Be like him : turn not your face from the foe ! '

**A11 day the old man stood at his door as though
rooted to the ground. As the hours sped on, fainter
and fainter grew the shouts and the cries of the con-
tending men, until finally the sounds died away.
Even then the venerable man moved not from his
tent, but still stood watching. Lower and lower
dropped the sun toward the western horizon, and all
through the village anxious faces were turned in the
direction whence the last sound of the fight had
been heard. Suddenly a woman cried, —

** * There they come ! '

*'At her words the old man leaned forward,
straining his dim eyes to discern the distant figures
on the far-off hill. In single file, on the warriors
came, one preceding another, according to the grade
of the honours he had won in the battle. The Her-
ald hastened forth from the village to meet them
and to learn their tidings. After a halt he turned
and came on in advance of the men, shouting as he

INDIAN STORY AND SONG

came near the village the names of those who had
fallen in battle. As each name was called, the
wife or mother of the slain man rent the air with
sudden cry and wail, so that the whole village vi-
brated with the sound of sorrow as the victorious
warriors drew near. In the midst of all this com-
motion the aged watcher remained motionless, giv-
ing no sign of emotion as the wailing grew in vol-
ume, and stirring not even when he heard the names
of his two sons called in the long death-roll.

*'As the warriors entered the village., the Herald
proclaimed the names of those who had distinguished
themselves in that memorable fight. Slowly the
men of valour approached their aged chief, who
bowed acknowledgment as each one spoke and laid
at his feet a trophy of war.

** Among the veterans came a young warrior, who,
in this his first battle, had, in a hand to hand con-
test, wrenched a club from the grasp of his antago-
nist, and had slain the enemy with his own weapon.
This club he presented to the old man, recounting
the deed. The chief, lifting the weapon, exclaimed
with a dramatic laugh : 'Ha, ha, ha ! It is thus you
should treat your enemies, that they may fear you.
My exhortations to our young men have not fallen

THE HE-DHU'-SHKA

on deaf ears. Those who sought to destroy our
people lie scattered and dead on the ground.
Wherever their shadows may wander, even there the
fear of you shall be. The enemy sought to make
me weep, but I laugh. * And the old man danced
to his triumphant laugh for the victory of that day. '*

SONG OF THE LAUGH.

Ponka. He-dhu'-shka,

Ha, ha, ha ha ha ! Ha ha ! hi hi ! ha ha ! hi !

So this was the meaning of the monotonous song
that had accompanied the opening dance I had seen
at the He-dhu'-shka Society, where the dancer, with
body bent and with short rhythmic steps, had kept
time to the dramatic laugh of the song, — a song
that had seemed so aimless to me only the night
before.

** Every song of the Society has its story which
is the record of some deed or achievement of its
members," said another old man who was lying
beside the fire. **I will tell you one that was
known to our great-great-grandfathers," and rising
upon his elbow he began : —

THE STORY AND SONG OF
ISH'-I-BUZ-ZHI.

**LoNG ago there lived an old Omaha Indian couple
who had an only child, a son named Ish'-i-buz-zhi.
From his birth he was peculiar. He did not play-
like the other children ; and, as he grew older, he
kept away from the boys of his own age, refusing
to join in their sports or to hunt with them for
small game. He was silent and reserved with
every one but his mother and her friends. With
them he chatted and was quite at ease. So queer a
little boy could not escape ridicule. The people
spoke of him as one 'having no sense,' and it
seemed as though he would have no friends except
his parents and a few women intimates of his
mother.

** During the long winter evenings, when the old
men who came to his father's lodge talked of bygone
times and told tales of ancient heroes, this silent,
seemingly heedless boy caught and treasured every
word. He noted that the stories said that the
mighty men of early days were armed only with
clubs. He mused on this fact, and determined to
make himself such a weapon. So he fashioned a

ISH'-I-BUZ-ZHI

four-sided club, practised with it in secret, and
kept it constantly with him. He was well laughed
at because he clung always to his club and would
not learn the use of the bow; but he kept his own
counsel, and, as the years went on, no one knew
that the Sparrow-hawk had talked to him in a
vision, and that he had become possessed of two of
its sacred feathers.

"One day when Ish'-i-buz-zhi had grown to be a
man, he heard a group of warriors discussing plans
for an expedition against a tribal enemy. He de-
termined to go with them ; but he said nothing, and
silently watched the men depart. That night he
stole away and followed the trail of the warriors.
In the morning one of the servants of the war party
discovered him and reported to the Leader, who
ordered that he be brought in. When the men saw
that it was Ish'-i-buz-zhi, they joked him, and asked
why he who cared only for the company of old
women had come to them ; but the Leader rebuked
the warriors and received the youth kindly, and,
when he found that the young man was not properly
provided with clothing, bade his followers to fit him
out from their own supplies. They obeyed, and they
also made him a bow of ash and gave him some arrows.

INDIAN STORY AND SONG

** After many days' travel the party drew near to
the enemy. A scout discovered their camp and re-
ported having seen one of their men. At once the
warriors prepared for battle, putting on the sacred
paint and divesting themselves of unnecessary gar-
ments, which they handed over to Ish'-i-buz-zhi to
take care of during the fight. But the young man
had his own plans, and went to the Leader and asked
permission to go and look at the enemy. With
many cautions not to give an alarm and prevent sur-
prise, the Leader consented, and off Ish'-i-buz-zhi
started.

*' Catching sight of the enemy, he threw away
his bow, and, armed only with his club, rushed
suddenly upon the foremost man, overthrew and
killed him. When the war party came upon the
scene, they saw with amazement what he had done,
— how by the might of his single arm he had killed
the Leader of the enemy and scattered his warriors.

**0n the return of the Omaha men to their village
the Herald, according to custom, proclaimed the
deed of Ish'-i-buz-zhi. The old mother sitting in
her tent heard his words, and called to her husband:

" *What is this that I hear.^ Go you out and

learn the truth. '

ISH'-I-BUZ-ZHI

*' *It is only their ridicule of our boy,' said the
old man, loath to stir.

*' The Herald cried again, and the old man arose
and stood at the door of the tent. Then of a truth
he learned that, single-handed, his son had van-
quished the enemy. Again and again did Ish'-i-
buz-zhi join war parties, and he was always the
foremost to meet the enemy and to scatter them
with his club.

"Many tales are told of him ; for he was fond of
joking, and was often absent-minded. It is said
that his wife was skilled in embroidery, and would
decorate his moccasins with fine porcupine quill
work; and it disturbed her to see him put them on
to go out of a morning when the dew was on the
grass. So she took him to task for his thoughtless-
ness.

** 'While the grass is wet,'" said she, ** *carry
your moccasins in your belt. *

**He obeyed; but he forgot to put them on when
the grass was dry, and came home with feet bruised
and sore, and his moccasins still in his belt.

"But these peculiarities no longer provoked ridi-
cule, as when Ish'-i-buz-zhi was a boy; for as a man,
generous and strong, he was beloved by the people.

DANCE SONG. (Ichibuzzhi.)

Omaha. He-dhU'Shha,

Harmonized by Prof. J. C. Fillmork.

Presto. Light and Spirited.

T^r^

y t t P -

?-^-F-H t ^^

Ni - ka wi - ta wa-gun-dha ti - be - no,

A A A A A A

/V<f. Lightly, but with Emphasis. :}c /V^.

i^^ -H-^tiri^-q=l^

Ni-kawi-ta wa-gun-dha ti- be-no, Ni-ka wi-ta

T'^^.

*,y

P^rtli '^^ M

wa-gun-dha ti-be-no, Ni-ka wi-ta wa-gun-dha

DANCE SONG.

Pa rs ^f

Ich - i-buz-zhi dha-da e dhin-ke de, Ni-ka wi-ta

w=r^

iu i iir^::»nn

wa-gun-dha ti- be-no, Ni-ka wi-ta wa-gun-dha

:fe Sr^* Ped.

P^^^^^fc

ti-be-no, Ni-ka wi-ta wa-gun-dha ti-be-no.

A A A A A A

INDIAN STORY AND SONG

The child who had feasted on tales of the old
heroes had in his manhood reproduced their brave
deeds. So it came to pass that, when danger threat-
ened, it was to him that the people ran for help;
and he never failed them."

The song refers to one of these appeals. An
alarm arose, and to Ish'-i-buz-zhi, sitting in his tent,
the people cried, *'The enemy comes and calls for
you, Ish'-i-buz-zhi. "

STORY AND SONG OF THE LEADER.

After many years of warfare the Omaha tribe
made peace with the Sioux. One bright autumn
day it was suggested that, in order to show their
friendly feeling, a party of Omahas should visit the
Sioux tribe. So the men and women made every-
thing ready for the long journey.

Tent covers and camp belongings were fastened
on trailing travaux, ponies were laden with gayly
painted parfleche packs, containing the fine gar-
ments of the people and the gifts to be presented to
the Sioux. Soon the motley-coloured line could be
seen winding over the rolling prairie. The young
men, mounted on their spirited horses, dashed off,
racing with each other to attract the attention of the
maidens, who could only follow with their eyes, so
closely guarded were they by the elder women.
Old men jogged along in groups, talking to each
other, their lariats dragging through the grass, now
and then snapping off the head of a wild flower or
catching in a tangle of weeds. Boys made the air
ring with their laughter, as they slipped off their
ponies to shoot their small arrows at some imagi-
nary game. It was a scene full of careless pleasure
and happy movement under a cloudless sky.

INDIAN STORY AND SONG

When nearing the Sioux village, the people
paused beside a stream to wash off the dust of
travel, to put on their gayest attire, and to newly
paint their hair and faces. The prairie was their
vast dressing-room, and friendly eyes were their
mirrors. Young men decked each other, and girls
slyly put on touches of finery. Every one was mov-
ing about and busy, from the oldest man to the
youngster captured from play to be washed and
painted. At last the transformation was complete,
from the dun, every-day colour to the brilliant hues
of a gala time. Now messengers were despatched
with small bunches of tobacco, tied up in bits of
bladder skin (in lieu of visiting cards), to give
notice of the visiting party's approach.

Suddenly some one asked, '*What if the Sioux
do not believe we are coming in peace, and should
capture our messengers and attack us as we come
near with our women and children ? "

Such a reception had not before been thought of;
and silence fell upon the people as they halted,
under the gloom of the apprehension. At length
the Leader stood up and said, — *'We have made
peace, we have come in good faith, we will go
forward, and Wa-ko;^'-da shall decide the issue."

STORY AND SONG OF THE LEADER

Then he struck up this song and led the way ; and,
as the men and women followed, they caught the
tune, and all sang it as they came near the Sioux
village.

In the words the Leader, as representing the
Omahas, speaks: **I am advancing. I am moving
toward you. Behold me, young men, warriors of
the Sioux! Here I stand. Wa-ko«'-da alone de-
cides the destinies of men."

The visitors met with a welcome, and the breach
between the two tribes was healed for many a long
day.

SONG OF THE LEADER. A Rest Song.

Omaha. He-dhu^-shka.
Martial. M. M. \= (>i.

y \ \ 1^ 1 ^ 1 j^ 1^-^ \, — . ^ ^

life

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Shu-b'dhe adhin-he on-don-ba i ga ho.

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b'dhe adhin-he on-don-ba i ga ho.

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on-zhin-ga ha, dha - dhu anon-zhin on - don-ba ga,

hin

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ff'///^ Solemnity.

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r ^T^^-^t^ ^

he.

Icon - da hi - dhe-g'dhon

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SONG OF THE LEADER.

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be dho he dhoe. On - don - ba ga

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anon-zhin on - don - ba ga he

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i^«// fl«^ Solemn.

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kon - da hi dhe-g'dhon be dho he

3F^

^s==i

THE OMAHA TRIBAL PRAYER.

According to the Omaha idea, a child during its
infancy had no recognised existence as an individual
or distinct member of the tribe, but remained as a
part of its parents. When it could walk alone, at
about three years of age, it was initiated into the
tribal organisation through certain religious rites;
but its responsible and individual life did not begin
until its mind had ** become white," as the Indians
say. This expression referred to the dawn, to the
passing of night into day, and represented the com-
ing of the child out of the period where nothing was
clearly apprehended into a time when he could
readily recall past events with their distinctness of
detail. This seeming mastery of the minutiae of
passing occurrences indicated that a stage of growth
had been reached where the youth could be inducted
into the religious mysteries through a distinct
personal experience acquired in the rite, No?^'-
zhi«-zho;^, — a rite which brought him into what
was believed to be direct communication with the
supernatural powers.

In preparation for this rite the Omaha youth was
taught the Tribal Prayer. He was to sing it during

THE OMAHA TRIBAL PRAYER

the four nights and days of his vigil in some lonely
place. As he left his home, his parents put clay
on his head; and, to teach him self-control, they
placed a bow and arrows in his hand, with the in-
junction not to use them during his long fast, no
matter how great the temptation might be. He was
bidden to weep as he sang the prayer, and to wipe
his tears with the palms of his hands, to lift his wet
hands to heaven, and then lay them on the earth.
With these instructions the youth departed, to enter
upon the trial of his endurance. When at last he
fell into a sleep or trance, and the vision came, of
bird, or beast, or cloud, bringing with it a cadence,
this song became ever after the medium of commu-
nication between the man and the mysterious power
typified in his vision; and by it he summoned help
and strength in the hour of his need.

In this manner all mystery songs originated, — the
songs sung when healing plants were gathered and
when the medicine was administered; when a man
set his traps or hunted for game; when he desired
to look into the future or sought supernatural guid-
ance, or deliverance from impending danger.

The Tribal Prayer was called in the Omaha
tongue Wa-ko«'-da gi-kon: Wa-ko«'-da, the power

INDIAN STORY AND SONG

which could make or bring to pass; gi-ko;/, to weef
from conscious insufficiency, or the longing for
something that could bring happiness or prosperity.
The words of the prayer, Wa-ko«'-da dhe-dhu wah-
pa'-dhi« a-to;^'-he, literally rendered, are, Wa-ko«'-
da, here needy he stands ; and I am he.

This prayer is very old. Its supplicating ca-
dences echoed through the forests of this land long
before our race had touched its shores, voicing a
cry recognised by every human heart.

THE OMAHA TRIBAL PRAYER.

Harmonized by Prof. J. C. Fillmore.

Slow. Grave, Solemn.
vtp .

/?v *Cv /^^

t=^-

-^=?IL

'^ -% ¥ ^

±1

Wa-kon-da dhe - dhu Wa-pa dhin a - ton - he.

-y9-

Con Fed.

-i^— #-

Wa-kon-da dhe - dhu Wa-pa-dhin a - ton -he.

-(S>-

45^

Fed.

♦

STORY AND SONG OF THE BIRD'S
NEST.*

Scattered through an elaborate ritual and relig-
ious ceremony of the Pawnee tribe are little par-
ables in which some natural scene or occurrence
serves as a teaching to guide man in his daily life.
The following is an example.

The words of the song (**the sound of the
young ' ') are purposely few, so as to guard the full
meaning from the careless and to enable the priest
to hold the interpretation as a part of his sacred
treasure. They are sufficient, however, to attract
the attention of the thoughtful ; and such a one who
desired to know the teaching of the sacred song
could first perform certain initiatory rites and then
learn its full meaning from the priest.

'*One day a man whose mind was open to the
teaching of the gods wandered on the prairie. As
he walked, his eyes upon the ground, he spied a
bird's nest hidden in the grass, and arrested his
feet just in time to prevent stepping on it. He
paused to look at the little nest tucked away so snug

* An old priest of the rite gave me the story and song through Mr, James R.
Murie, an educated Pawnee, and they are here for the first time made public.

THE BIRD'S NEST

and warm, and noted that it held six eggs, and that
a peeping sound came from some of them. While
he watched, one moved; and soon a tiny bill pushed
through the shell, uttering a shrill cry. At once
the parent birds answered, and he looked up to see
where they were. They were not far off, and were
flying about in search of food, chirping the while to
each other and now calling to the little one in the
nest.

**The homely scene stirred the heart and the
thoughts of the man, as he stood there under the
clear sky, glancing upward toward the old birds and
then down at the helpless young in the nest at his
feet. As he looked, he thought of his people, who
were so often careless and thoughtless of their chil-
dren's needs; and his mind brooded over the matter.
After many days he desired to see the nest again.
So he went to the place where he had found it ; and
there it was, as safe as when he left it. But a
change had taken place. It was now full to over-
flowing with little birds, who were stretching their
wings, balancing on their small legs, and making
ready to fly ; while the parents with encouraging
calls were coaxing the fledglings to venture forth.

** *Ah ! ' said the man, *if my people would only
31

INDIAN STORY AND SONG

learn of the birds, and, like them, care for their
young and provide for their future, homes would be
full and happy, and our tribe be strong and pros-
perous.

**When this man became a priest, he told the
story of the bird's nest and sang its song; and so it
has come down to us from the days of our fathers. * *

SONG OF THE BIRD'S NEST.

Pawnee.
Transcribed from Graphophone and harmonized by Edwin S. Tracy.

Introduction. |

^^^^

A=T

Ho-o ... Ha -re ha -re re ha - re

Pe'df:

FFPfS

I M ^x fT

^^^^=^^=^^^^=^

Ha - re ha - re e ha - re

Re wha - ka

r=f=^

-b'— -V

A=^:

4^=:t

atzztfat^

ha -re re ha -re, wha-ka ha -re re ha

^Fr

4?^

^£^3

ir*

^^r f f- f-: f «

re Re wha - ka ha - re re ha - re.

i ^^^^^^^^^r^ii

A TRYSTING LOVE-SONG.

One of the few delights of life in camp is the
opportunity the tent affords of ready access to the
open air. There is no traversing of stairways, no
crossing of halls, and no opening of reluctant doors,
but only the parting of the canvas, and our world is
as wide as the horizon and high as the heavens.
Even when the tent door-flap is snugly closed,
nature is not wholly shut out. Often I have lain
looking up at the stars as they passed slowly across
the central opening, and listened to the flight of the
birds as they travelled northward at the coming of
spring. And I have watched the birth of many a
day, from the first quivering primrose hue to the
full flush and glow of rosy colour, and then the stir-
ring breeze, the waking leaves, and the call of the
birds breaking into song.

One morning I rose from my blankets and stepped
out under the broad dome of the sky, while all about
me in their shadowy tents the people slept. I wan-
dered toward a glen, down which the water from a
little spring hurried to the brook. As I sat among
the fresh undergrowth, I watched the stars grow dim
and the thin line of smoke rise from the tents, tell-

A TRYSTING LOVE-SONG

ing that the mother had risen to blow the embers to
a blaze and to put another stick or two upon the fire.

As I sat, thinking a multitude of thoughts, I
heard a rustling upon the hill opposite me. Then
there was silence, quickly broken by movements in
another direction; while from the hill came the
clear voice of a young man singing. In a moment
more two women, whom I recognised as aunt and
niece, appeared at the spring, the one elderly, the
other young and pretty; but the singer was still
invisible. The cadences of the song were blithe
and glad, like the birds and the breezes laden with
summer fragrance. The words, *'I see them com-
ing!" carried a double meaning. The girl for
whom he had waited was in truth coming, but to
the singer was also coming the delight of growing
love and abundant hope.

The women filled their water vessels. The
elder took no note of the song, but turned steadily
toward the home path. The eyes of the maiden
had been slyly searching the hillside as she slowly
neared the spring and dipped up the sparkling
water. Now, as the aunt walked away, the song
ceased; and a light rustling followed, as the lover,
bounding down the hill, leaped the brook and was

TRYSTING LOVE SONG.

Omaha.
Harmonized by Prof. J. C, Fillmork.

Light and Flowingly.

atzit

±ZjIL

SEfcSE

Hi dha

^Se?

ho! Sha

:i!i4^-

a - ma wi un-don-

4r-

- r t^"— z

/•<!</;

* ftrf.

ff-, ^-j*^^^

r— 1—

r-^

1 — FT

1 ^

^ ^-"^'^ =

— ^-

^^^^

_*_J_^

5^ -f-^ ^

be a-medho

he,

Sha a -

J-

wi un-don-

-~s — 1

pf^

-J — 1

fVt ■

H>^=

-yT —

A .

_ _ ]

\ ^ \

, 1/ 1 H

-^<.

Pp^

be a - me dho he

2*=?=

f • T

Sha

* T'^^/.

ma wi un-don

TRYSTING LOVE SONG.

-./ e. 1- ^^

i^aa

43E

__Ha^^_H-

be a - me dho he dhoe. Hi dha

ho! Sha

IS^

3=t

-=q-4-

^^S

Z*^^.

i^E^^Jl^^E^S^

a - ma wi un-don - be a -me dho he. Sha

AlJ%.

»-—

* /v^/.

a - ma wi un-don - be a - me dho he.

^Jh-JTFi

INDIAN STORY AND SONG

at the side of the girl. A few hasty words, a call
from the aunt, a lingering parting, and I was alone
again. The brook went babbling on, but telling no
tales, the birds were busy with their own affairs,
and the sunbeams winked brightly through the
leaves. The little rift, giving a glimpse of the
inner life of two souls, had closed and left no out-
ward sign ; and yet the difference !

There was a measured thud upon the trail, and an
old woman with stooping shoulders passed down the
glen. As she bent over the spring and took her
water supply, I heard the young man's voice in the
distance, singing his song as he wended his way
home. The old woman heard it, too. She straight^
•ened up and looked steadily in the direction of the
singer, slowly shook her head, picked up her water
vessel, and turned away, her crooked figure disap-
pearing in the shadows. Then I arose and followed
the singer, trying to forget the warning shake of the
old woman's head.

STORY AND SONG OF THE DEATH-
LESS VOICE.*

ORIGIN OF THE MA-WA'-DA-NI SOCIETY.

A LONG, long time ago a large number of war-
riors, under the leadership of a man noted through-
out the warlike tribes for his valorous deeds, started
forth to harass and, if possible, to drive a powerful
people from a territory which abounded in game.
This war party was out many days, had many a
weary march in search of the enemy, scouring the
country far and wide, keeping their scouts in the
front, rear, and flank ; for the leader was determined
not to return to his village without the trophies of
war.

They came one day to a large grove with a clear
brook running through it. Here the Leader ordered
the camp to be pitched, that his little army might
rest awhile and repair their moccasins and clothing.
Sentinels were stationed so as to guard against
surprise. Hunters were sent forth, and returned
laden with game.

Night came on. There was no moon; and it was
dark, although the stars shone brightly. A fire

*The translation of the story is by Mr. Francis La Flesche.

INDIAN STORY AND SONG

blazed in the open air, and the men whose duty it
was to dress and cook the meat, were moving about
the burning logs; while others sat mending their
moccasins by the firelight, listening to stories of
battles, marvellous escapes, and strange adventures.
Supper was cooked, and the meat was piled on
freshly cut grass spread upon the ground ; and near
by were set the pots of broth and the wooden bowls
and horn spoons. The Leader was called to perform
the usual sacred rites observed before the serving of
food; and all the warriors gathered around the fire,
each one eager for his portion of the meal. At
a signal from the Leader every man bowed his head,
and there was silence. Not a breath of air was
stirring. Now and then could be heard the far-off
dismal howl of the grey wolf or the cry of a strange
bird startled from its nest by a coyote. Save from
these and the crackling of the fire there was still-
ness in all the surroundings. The warriors had
made their silent petitions to Wako;2'-da, the
power that moves all things. The Leader lifted
his head. Then from the pile of meat he took a bit
and raised it toward the sky, as an offering to that
mysterious power, when suddenly the stillness was
broken and the ceremony interrupted by a clear

THE DEATHLESS VOICE

voice bursting into song, the echoes in the hills
and valleys catching and repeating the strain.

Each warrior involuntarily grasped his bow.
The Leader, ever keen and alert, exclaimed in a
hoarse whisper, **The fire! the fire! " Immediately
many hands were rubbing the flaming wood into
the earth. Commands were hastily given by the
Leader; and the warriors, with palpitating hearts,
started out to form a ring around the spot whence
the thrilling sounds came. The voice sang on.
The ring grew smaller and smaller until in an open
space the shadowy form of a tree loomed up before
the advancing warriors. No escape was now pos-
sible for the singer, yet the song went on without
hesitancy. The tree was now clearly visible. The
song came to a close, and the echo died away in the
distance. The men kept on toward the tree, with
bows drawn and arrows strung. No form was seen
running around inside the ring, seeking an opening
for escape ; but, lo ! at the foot of the tree lay scat-
tered the whitened bones and the grinning skull of
a man. Death had claimed the body of this warrior
and compelled its return to dust, but had failed to
silence the voice of the man who, when living, had
often defied death.

SONG OF THE DEATHLESS VOICE.

Dakota.
Majestic and Martial. Harmonized by Edwin S. Tracy.

Hi dho ho . . . hi . .^ano h^^i dho

dho hi

Ben Sostenuto.

r- f.

fl^-r^

SONG OF THE DEATHLESS VOICE.

§A

trt

hi .^ano ho i dha i

Ah hi dho hi dho h
Sostenuto.

^^^

£^

^^--

-^-^

Ped.\

ah hi . . dha ha i dha ha

Ped\

P-A-

1=3

5t 5t:i

dha ha

ha hi dha e dho he . .

p-
dho.

«^

#-^

S:±

r^-^.

INDIAN STORY AND SONG

The Leader, looking around upon his followers,
lifted his voice and said : —

"This was a warrior, who died the death of a
warrior. There was joy in his voice ! "

The men to whom the strange experience nar-
rated in this story came, afterward banded them^
selves together in order the better to serve their
people, to present to the young men of the tribe
an example of generosity in time of peace and of
steadfast valour on the field of battle. They kept
together during their lives and added to their num-
ber, so that the society they formed continued to
exist through generations.

The story and song which has been handed down
through all these years as the inspiration of the
founders of the Ma-wa'-da-ni Society, embodies a
truth honoured among all peoples, — that death can-
not silence the voice of one who confronts danger
with unflinching courage, giving his life in the
defence of those dependent upon his prowess.
Such a man might fall in the trackless wilderness,
and his bones lie unhonoured and unburied until
they blanched with age : still his voice would ring
out in the solitude until its message of courage and
joy should find an echo in the heart of the living.

STORY AND SONG OF ZOiV-ZI'-MOiV-DE.

Victory songs, of which this is one, were sung
when the people with rhythmic steps celebrated
ceremonially the return of victorious warriors. Be-
cause of its peculiar accessory, the scalp, this cere-
mony has been called by us the ** scalp dance," al-
though no Indian so designates it.

The contrast between the sentiment of this story,
teaching respect and honour to the old, and the cere-
mony, as we baldly see it, is startling. But it is
with the Indian as with ourselves : the cruelties of
war and the gentler emotions are often intertwined,
the latter surviving and lifting up a standard for
emulation, the former passing away, dying with the
instigating passion. Among the many hundreds of
Indian songs I have known, none commemorate acts
of cruelty.

Years ago the Omaha tribe and the Sioux met
while searching for a buffalo herd; and, as was
usual, a battle ensued, for each tribe was determined
to drive the other from the region of the game.
Although the Sioux outnumbered the Omaha, the
latter remained victors of the field.

An old Omaha, interested to observe how some of
45

ZOiV-ZI-MOiV^-DE.

Omaha.
Harmonized by Prof. J. C. Fillmore.

Spirited. M. M. J\ = iS2.

3llI3t

^-J^

k±i±4=f:

=p=tp

f — r-

ye ha he

Ye ha he ya e he dha

Double Drum Beat.

t#4

5t=J:

3*^

tit

ya e he dha ah ha ya e he dha ye ha he

A .... - A A

^ P ^ P

S^MES^E^

Stfc

I I I

t=t=x

-»-H*--+

» »-

-I — I » 1

^^1

-^-=1-

A-^

s^a

-.■i=i=t-

■m — #-

ya e he dha dha ha dhoe. Zo« - zi - mo»-de

:^^

J^S^^^

ZOiVT-ZI-MOiV^-DE.

±^5

M=^

ma sha e dhe.

Sii

- ' r "I"

Ah ha ya e he dha

g^FFIf

dt^zt

Coined.

^^:

i:^

e na h

-^— ^

-» — »-

ya e ha dha dha ha dho.

i— i i I i H grrtrM — f— f

^^^

INDIAN STORY AND SONG

the tribe would conduct themselves in their first
battle, made his way toward the scene of conflict.
It chanced that just as a Sioux warrior had fallen,
pierced by an arrow, and the Omaha men were
rushing forward to secure their war honours, this
old man was discovered coming up the hill, aided
by his bow, which he used as a staff. One of the
young warriors called to his companions : —

**Hold! Yonder comes Zon-zV -mon-de, let us
give him the honours. "

Then, out of courtesy to the veteran, each young
warrior paused and stepped aside, while the old
man, all out of breath, hastened to the fallen foe.
There he turned and thanked the young men for per-
mitting him, whom age had brought to the edge of
the grave, to count yet one more honour as a war-
rior. *

The words of the song give the exclamation of
the generous youth : ^ ' Zon-zi' -mon-dQ comes! Stand
aside! He comes."

* To be the first to touch the body of an enemy counts as a war honoiir.

AN OMAHA LOVE-SONG.

The words of many love-songs refer to the dawn,
the time of the day when they are usually sung; but
this reference is not a literal one. It figures the
dawn of love in the breast of the singer. The Ind-
ian stands so close to Nature that he sees his own
moods reflected or interpreted in hers.

The Indian words of this song, freely translated,

are: —

As the day comes forth from night

So I come forth to seek thee.
Lift thine eyes and behold him

Who comes with the day to thee.

Miss Edna Dean Proctor has rendered into charm-
ing verse the scene and the feeling of the hour, giv-
ing us an Indian love-song in its entirety. By her
courtesy I am able to reproduce here her poem writ-
ten some years ago, on hearing the melody which I
had then recently transcribed during one of my
sojourns among the Omaha Indians: —

Fades the star of morning,

West winds gently blow,
Soft the pine-trees murmur,

Soft the waters flow.
49

LOVE SONG.

.l^tlJL

Omaha.
Harmonized by Prof. J. C. Fillmore.

' I J h-\ fv-^,

iS^t

^i=r:i:

iJ^i^

(9-

-Sl

■f-

Fades the star of morn-ing, West winds gently blow

-f5>-

X:^

^tt^

:^=zz^~Fg

••— #-^

&^-^

--(S^-

j2-

gently blow, gently blow. Soft the pine trees murmur,

jfca

i=f;f?

^^^^

Mu f ♦ ^ ^ zjt=z^

Soft the wa-ters flow, Soft the wa-ters flow,

^ I

3tlJt

'&^

E^2E?

Soft the wa - ters flow.

Lift thine eyes, my

LOVE SONG.

:j: 5t 5t :it

maid-en. To the hill - fop

nigh.

SS3f

^=^-

-G

d=i

a^3

v-^

^#==2:

Night and gloom will van - ish When the pale stars die,

A=q:

A=q==q:

:^it=it

'•— 25* 3^

P:i::

When the pale stars die, When the pale stars die.

I ^ I ^

MeS

f==r^^

^*-* .Hr

Lift thine eyes, my maiden. Hear thy lov - er's cry.

^H^

-8=g

i^
r

■ST

INDIAN STORY AND SONG

Lift thine eyes, my maiden,

To the hill-top nigh.
Night and gloom will vanish

When the pale stars die ;
Lift thine eyes, my maiden,

Hear thy lover's cry!

From my tent I wander,

Seeking only thee,
As the day from darkness

Comes for stream and tret.
Lift thine eyes, my maiden,

To the hill-top nigh ;
Lo ! the dawn is breaking,

Rosy beams the sky ;
Lift thine eyes, my maiden,

Hear thy lover's cry !

Lonely is our valley.

Though the month is May ;
Come and be my moonlight,

I will be thy day !
Lift thine eyes, my maiden,

Oh, behold me nigh !
Now the sun is rising.

Now the shadows fly ;
Lift thine eyes, my maiden,

Hear thy lover's cry !

THE STORY AND SONG OF THE WREN.*

This little parable occurs in the ritual of a relig-
ious ceremony of the Pawnee tribe. The song has
no words, except a term for wren, the vocables being
intended only to imitate the notes of the bird,
nevertheless, one can trace, through the variation
and repetition of the musical motive, the movement
of the gentle thoughts of the teacher as given in the
story which belongs to the song.

**A priest went forth in the early dawn. The sky
was clear. The grass and wild flowers waved in the
breeze that rose as the sun threw its first beams over
the earth. Birds of all kinds vied with each other,
as they sang their joy on that beautiful morning.
The priest stood listening. Suddenly, off at one
side, he heard a trill that rose higher and clearer
than all the rest. He moved toward the place
whence the song came, that he might see what man-
ner of bird it was that could send farther than all
the others its happy, laughing notes. As he came
near, he beheld a tiny brown bird with open bill, the
feathers on its throat rippling with the fervour of its
song. It was the wren, the smallest, the least

* Both story and song were recited to me by an old priest of the rite, and were
interpreted by Mr. James R. Murie.

SONG OF THE WREN.

Pawnee.
Transcribed from Graphophone and harmonized by Edwin S. Tracy.

Flawingly and Lightly,

Ke-chi ra-ku-wa-ku whe ke re re we chi,

iz-az*

t=^

Ke-chi ra-ku-wa-ku whe ke re re we chi,

^fe=f=i:

Ke-chi ra-ku - wa-ku whe ke re re we chi,

T=t±

i=^

J X

SONG OF THE WREN.

l!^=rt

^ — i^-"-^ — ^ — *-^-^ — i^

P-

Ke - chi ra - ku - wa - ku whe ke re re we chi,

- ^^-^

Ke - chi ra - ku - wa - ku whe ke re re we chi,

-#-^-

Ke - chi ra - ku - wa - ku whe ke re re we chi.

<^\, I

INDIAN STORY AND SONG

powerful of birds, that seemed to be most glad and
to pour out in ringing melody to the rising sun its
delight in life.

''As the priest looked, he thought: 'Here is a
teaching for my people. Every one can be happy,
even the most insignificant can have his song of
thanks. '

"So he made the story of the wren and sang it;
and it has been handed down from that day, — a
day so long ago no man can remember the time."

•>6

THE OMAHA FUNERAL SONG.

There was but one funeral song in the Omaha
tribe, and this was only sung to honour some man
or woman who had been greatly respected by the
people.

What one would see, when this song was sung,
was in violent contrast to the character of the
music. The blithe major strains suggest only
happiness. They hardly touch ground, so to speak,
but keep their flight up where the birds are flitting
about in the sunshine; and, if there are clouds in
the blue sky, they are soft and fleecy, and cast no
shadows. Yet the men who sang this song were
ranged in line before the tent where the dead lay
ready for burial. They had drawn the stem of a
willow branch through a loop of flesh cut on their
left arm, and their blood dripped upon the green
leaves and fell in drops to the ground.

The meaning of this strange spectacle and its
musical accompaniment, so apparently out of keep-
ing, must be sought for in the beliefs of the people.
It was a drama touching two worlds.

The shedding of blood was to express how vital
was the loss. This act, visible to the mourners, was

SONG TO THE SPIRIT.

Omaha.
Harmonized by Prof. J. C. Fillmore.
Smoothly^ with Tender Feeling.

N = 96,

I 4_

E a dha ah E he a ha

Light beats on willow sticks. No drums.

iSr

z±

Peds. f and p.

* Ped.

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sai^i

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II:

it-jt

ah, he ah

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he a ha

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S5-r£:

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E dha ah E

I I

ah E ah ha

e ha o E dha

f= m=^=^

*=p:

"fcz^t

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^* ^'''-

SONG TO THE SPIRIT.

^^m

1^=^^

dhoe

£^

dha

4:=t

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Ped.

m^^m

2_^ j^-ij-:^

333

he a ha

I
ah

dha ah

W^:^:^

: ^ I I I

2=*-

:ii=it:g=|i

?czp:

1i=]c

t~t

:jc Z'^^.

ffijf<r^

:i:

I
ah E ah ha

e ha o

E dha he

dho.

-t--^?!.

W=W-

Ped.

INDIAN STORY AND SONG

an exhibition of sympathy; but music had power to
reach the unseen world, so the song was for the
spirit of the dead, who could not see the lacerated
singers, but could hear them, as they sang to cheer
him as he went forth, forced by death to leave all
who were dear to him.*

The song was always sung in unison. The
rhythm was accented by each singer beating to-
gether two small willow sticks.

There are no words to the song, only vocables;
and these belong to the breathing or sighing class,
indicative of emotion.

* It was one of the customs of the Omahas to cease wailing at a certain stage in
the funeral ceremonies, that the departing friend might not be distressed by the
sounds of sorrow, as he left his home behind him,— a custom founded on the same
belief as that expressed by this funeral song.

STORY AND SONG OF THE MOTHER'S
VOW.

It was a warm day of early spring on the Upper
Missouri, when the subtle joy of awakening life
stirs the blood and rouses the fancy. The brown
outline of the bare trees was already broken by
little leaves that were shaking themselves in the
bright sunlight. Flowers were peering through the
vivid green of the freshly sprung grass, the birds
had come, and the silence of the year had passed.
It was a day to enjoy outdoor life, to indulge in
hope and happy thoughts. The sky was so blue
between the rolling white clouds that one forgot
they could ever become portentous of storm. The
tents of the Indians, dotted along the banks of the
stream, stood like tall white flowers among the
trees. Women and children were chatting and call-
ing to each other. Men moved sedately about, busy
with preparations for the coming summer days.
Young men and maidens were thinking of each
other; for the morning song of the lover had been
heard, and the signal flash of the mirror* had re-
vealed his watching-place to the dark-eyed girl

* Young men carried small looking-glasses with which they flashed signals.
6l

INDIAN STORY AND SONG

demurely drawing water for the household in the
early dawn.

Unheeding the passage of the hours, I wandered
up the narrow valley, noting the fading lines of
aboriginal life spread out before me. All at once
I became aware that the brightness of the day was
overshadowed : a greyish hue, that rapidly deepened,
pervaded the scene. Suddenly the wind came over
the hills, the birds darted about, and the sound of
thunder was heard. Everything was seeking a
shelter; and, as I turned in haste, hoping to reach
the nearest tent, I saw an old woman emerge from a
lodge and in the face of the storm begin to climb
the hill, down which the wind swept, laying low
the grass and whipping the heads of the flowers.
Seemingly unmindful of the storm, on the woman
went, her scant garments flapping, and her hair,
seamed with grey, tossing about her wrinkled face.
The sight was so strange that I paused to watch her,
as she climbed on and on, steadfastly breasting the
storm. The lightnings flashed around her, and
the thunder echoed among the hills as she reached
the top. There she stopped and stood, a silhouette
against the surging clouds, her hands uplifted, her
head thrown back ; and between the thunder peals I

THE MOTHER'S VOW

heard her voice ring out loud and clear in a song, —
a song, I doubted not, that carried a message to the
mighty storm, in which to her the gods were present.
Many years have passed since I witnessed this
scene and learned the story of the woman's song.
She is now at rest, and let us hope her lifelong sor-
row may have turned to joy.

In the early part of the century a Dakota woman
fasted and prayed, and Thunder came to her in her
vision. To the god she promised to give her first-
bom child. When she became a mother, she forgot
in her joy that the life of her little one did not be-
long to her; nor did she recall her fateful vow until
one bright spring day, when the clouds gathered and
she heard the roll of the thunder, — a sound which
summoned all persons consecrated to this god to
bring their offerings and to pay their vows. Then
she remembered what she had promised; but her
heart forbade her to lay the infant, which was smil-
ing in her arms, upon the cloud-swept hill-top. She
pressed the baby to her breast, and waited in si-
lence the passing of the god in the storm.

The following spring, when the first thunder
pealed, she did not forget her vow; but she could
not gather strength to fulfil it.

INDIAN STORY AND SONG

Another year passed, and again the thunder
sounded. Taking the toddling child by the hand,
the mother climbed the hill; and, when the top was
reached, she placed it on the ground and fled. But
the boy scrambled up and ran after her, and his
frightened cry stayed her feet. He caught her gar-
ments and clung to them ; and, although the thunder
called, she could not obey. Her vow had been
made before she knew the strength of a mother's
love.

Gathering the boy in her arms, she hid herself
and him from the presence of the god. The storm
passed, and the mother and child returned to the
lodge ; but fear had taken possession of her, and she
watched her son with eyes in which terror and love
struggled for the mastery.

One day, as the little one played beside a rip-
pling brook, laughing and singing in his glee, sud-
denly the clouds gathered, the flashing lightning
and the crashing thunder sent beast and bird to
cover, and drove the mother out to find her child.
She heard his voice above the fury of the storm, call-
ing to her. As she neared the brook, a vivid flash
blinded her eyes. For a moment she was stunned ;
but, recovering, she pushed on, only to be appalled

THE MOTHER'S VOW

by the sight that met her gaze. Her boy lay dead.
The thunder god had claimed his own.

No other children came to lighten the sorrow of
the lonely woman; and every spring, when the first
thunder sounded, and whenever the storm swept the
land, this stricken woman climbed the hills, and
there, standing alone, facing the black rolling
clouds, she sang her song of sorrow and of fealty.

The words of the song are addressed to the god ;
but the music, in its swaying rhythm, suggests the
mother's memory of the days when she soothed her
little child.

The following is a free translation of the Indian
words : —

E dho he ! *

Behold ! On their mighty pinions flying,

They come, the gods come once more

Sweeping o'er the land,

Sounding their call to me, to me their own.

Wa-gi-u« If Ye on mighty pinions flying,

Look on me here, me your own,

Thinking on my vow

As ye return once more, Wa-gi-u» !

• Sighing vocables. t Dakota term for the thunder bird.

THE MOTHER'S VOW.

Dakota.
Harmonized by Prof. J. C. Fillmork.

With feeling, dignity and /lowing rhythm.

Introd

izzit

3^=it

mm^.

■# 1 m

S 'S

E dhohe!Gi-un, gi-una-gi-ba ha -don -be

t=TW-

Ped.

:ie Ped,

^^m

Co-dha, gi-don-be . . a-me, ha -don-be a-me,

Pg^

^- »i— ii-

/v^.

:}: Ped.

Wa-gi-un gi a - me dho he dho - e. Wa-gi-un
, Tremolo ^

s^^n^^s^

Ped,

-& -^

=t*

THE MOTHER'S VOW.

j±i=^

«/

gi - un a - gi - ba ha - don - be Co - dha

:?=q=P

/'tf^.

:{( Z'^^.

fci=i

e?^

iEE3^^^

^-^

gi - don - be . . ha-we ha - don - be a-me.

iif=-

bzr^

* Fed.

Wa - gi - un gi a-me dho he ... . dho.

Tremolo.

^^^^m^m

:4-^

Fed.

A LOVE-CALL.

The native flageolet has proved a trusty friend to
many a youth to whom nature had denied the power
of expressing in vocal melody his fealty to the
maiden of his choice. With its woody tones he
rivalled the birds as he sounded his love-call from
the hills and made glad the heart of the girl, who,
catching the signal, awaited his coming at the
spring.

There are many bits of music composed for this
little instrument, which, in spite of its inaccuracies
of pitch, arising from imperfect construction, are
not without hints of beauty.

LOVE CALL.

Omaha.

For the Flageolet.

fc«

W=M=ti

fcr^:

^^^g^iif^^gg^

^^^^

Ses^S

A GAME SONG FROM THE NORTH-
WEST COAST.

It is well known that the serious avocations of
the fathers often serve as games for the children.
So it comes about that in the games of chance we
have a survival of the ancient custom of divination.
As, according to Indian belief, song was the me-
dium through which man communicated with the
mysterious powers, we find all his games of chance
accompanied by melodies.

One autumn evening many years ago I was walk-
ing along a stretch of the Pacific shore. The west-
erning moon flooded the water with light, and lit up
the edge of the dense forest that formed the back-
ground of an Indian village. From one of its great
square wooden dwellings came the sound of singing,
and the ruddy firelight shone through the cracks of
the plank door as I approached.

Entering, I saw that the central fire had just
been lighted. The four families, which had each
their particular portion of the communal house, had
suffered their separate fires to burn to ashes, and
had pushed back their various belongings to give
more room for the gathering crowd.

A GAME SONG

I lingered at the door, looking on the motley
scene: the women and children in the background;
the old men in groups, talking over their younger
days; the line of men singers, each with his piece
of board with which to strike the floor in lieu of a
drum ; the young men who were to play, ranged in
two opposite rows ; and others standing about, watch-
ing their friends and eager for the game to begin.

When all was ready, the leader of one side held
up for a moment in one hand a small piece of bone,
then began tossing it secretly from one hand to the
other, moving the closed fists rapidly past each
other to the rhythm of the song sung by the singers,
the opposite side keeping sharp eyes on the moving
fists, to be ready, when the signal should be given,
to detect, if possible, the hand to which the bone
had finally been passed.

Heavy stakes were put up, and there was every
sign that song after song would follow each other as
the night wore on.

The song which follows is sung when playing a
game of chance : —

GAME SONG.

Vancouver's Island.
Transcribed and Harmonized by Prof. J. C. FlLLMORX.

With strong Rhythm and Abandon.

:Sfca

^jrtfl3^e=*-E-^r

* Fed.

j4— I-

1 ^— f^

-<5>-

^=i=^

u uJIj" lj lj U U^

GAME SONG.

i=i

r=i

^E^B

?^-raa

5J3

5=2:

5=fcS:

#¥P

:f=f:

^=i

a=i

-• — h

a^^

tj" tj-

r*:

^^^

^mM

-J— J-

-#— #•

gt / L j^""^

LJ LJ
*

Ped.

r2:

ffi£::4

-#-^

-J.

^^^m

^fc> ' -Lr p--gg

STORY AND SONG OF THE INDIAN
COQUET.

In the last century there lived a man who, in his
young days, was a desperate coquet. He played
havoc with the plans of many a young man, robbing
him of the fancy of his sweetheart, and then leav-
ing the maiden all forlorn. His behaviour aroused
the anger and jealousy of both sexes, but he seemed
as impervious to the contempt of his fellows as he
was callous to the woe of his victims. The whole
village buzzed with the gossip of his adventures, and
every one wondered how he managed to escape pun-
ishment.

After the manner of the people, a song was made
about him and his career, that has outlasted his vain
victories.

It is difficult to convey in concise English the
sarcastic humour of the original. The words picture
this young man as sitting on a hill, near the village
where he lived and achieved so many conquests.
The warm summer breeze wafted up to him the hum
of the people as they talked, blaming him for his
actions. ''But why blame me?" says the irresist-
ible youth, stretching himself at full length in the

SONG OF THE INDIAN COQUET.

Omaha.
Harmonized by Prof. J. C. Fillmore.

Swinging rytkm

■^--w^^=x

n=^-

i±jE ^=^i =j

Ta won gdhon dhe- nun- ye de. .

Un - dhon-

I
jL

g«5

-»—

-»-^

-»— ■

Ped.

* Ped,

^^^^i

4=^

SE*

-*— 1^

ge - a dhon- ke dhe. . . wa-kon-da he-gi-mon - te

l±

9-^

* Ped.

t^ -S: -*■ -5-: -S-: ^ • -#- -J- -j:: -Ji: J^

in- dhin-ga - ye ga - ma hi - a me . . Hi !

:pLZ=:

P«d.

:f:Ped.

*Pcd. :j^

INDIAN STORY AND SONG

sunshine. "It was the gods that made me as I am :
blame them, if you will ! " And he gave a sigh of
satisfaction, ''Hi!"

The music carries the story well. The swing of
the last six bars suggests his shrug of irresponsi-
bility.

THE OLD MAN'S LOVE-SONG.

Early in the century there lived an Omaha Ind-
ian, a tall and comely man, gifted with a fine
voice and a good memory, and who was greatly ad-
mired by the men and women of the tribe. Al-
though genial with every one, he was reserved ; and
none knew all that had transpired in his life or that
occupied his thoughts. He was a prosperous man.
His lodge was well supplied, for his skill as a
hunter was equal to his valour as a warrior.

Years passed; and here and there a silver thread
glistened in his black hair, the furrows deepened in
his handsome face, and more and more his thoughts
seemed to dwell on the past. One day he was
heard singing a love-song of his own composition,
and gossip became busy as to what this song might
mean. His actions threw no light on the mystery.
He was the same kind husband and father, the same
diligent provider, and he sought no new companion-
ship. Nevertheless, at every dawn he went upon
the hill near his lodge; and, while the morning star
hung like a jewel in the east, he sang the melody
carrying the words, —

" With the dawn I seek thee ! "
77

THE OLD MAN'S LOVE SONG.

Omaha.

Solibitum,

Harmonized by Prof.
Flowingly, With feeling.

~t 1 **' J tl-^ ^ ^

. C. Fillmore.

r^f*^ — \ 1 — I

^A^^

--4^-^^

V^4 # |i^ ^ *' ^' 1

V' ^ r —

Ha he

-L^: 1

ha ha he ha

T —

dhe ha dha

he ha we

'^^ ^'

_^2_!

4^_

rt-^ i

L., 4 '

_) 1

1 '

Ped.

:Js Ped. * Ped.

tfcrS:

>>,

t3tr*:

e ha dhoe,

T". —

Um - ba e - don ha - i- don,

fi-P-

P'^-P-

Pcd.

Ped.

* Ped. * Fad,.

jN±zt=f<t:

il n^v-^-

■^

nc ha, ho e ho wa dho he dhe, I

I I !

t±L

F^a.

m Ped,

THE OLD MAN'S LOVE SONG.

-^r-r

±r-^

-^ :5t i^

ha, ha he ho, ho he ho, he ha we

w=t ': w

* Fed. * Fed.

^ Fed.

J = 69. ^

ha=i

5^^B

i&e

dhe dhoe. Un - ba i - don ha - i - don,

fiE

s — *-

* Ped. :Jc Ped. * Ped.

:ic

t=q:

-H jjh-H 1 H 1 1 P 1—

hu - wi ne ha, ho e ho ne dho he.

Ped.

INDIAN STORY AND SONG

The young men caught, the tune, and sang it as
they wooed the maidens; and the old man smiled as'
he heard them. **Yes, they are right,'** he said.
**It is a love-song. " ,

He grew to be a very old man, an old man
with a love-song, until it was only when the warm
days came that he could slowly climb the hill at
dawn, and, alone with the breezes and birds, greet
the new day with his song, that both kept and re-
vealed his secret, — the secret of a love, like the
radiant bow, spanning the whole horizon of his life.
At last a time came when his voice was no longer
heard.

The tender cadences of his song, fraught with
human hope and human feeling, still linger, and
to-day awaken echoes across the barriers of time
and race.

STORY OF THE WE'-TOiV SONG.

Many Indian tribes believed it possible for one
person to affect another through the power of the
will. This belief gave rise to peculiar customs and
to a class of songs called, in the Omaha tongue,
We'-to;?, composed and sung by women for the sole
purpose of exerting this power for the benefit of
absent warriors.

Unless the village was attacked, women did not
take active part in war. When the men went forth
on a long journey to meet the enemy, the women
remained at home, attending to domestic duties.
Their thoughts, however, were with the absent ones;
and, under the incentive of the belief in will power,
they would gather in groups at the lodge of the
Leader of the war party, and in the hearing of his
family would sing a We'-to;^ song, which should
carry strength to the far-away warriors and help
them to win the battle.

The words of these songs do not reveal the pur-
pose for which they were sung, it being one of the
peculiarities of the Indian never to expatiate upon
that which to him is apparent. The gathering of
the women at the lodge of the Leader of the war

INDIAN STORY AND SONG

party, the united action in singing a song never
used but for one purpose, made any explanatory
words seem unnecessary. The distinctive mission
of the song was to reach the absent man, who, far
from home, was suffering hardship and facing dan-
ger. Upon him the singers fixed their thoughts,
and to him sent strength by their power of will.
The words always referred to the difficulties that
confronted the warrior, and promised him success
and victory. They were not addressed to any vis-
ible audience.

The We'-to« song here given was composed by a
Dakota woman.

Many years ago a large party of warriors were
out on a dangerous expedition for the purpose of
recapturing some property stolen by an implacable
enemy. There seemed little hope for their safe
return, and great apprehension was felt in many
a tent. One evening, as the moon rose, round and
clear, over the wide rolling prairie, a group of
women moved in single file to the lodge of the
Leader of the war party, upon whom rested the
responsibility of the expedition.

The tent stood dark against the evening sky, re-
82

STORY OF THE WE'-TOiV SONG

vealing the anxiety within, which had let the blaz-
ing fire die to smouldering embers. At the door
the women paused, and across the stillness of the
night they sent forth this song, fraught with their
united determination to compel victory for the
absent men.

**A11 the tribes shall hear of you," they sang.
**Put forth your strength. Truly this shall come to
pass. ' '

Out of the silent tent emerged the Leader's
wife, bearing in her arms gifts in acknowledgment
of sympathy given and of succour sent.

And, as the women sang, * 'truly it came to pass. "
In due time the men returned triumphant, after
many hair-breadth escapes, with not one of their
number missing.

8a"

WE - TON SONG.

Dakota.
Harmonized by Prof. J. C. Fillmore.

fVM feeling.

i^-

;-4=^

1 — \

P^^

E ya- a he ! ah he dhe he dhe
-II- -if- -»--»- -w- -»-_ -» - - g- -g- -g-

t »-

-» »-

:t==t

1 V

±=t

t — r -

P6d.

* Ped.

1-*^ i^

-<s-

^=i=5:

ifizzit

-jr±^

-^-

ah he dhe he dhe

S:r^

^^^

:Mi.-^— ^

x=x

■m — • — r»'

ya he ! ah ye

i-t

-# — n-

t=x

f=P

Ped.

^Ped,

i^Ped.

^^— r

i=^

i=i=t^=r

dha he he

ah he dha he dhoe,

F=f

:«:

--^-

* Ped-

WE - TOA^ SONG.

1— # — #— r-^ #— p-#=v-J — p-

a-^

5_5_^^*

^. ^

-|:-t-

?=:4it=t

±=t

±z=±

i r -

Ped,

iEiES

:i^

=1=t=it:

#_:,. r

-75^-

-# #-

skon- e - gun ya he

f=t

E ya he !

^ ^

t=|:

4-fi

t=t:

:^=p:

:^ I I I r

Pcd.

* Ped.

:±=f-

^^1^1

=* — ^

:i=f=i

ah he dhe he dho.

ah he dhe he he

-^ n-r-^-

t=t=:=:t

r- < » P n-»

#— r-P-

r TT f

Pcd.

;*: Ped,

T=^=^

A PAWNEE LOVE-SONG.

There is no dalliance in this Pawnee love-song.
It has no words, but the music tells the story, — the
insistent call of the lover to the maiden to fly with
him, the wide sweep of the prairie, the race for
cover, and the dauntless daring that won the girl
from rival pursuers.

LOVE SONG.

Pawnee.

Transcribed by E. S. Tracy.

Spirited.

W=^

W=b^==i^

^PEFSE^zzz:^

f==l?:

-=i— =1-

Pulsation of voice.

1 ■-""— t-

p^^-^

1^=41

r 1

7^4 i'^^~"-^3

A WARRIOR'S STORY AND SONG.

The Mi'-ka-thi songs are sung by warriors as they
leave the village on their way to battle. They all
originate in some personal experience, and both
story and song are handed down with care and pre-
cision.

A Ponka war party once camped near the enemy.
The usual sentinels had been stationed, with special
injunctions to be vigilant, that the camp might not
be discovered and surprised. Among those assigned
to duty as sentinel that night was a young man
ambitious to win preferment and honour in the tribe.
His career was yet all to make, and he was on the
alert for opportunity to distinguish himself.

There was no moon, and only the keenest eye
could discern any distant object in the darkness.
The silence was unbroken save by the occasional
cry of the wolf, the creaking of a cricket, or the
rustle of a passing breeze.

The young man, intently on the watch, scanned
the country from right to left, searching through the
dimness for any moving thing; but all was motion-
less beneath, while overhead the stars moved slowly
through the heavens, as the night wore on.

A WARRIOR'S STORY AND SONG

At a little distance from the watcher was a clump
of trees. Upon this he kept a steady eye, only
turning now and then to sweep the horizon. Once,
as his eye returned to the trees, he beheld a shadow
unnoticed before. It moved; and, without waiting
to see more, he sped noiselessly as an arrow to wake
the Leader and report that he had seen the enemy
creeping toward the sleeping warriors.

The Leader, an old and experienced man, made no
reply, but rose quickly and silently, and taking
his bow in his hand, motioned the sentinel to lead
the way.

With rapid, muffled steps, they reached the place
where the young man had stood when he had seen
the moving shadow. The Leader looked intently in
the indicated direction, bent his ear to the ground
and listened, then rose and looked again.

A faint gleam of light in the east gave sign of the
approach of day, as the Leader stepped cautiously
toward the group of trees, followed by the young
warrior, whose heart beat high with hope that the
time had at last come for him to show his valour
and win a war honour. A greyish hue was spread-
ing over the land as they neared the place. The
young man's eyes sought among the trees the hidden

INDIAN STORY AND SONG

enemy, but the Leader paused and addressed the
youth : —

*^Was it here that you saw the enemy? "

''Yes."

*'Look on the ground and tell me what you see? "

Surprised at the words, yet obedient, he turned
his scrutiny from the trees to the grass upon which
they stood, and detected there the traces of the feet
of an animal. As he gazed silently at the tracks,
absorbed in his thoughts, the dawn came slowly on.
The Leader was the first to speak : —

**I had seen a wolf pass here when I was going
the rounds of the camp, and when you reported to
me I had but just returned to my bed. I arOvSe and
came with you, to be quite sure that we had both
looked in the same direction and had seen the same
thing. A warrior must learn to distinguish a man
from a wolf, even in the darkness of midnight."

The youth heard the words in silence. At last
he said, *'A warrior has much to learn; and it is
well if, while he learns, he brings no trouble to
his friends." Then, standing beside the veteran
Leader, in the light of the coming day, he sud-
denly broke into song, voicing there on the instant
the feeling born of his night's experience.

A WARRIOR'S STORY AND SONG

This story and song he gave to others, that it
might be as a voice of warning to young and eager
virarriors, and help them to guard against a misad-
venture like his own.

Although the young man in after years became
noted in the tribe for his prudence and valour, this
story and song of his youth have survived the mem-
ory of his later deeds.

The words give the pith of the adventure: "I did
not report aright when I went to the Leader and
bade him arise. It was a wolf that was moving.**

The spirited music breathes the impatient eager-
ness of youth. The haste and insistence of the
young warrior are heard in the phrase where he
addresses the **Nu-don hon-ga, ** or Leader. The
song is a great favourite among the young men
of several Indian tribes in our country.

9«

MI-KA-THI.

A WARRIOR'S SONG.

Ponka.

Martial. Spirited and lightly.

A A

teK

■&

.;5:^

ha ha

m^^^^

Ped.

R^^

— ^

-E^

,^ ^ -d-d" d- -d-d-ij- -*-

-^^

— • —

— m —
dho

f1±

-[-•-

e hu he a

^ V

+—

-+-

%-^A^ — \^ — V--

Ped.

^^^==^.

at:i

dhe ya a ho e dho he

rr-^r

^i^=f-

~-t

i=F

*^=\

/>«</.

i^^^

r-r^j^i-: -j-T^rr

e a - he ya a ha e dho he

^isfe

l'^

a^ffi^^c^?

Ped.

B::^t&=^:

MI-KA-THI.

I A__] N

^•=FS

1=^=11

i=:4

dho-e. Nu-don hon-ga ni - a - shi-ga bi-ehe mia ka

i^—wi—^^—it-^^ S ' It

9i±

fezzri^S

^r^

9r-r

non-zhi-a he

Hi^rt^

ka - thi - a -

:§:^

:P=ff

Fed.

t^:

^-r— ^-

:^:i=ic

• 1^ i^

w^wi

ma ha dhea a - me dho he . . . e Hon-

iiifc=^

■i=*

-•-r-

-•-s-

=1- ^a-

BSE

t=I^

f: T. t: * • 1^^^

ga dhe - te non zhin - ge dho he . .

-P-'^

-t"

Fed,

^4"

THE MOCKING-BIRD'S SONG.

This little song of springtime was noted from
the singing of a Tigua girl of the pueblo of Isleta,
N. M. , by my honoured and lamented friend and co-
worker, Professor John Comfort Fillmore. It tells
the story of the semi-arid region where it was born.

Rain, people, rain !

The rain is all around us.

It is going to come pouring down,

And the summer will be fair to see,

The mocking-bird has said so.

MOCKING BIRD SONG.

Tigua.

Transcribed and harmonized
by Prof. John Comfort Fillmorb.

k V-Ar-m-

X=:^-

^^^=^^

Hla - chi dai - nin, hla - chi dai

nin,

h=^

N— A

i-behmakunwhi niweh, dawingu ba hrn ah.

*■ -#- -d- -j- -•- -•- -•- -•

-• — #

Ah hlun hla hlue i hi ei - ah whi no ei - ahwhi no

wey u tur p'hoa whe na he de a na Ihenh'li

-• #-

he pun hi ni ni ah Li u yu sa na

^^i

=^ — r^-t

lit -^•-
ya he wa a

-^ — ^_U ^ 4:

hi ni ni a hi ni ni a ni a a ha i hi.

A SONG OF THE GHOST DANCE.

There are few more pathetic sights than that of
an Indian ghost dance, — pathetic in itself, not to
consider the gloomy background of fear inspired by
it in the minds of so many of our own race who
have so widely misunderstood its meaning. The
ceremony is but an appeal to the unseen world to
come near and to comfort those who have been over-
taken in the land of their fathers by conditions both
strange and incomprehensible.

The ghost or spirit dance is a modified survival
of several ancient ceremonies, blended into one and
touched here and there with ideas borrowed from our
own race.

In the hypnotic vision which follows the monoto-
nous dance, the landscape of his former days, un-
touched by the white man, appears to the "con-
trolled" Indian: the streams wander through un-
broken prairie; no roadways, no fields of wheat,
intrude upon the broad stretches of native grasses;
the vanished herds of buffalo come back to their
grazing-grounds ; the deer and the antelope, the wolf
and the bear, are again in the land; and the eagles
look down on the Indian villages, where are to be

A SONG OF THE GHOST DANCE

seen the faces of old friends returned from the spirit
realm. These are the scenes which come to the
homesick Indian, who is stranded in his native
land, his ears filled with foreign sounds, his old
activities gone, and his hands unskilled and unable
to take up new ones.

The ghost dance is the cry of a forsaken people,
forsaken by the gods in which they once trusted, —
a people bewildered by the complexity of the new
path they must follow, misunderstood by and mis-
understanding the race with whom they are forced
to live. In this brief ceremony of the ghost dance
the Indians seek to close their eyes to an unwel-
come reality, and to live in the fanciful vision of
an irrecoverable past.

This song was given me by a ghost dancer, a
leader in the Arapaho tribe. Before he sang, he
explained to me the ceremony, its peaceful charac-
ter, and, all unconsciously, made apparent its ex-
pression of a pathetic longing for a life that can
never return. Standing before the graphophone, he
offered an earnest prayer, then, with his companions,
sang this song.

The simple pathos of the words cannot be repro-
97

GHOST DANCE SONG.

A rapaho.

Solemn and fioivingly .

3ES

-!q_^

fc^i

:i:

E3^Et

r4 I I 4=K=4

■4 — It

Fed. "*"

Z'^^.

fe^

SES

P=*=f=^

4 • »>

a=t

^r-r^^

ir:2-*

54;

4 I I f4

^ 1^

/'^^.

•=Jt

5=t2:

9iS#=fi

±=^-

-M

ifci;

* Fed.

GHOST DANCE SONG.

f^m

s^^

113

1 r

9-v#

-«'—

-^-T-^

* Z"^^.

di:

^z:#=:zt::z!t:

TSS

r r r

<5«- -1-

"- f r

W^^^^^^^

^=^:

y^^BE^^

T^ #■

INDIAN STORY AND SONG

duced in English. They carry a meaning beneath
their literal sense that appeals like the cry of a
child.

Father, have pity upon me !

I am weeping from hunger (of the spirit) :

There is nothing here to satisfy me !

The music tells the story of the cry. Its ca-
dences are antiphonal, as between the two worlds.

100

SACRED SONGS OF PEACE.

When the white race first visited the Indians in
the Mississippi valley, they found among thena
a ceremony common to a large number of tribes;
and it was observed that, whenever the symbolic
objects peculiar to this ceremony were displayed,
they were treated with profound respect.

These sacred objects were two perforated sticks,
like pipe stems, one painted blue to represent the
sky, and the other green to typify the earth; and
among their bright-coloured decorations were the
plumages of particular birds and wing-like pendants
of eagle feathers. They symbolised the heavens
and the earth and the mysterious power that per-
meates all nature. In their presence the Indians
were taught that they should care for their children,
think of the future welfare of the people, put aside
personal grievances, repress anger and warlike emo-
tions, and be like kindred, at peace with one another.
Different names were given to these peculiar objects
by the different tribes; and they were classed by our
early travellers with the ''calumets," or pipes of
peace, although they were not pipes, for they had
no bowl and could not be smoked.

INDIAN STORY AND SONG

' It was due to the presence of one of these so-
called ** calumets " in Marquette's frail canoe that
made possible his peaceful descent of the Missis-
sippi River on his voyage of discovery. He writes
that the ''calumet is the most mysterious thing in
the world. The sceptres of our kings are not so
much respected; . . . for one with this calumet may
venture among his enemies, and in the hottest
battles they lay down their arms before this sacred
pipe."

The ''calumet" ceremony has, therefore, an his-
toric interest for us, apart from its revelation of the
religious beliefs and social ideals of the Indian.
To explain the symbolism, the teachings, and the
observances which make up this complex rite would
fill a volume; but, that something of the dignity and
beauty of the thoughts expressed in it may be
known, two of its numerous songs are here given.

To understand the significance of these songs, it
should be known that two distinct groups or parties
were indispensable to the performance of the cere-
mony; namely, they who brought the "calumets "
and they who received them. As it was imperative
that there should be no blood relationship between
these two parties, they always belonged to different

SACRED SONGS OF PEACE

tribes or to two distinct kinship groups within the
tribe. The party bringing the '* calumets" was
called '*the father," while those receiving them
were ''the children." These terms refer to the tie
about to be formed between the two unrelated par-
ties by means of this sacred ceremony. This tie
was esteemed more honourable and binding than the
natural bond of father and son.

The ceremony generally took place in a circular
dwelling known as an "earth lodge." The occa-
sion drew together a large concourse of people, —
men, women, and children ; and the gay costumes,
the glinting of ornaments, the picturesque groups,
and the happy, smiling faces of old and young made
a scene full of colour and motion. Many times I
have witnessed this ceremony and joined in its
beautiful chorals, led by the bearers, who swayed
the ''calumets" to the rhythm of the song, wafting
over the heads of the people the blessing of peace.

The following choral was sung immediately after
the "calumets " had been ceremonially taken from
their resting-place, with movements that simulated
the eagle rising from its nest. The bearers then
faced the people, seated on the ground against the
wall of the lodge, and with slow rhythmic steps

103

INDIAN STORY AND SONG

moved around the circle, waving the ** calumets"
over the heads of the multitude. As the "calu-
mets** passed slowly by, the people took up the
choral, until at last the great lodge resounded with
its majestic cadences. The leaping flames from
the central fire lit up the faces of the hundreds of
men and women ; while the swaying feathers of the
**calumets" cast great wing-like shadows on the
glistening roof, and seemed to make real the sym-
bolic presence of the mighty eagle himself, circling
over the people as he sped on his mission, bearing
the benediction of good will among men.

Once, at the close of this song, an old Indian
turned to me and said, ''The 'calumets' are of
God.'*

The words of this choral refer to the blessing of
peace given to "the fathers" in ancient days, and
now brought by the symbolic "calumets " to "the
children."

Down through the ages vast,

On wings strong and true,

From great Wa-ko^Ma comes

Good will unto you, —

Peace, that shall here remain.

104

CHORAL.

Offtaha.
Harmonized by Prof. J. C. Fillmorb.

With religious feeling. J = 132.

m^-

■I— j-

6^#=^

• — *

:#=g:

Dha ke - de hia u - dha
Double drum-beat .

x=x

-n—ft—n-

:^=^_| [i:

ho - dha

S=E=

^ 4-^-

r. I 1 I

1 T"^ p^rt^.

/^^^.

ke -de ho - dha

dha ke - de

■U^

t=t

r-r-T^

# /'^<^.

TF=4^

^'-=-'

ha dhe he hia . .

dha

9.» • •-

:J=5=^=F^J

ke-dehia

-4-J-

5id2=zN==^=)l=|i

Izd2)c=:1i:

1— 1— 11=^:

:t=d:

f=r^

-•^— •-

-i — r

-4 4 4—1^

1 I

* Ped.

4:=:i

dha ke - de ha dhe he.

§^

%*=^

t=x

-A-

:*=:t

i'«<jr.

^ *

-* -&

-ri-^— 4-

2 *

-5-:?

INDIAN STORY AND SONG

After the bearers, or '*the fathers," had ceremo-
nially borne the '^calumets " four times around the
lodge, singing as they went and waving the blessing
of peace and fellowship over the heads of *'the chil-
dren," they paused as they reached a consecrated
place at the back of the lodge, facing the entrance
to the east. Here the ground had been specially
prepared, and a wildcat skin spread upon it for the
reception of the ''calumets." Over this skin,
which had its symbolic meaning, the bearers waved
the "calumets," imitating the movements of the
eagle, sweeping lower and lower, rising and circling
again, and then dropping lightly upon its nest.

The song is one of those sung to accompany the
movements of the "calumets" as they are thus
lowered to rest. The words refer to the search of
"the fathers" for "the children," to bring them
peace, as the eagle soars abroad and returns to its
nest.

Far above the earth he soars,

Circling the clear sky,

Flying over forests dim,

Peering in shadows,

Seeking far and wide his child,

To give him peace.

io6

THE GIFT OF PEACE.

Otoe.

Harmonized by Prof. J. C. Fillmorb.

With feeling. Lightly and smoothly.
J = 56: .

jtziLiMzzMi

!#*

Zhin-ga dha-we dho
Tremolo of the drum.

dho we

r7\

m^^-

ho-i

Fed.

# Fed.

i^^

-©>-

^?z^

■x==x

J^t

ne Zhin-ga dha-we dho dho we . . he

a^^

:t=P4:

♦ Fed

-i^

* Fid.

1=^

» S.S d

^e^^

_ -ritard.._

ho-i - ne Zhin-ga dha we dhodhoweha je dha we.

.-^f- -#- ^2. ^S- ^2-MlL ^2.

ii-=i

9^^S

i» — s-

i^^ ^
^^^r^

ss~^^

* P^.!?.

# J°^</.

COMFORTING THE CHILD.

The three following songs have a common motive,
and are parts of one ceremonial action; but the
motive is treated differently in each song, so as to
conform to the movements of the ceremony.* An
unconscious art is here shown, which is interesting
as a bit of musical archaeology. During the ** calu-
met " ceremony among the Pawnees, if a child cried
and would not be comforted, its parents were per-
mitted to appeal to the * 'calumets " for help.

The fan-shaped pendant of one of these ''calu-
mets " was made of the feathers of the golden eagle.
This bird in the ceremony was called Kawas, and
symbolised the peaceful and conserving power, the
giver and preserver of life, the parent of all things.
It was to the priestly bearer of this particular "cal-
umet ' ' that the parents appealed. On receiving
the appeal, the priest and his assistants arose, and,
standing beside "the holy place, " — the consecrated
space where the "calumets" were laid at ceremo-
nial rest, — they sang this song, thus passing on to
Kawas the appeal of the parents.

•These songs were never before noted, and have hitherto been sealed from the
knowledge of the white race. They were given and explained by a priest of the rite,
through Mr. James R. Murie.

I08

KAWAS, THY BABY IS CRYING.

Pawnee.

Swinging rhythm.
I Intro. I ,r ^.^

Transcribed from Graphophone record
and Harmonized by E. S. Tracv.

5^::i=^:t=t3ttati?:

■&

i^n:

wha-kara-tsawe Ka -

7^1

Ho o Ka - was ta

^^n

£3E^Qi

iizit

p^^. W p^^.

^ Ped.

fi:

::1=izj==g=^z=J:tl -r-i'-*- 4:iiz: i^ j :

:2^:fi

Ah he - wi ! wha-ka ra-tsa we.

■ L-i-^i^

^^n

&Vr

Ped.

J=g-t=hfcjj=i=^

1*^ #^ -i^

- was ta .

r F ^-^

wha-ka -ra tsa

. we.

¥:t±:=

— r^ n

i^i

INDIAN STORY AND SONG

The words are in the nature of a prayer, the
music has the swing of a lullaby.

Kawas, thy baby is crying !
Grieving sore, wailing, and weeping.
Aye, forsooth ! wailing and weeping,
Kawas, thy baby is crying !

Then the bearers took up the "calumets" and
moved with slow rhythmic steps toward the crying
child, singing as they went and swaying the sacred
symbols to the measure of this song. Its meaning
was explained to me as follows : —

'*Hah-ars (a contraction of the word meaning
father) signifies Ti-ra'-wa, the power that animates
all things, all animals, all men, the heavens, and the
earth. Ti-ra'-wa is represented by the Hako (the
* calumets'), and it is this power which now ap-
proaches to console the child."

In the music one hears the coming of Ti-ra'-wa in
the footsteps of his creatures, both great and small.

Thy father is coming.
E'en now he is near thee ;
Cry no more : the mighty one,
Thy father, is coming !
no

THY FATHER IS COMING.

Transcribed from Graphophone record and
Harmonized by E. S. Tracy.

Smoothly but with marked rhythm.
Intro. 1 . ^

r§=s

■It^'t=3t

fc^*

Ho . Hah-ars si - rah

ra.

Plg^g=jg^ "

Ped,

^=3t

* Ped,

^^-t

S^E^^S^

ti we - ra. . .

^, N I I

Hah- ars si

n-d:

-•l-^#

p^f^/.

t=.-=x

|T^^^«

Re - ko

^J:

/'<?^.

*P^^.

I— t^-U

"^i

Hah-ars si

X^^^ — t^ ^^^

we - ra.

p7d. r ' 'ji

INDIAN STORY AND SONG

Upon reaching the child, the golden eagle "calu-
met" was gently swayed above it, while in the
background the other *' calumet " was waved to ward
off disturbing influences, and the priests sang this
song. It is said that on hearing it **the child al-
ways looks up and ceases its crying. ' '

The caressing, almost playful rythm of the
music twines about the deep religious feeling ex-
pressed in the words, like the arms of an infant
about the neck of its thoughtful, reverent parent.

Lift thine eyes, 'tis the gods who come near,
Bringing thee joy, release from all pain.
Sending sorrow and sighing
Far from the child, Ti-ra'-wa makes fain.

Ah, you look ! Surely, you know who comes,
Claiming you his and bidding you rise.
Blithely smiling and happy,
Child of Ti-ra'-wa, Lord of the skies !

1X3

LOOK UP!

Pawnee.
Transcribed from Graphophone record, i
Harmonized by E. S. Tracy.
Swinging rhythm. Lightly.

Intro, j

■E

- r r

Ho . . Ha ! Is - te wa - ta si wi - ta ha,

9i^^

EZE^Q

:^ip

3tlC

i'^^. #

-^4-51-

PA= — Pv-

i1=:f

lilZit

^^r^r^

Ha! Is - te

wa - ta SI . . wi - ta

A A

9i^=t^

r=^

^^^-^

-• — •-

B=^

Ped.

i*: * f- If:

1=r

ha . . Hah

ars . . hi . . re wa

^s-

]=«:

m—t-

Ped,

i^^s^^^^

ha - ki, Ha ! Is - te wa - ta si

. wi - ta ha.

'^--

-n — ^

1 — r
» — »-

MUSIC IN INDIAN LIFE.

Music enveloped the Indian's individual and
social life like an atmosphere. There was no im-
portant personal experience where it did not bear a
part, nor any ceremonial where it was not essential
to the expression of religious feeling. The songs
of a tribe were coextensive with the life of the
people.

This universal use of music was because of the
belief that it was a medium of communication be-
tween man and the unseen. The invisible voice
could reach the invisible power that permeates all
nature, animating all natural forms. As success
depended upon help from this mysterious power, in
every avocation, in every undertaking, and in every
ceremonial, the Indian appealed to this power
through song. When a man went forth to hunt,
that he might secure food and clothing for his fam-
ily, he sang songs to insure the assistance of the
unseen power in capturing the game. In like man-
ner, when he confronted danger and death, he sang
that strength might be given him to meet his fate
unflinchingly. In gathering the healing herbs and
in administering them, song brought the required

114

MUSIC IN INDIAN LIFE

efficacy. When he planted, he sang, in order that
the seed might fructify and the harvest follow. In
his sports, in his games, when he wooed and when
he mourned, song alike gave zest to pleasure and
brought solace to his suffering. In fact, the Ind-
ian sang in every experience of life from his cradle
to his grave.

It would be a mistake to fancy that songs floated
indiscriminately about among the Indians, and
could be picked up here and there by any chance
observer. Every song had originally its owner. It
belonged either to a society, secular or religious, to
a certain clan or political organization, to a partic-
ular rite or ceremony, or to some individual.

Religious songs were known only to the priest-
hood ; and, as music constituted a medium between
man and the unseen powers which controlled his
life, literal accuracy was important, otherwise the
path between the god and the man would not be
straight, and the appeal would miscarry.

In every tribe there were societies having a defi-
nite membership, with initiatory rites and recipro-
cal duties. Each society had its peculiar songs;
and there were officials chosen from among the
members because of their good voices and retentive

INDIAN STORY AND SONG

memories, to lead the singing and to transmit with
accuracy the stories and songs of the society, which
frequently preserved bits of tribal history. Fines
were imposed upon any member who sang incor-
rectly, while ridicule always and everywhere fol-
lowed a faulty rendering of a song.

The right to sing a song which belonged to an
individual could be purchased, the person buying
the song being taught it by its owner.

These beliefs and customs among the Indians
have made it possible to preserve their songs with-
out change from one generation to another. Many
curious and interesting proofs of accuracy of trans-
mittal have come to my knowledge during the past
twenty years, while studying these primitive mel-
odies.

Indian singing was always in unison; and, as the
natural soprano, contralto, tenor, and bass moved
along in octaves, the different qualities of tone in
the voices brought out the overtones and produced
harmonic effects. When listening to chorals sung
by two or three hundred voices, as I have many
times heard them in ceremonials, it has been diffi-
cult to realise that all were singing in unison.

Close and continued observation has revealed that
ii6

MUSIC IN INDIAN LIFE

the Indian, when he sings, is not concerned with
the making of a musical presentation to his audi-
ence. He is simply pouring out his feelings,
regardless of artistic effects. To him music is sub-
jective : it is the vehicle of communication between
him and the object of his desire.

Certain peculiarities in the Indian's mode of
singing make it difficult for one of our race to in-
telligently hear their songs or to truthfully tran-
scribe them.

There is no uniform key for any given song, for
the Indians have no mechanical device for determin-
ing pitch to create a standard by which to train the
ear. This, however, does not affect the song; for,
whatever the starting note, the intervals bear the
same relation to each other, so that the melody
itself suffers no change with the change of pitch.

Again, the continual slurring of the voice from
one tone to another produces upon us the impression
of out-of-tune singing. Then, the custom of sing-
ing out of doors, to the accompaniment of the drum,
and against the various noises of the camp, and the
ever-restless wind, tending to strain the voice and
robbing it of sweetness, increases the difficulty of
distinguishing the music concealed within the

117

INDIAN STORY AND SONG

noise, — a difficulty still further aggravated by the
habit of pulsating the voice, creating a rhythm
within the rhythm of the song.

Emotion also affects the rendering of Indian
music. This is especially noticeable in solos, as
love-songs, where the singer quite unconsciously
varies from a quarter to a whole tone from the true
pitch. On the contrary, emphasis sharps the tone.
If, however, these peculiarities are imitated to him,
the Indian immediately detects, and declares them
to be wrong, thus betraying his unconsciousness of
his own inaccuracies in endeavouring to strike a
plain diatonic interval.

Our difficulty in hearing the music of the Indian
is equalled by the trouble he has with our instru-
ments. His attention is engaged by the mech-
anism. He hears the thud of the hammer, *'the
drum inside" the piano, the twanging of the metal
strings, and the abrupt, disconnected tones. Until
he is able to ignore these noises he cannot recog-
nise the most familiar tune. Even then, if his
songs are played as an unsupported aria, they are
unsatisfactory to him. His ear misses something
it heard in the unison singing of his people, and
which the addition of a simple harmonic accompani-

ii8

MUSIC IN INDIAN LIFE

ment supplies, making the melody, as he says,
**sound natural." The discovery of the Indian's
preference in the rendition of his songs upon the
piano led to many experiments, in which Professor
Fillmore took part, and that brought to light many
interesting facts. Among these facts may be men-
tioned the complexity of rythms, one played against
the other; the modulation implied in some of the
melodies; the preference for a major chord in clos-
ing a minor song; and the use of certain harmonic
relations which have been deemed peculiar to the
modern romantic school.

As these melodies are the spontaneous utterances
of a people without any theory of music or even a
musical notation, they throw light upon the struct-
ure, development, and freedom of natural expres-
sion in music.

119

THE RELATION OF STORY AND SONG.

The rise of our music and poetry is lost in an
irrevocable past; but, as the operation of psychical
laws is universal, it may be that some of the influ-
ences that have been operative in the growth of these
arts can be discovered through the study of native
American story and song, born of a race living in a
state of culture antecedent to that in which our
earliest literature and music flourished.

Within a generation diligent search has begun
among some of the Indian tribes, to ascertain,
through a sympathetic study of rites, ceremonies,
and customs, what were the red man's ideals, what his
beliefs, and what his actual attainments. Already
this labour is bearing fruit. Scholars are recog-
nising that the aboriginal conditions on this conti-
ment throw light on the slow development of human
society and its institutions; and the time seems not
distant when students of man's culture will turn
hither for evidence needed to fill gaps or to explain
phases in the development of art, — art in form, in
colour, and in melody, — for, it has been well said,
America is the ''fossil bed" where are preserved
stages of progress unrecorded in written history.

THE RELATION OF STORY AND SONG

In Indian story and song we come upon a time
where poetry is not yet differentiated from story
and story not yet set free from song. We note that
the song clasps the story as a part of its being, and
the story itself is not fully told without the cadence
of the song. Yet in even the most primitive ex-
amples a line of demarcation can be discerned; and
when this line has deepened, and differentiation has
begun, we are able to trace the formative influence
exerted by story upon song and by song upon story,
and can observe what appear to be the beginnings
of musical and poetical structure.

The brevity of Indian songs at once arrests atten-
tion. They begin without introduction, almost
abruptly, breaking out upon us as though sur-
charged. This peculiarity arises from the relation
of the song to the story. The story is always
founded upon a dramatic circumstance, in which at
some point the emotion is forced to find a means of
expression beyond the limitation of words alone;
and the song is the result. This dramatic circum-
stance may be a danger confronted or averted, a
valorous deed achieved or a difficulty surmounted, a
religious experience or an ardent craving for super-
natural aid. The Omaha tribal prayer will serve as

I3X

INDIAN STORY x\ND SONG

an illustration, where the cry to Wa-ko«-da is the
climatic voicing of the youth's desire in the midst
of his weary vigil and fasting. His long prepara-
tion for the rite, the solitude of his surroundings,
the suffering of mind and body as alone he faces
nature and the supernatural, — all these conditions
make the story, and, to the Indian, form the true
setting of the song.

The motive of a song and its distinctive rhythm
were determined by the emotion evoked by the
dramatic circumstance. The simplest resultant
of this directive emotion in music is a pulsating
rhythm on a single tone. Such songs are not ran-
dom shoutings, but have a definite meaning for those
who sing and for those who listen, as in this Na-
vaho ritual song.

From this extremely simple expression the
growth of the musical motive can be traced in these
Indian songs through the use of two or more tones
up to the employment of the full complement of the
octave. *

*A careful analjrsis of hundreds of aboriginal songs, gathered from the arctic
seas to the tropics, shows that in every instance the line taken by these tones is a

A PRAYER FOR RAIN.

Mexico. Tarahumare.

From Dr. Carl Lumholtz.

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SONG.

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British Columiia. Kwakiutl.

Prof. J. C. Fillmork.
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chord-line where the tones are harmonically related to each other. Out of these
related tones the untutored savage has built his simple melodies. The demonstration
of the interesting fact that " the line of least resistance " in music is a harmonic line
was made by my late associate, Professor John Comfort Fillmore.

123

INDIAN STORY AND SONG

The creation of that which we know as musical
form seems also to be due to the influence of story
upon song. We have already noted how the direc-
tive emotion started the distinctive rythm and de-
termined the order of the related tones, and so con-
structed the motive or theme. But neither the
rythm nor the simple motive could express the
movement of the dramatic story: hence we find this
expressed by the repetition, modification, and varia-
tion of the motive, the growth of the phrase, the
formation of the clause, and the grouping of clauses
into a period, — in fact, the outline of the form upon
which all our culture music is built. Culture
music, however, shows an intellectual control of
emotion, a power of musical thinking, the enlarging
and embellishing of musical form, — a form, never-
theless, which we find outlined, more or less clearly,
in the songs of the untutored red man. The differ-
ence between these spontaneous Indian melodies and
the compositions of the modern masters would seem
to be not one of kind, but one of degree.

As these songs are from a race practically without
musical instruments, — for the drum and rattle were
used only to accentuate rythm, — they are repre-
sentative of the period when the human voice was

124

THE RELATION OF STORY AND SONG

the sole means of musical expression, — a period
which antedated the invention of instruments by an
immeasurable time. They prove, therefore, that
musical form was not developed, as has sometimes
been stated, by the use of instruments, but that it
took its rise in a mental necessity similar to that
which gave structure to language.

The influence of song upon story is seen in the
attempt to bend prose to a poetic form.

Many Indian songs have no words at all, vocables
only being used to float the voice. On classifying
these wordless songs, we discover that those which
are expressive of the gentle emotions have flowing,
breathing vocables, but, where warlike feelings
dominate the song, the vocables are aspirate and
explosive. In this determinate use of vocables we
happen upon what seems to represent the most prim-
itive attempt yet discovered to give intellectual
definition in verbal form to an emotion voiced in
rythm and melody.

In songs where words are employed, we also find
vocables which are in accord with the spirit of the
song, used to make the words conform to the mu-
sical phrase. These vocables are either appended
to the word or else inserted between its syllables,

INDIAN STORY AND SONG

to give length or added euphony. We also note a
desire for rhyming, since vocables similar in sound
frequently occur at the end of each musical phrase.

It would lead into too many details to present the
various devices discernible in this aboriginal mate-
rial by vs^hich the Indian sought euphony and meas-
ure. Nor can it be easily illustrated hovir words of
many different languages were bent by elisions or
stretched by vocables, that they might conform to
the musical phrase. There is abundant evidence
that the ear, accustomed to the pleasure of the
rythmic cadence of the song, was beginning to
demand a corresponding metrical use of words in
expressing the poetic thought involved in the dra-
matic story which gave birth to the music.

The art of poetry is here in its infancy, giving
even less sign of its future development than music,
which had already acquired the outline of that form
which has since crystallised into the art of music.
Notwithstanding, we find that words were chosen for
their descriptive power, and that they were made
rythmical to fit the melody. Like the swelling
buds on the bare branch, which hint the approach
of summer's wealth, so these little vocables and
rythmic devices whisper the coming of the poets.

126

.yO

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