FOLKWAYS RECORDS Album No. FE 4464
1955, 1961 Folkways Records & Service Corp. ,43 W. 61st St. , NYC, USA

Indian Musicof theCanadian Plains
INDIAN MUSIC OF THE CANADIAN PLAINSRECORDED BY KEN PEACOCK
FOR THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF CANADAINTRODUCTION AND NOTES BY KEN PEACOCK

THE PLAINS AREAThe Great Plains of central North America is avast area of rolling prairie, level plains, -andsemi-arid desert occasionally broken by deepriver gorges and rocky promontories. In thenorth the plains taper climatically into the vast
sub-arctic wastelands and tundra. The wholearea is characterized by light precipitation,
abundant sunshine, and extremes of temperature.
The Canadian portion of this area, and the region
covered in this album, extends from the Rocky
Mountains eastward to Lake Winnipeg and includes
the three prairie provinces, Alberta, Saskatchewan,
and Manitoba.
During the past 20,000 or 30,000 years, perhaps
longer, successive waves of migratory peoples
have poured into the region from Asia crossing
the narrow Bering Strait which separates Asia
from North America. Some authorities are also
studying the possibility of supplementary
migrations from the Pacific islands. However thismay be, the predominant physical and psychologicalmake-up of Indian America is Asiatic. Recent
migratory peoples like the Northwest Coast Indians
have been shown to have definite affiliation with
Siberian groups through their arts, music, andlanguage. Whether the plains peoples constitutea separate migration, are remnants of several
migrations, or are offshoots of other civilizations
has not been established. However, it would besafe to assume that the plains afforded easiest
access to all parts ' of the continent and that manygroups travelled over the comparatively smoothterrain before settling in their chosen areas.
Eventually the whole Eastern Hemisphere waso cc upi ed, from the Arctic to the tip of SouthAmerica.

Wbere conditions were favorable and permitted acomparatively easy sedentary life, these peoples
evolved high civilizations of great material wealthand social complexity as studies of the Aztecs andIncas have shown. But in areas where game h8.d
to be chased over great distances, where there
were no trees, where there was little to recommend
one location over another, they settled in smallfamily groups and moved frequently. In this way,small nomadic and semi-nomadic groups like theEskimos and Plains tribes evolved with little
material culture to show for their efforts. However, this precarious existence had its compensations. It gave them an unusual insight into themysteries of nature and the nature of man whichmight well be the envy of more. favorably endowed
peoples.

THE PLAINS PEOPLES
Considering the nomadic aspects of Plains life one
might conclude that the region was inhabited byinnumerable small bands who met orten in theirtravels and spoke the same language. Such is not
the case. They are not one people, but several.
The list of different languages and dialects isformidable, and can be explained in at least two
ways.
First, our notion of their nomadic habits may begrossly exaggerated. Before the horse eventually
arrived from Spanish Mexico they travelled about
on foot using dogs as beasts of burden. Though
they moved often, the area covered was probably
very small. Contact with other groups would berare . The introduction of the horse created amajor revolution and. incidentally. created our
picture of Plains Indians. Just as contemporary
improvements in communications have helped tocreate and sustain world tension so the horsetransformed the Plains into a gaudy arena formounted gladiators. Horse-stealing became agame and a fine-art. Warfare became a way oflife. However. this did not mean wholesale carnage
and rapine as Hollywood movies perennially suggest.
Contrary to popular opinion scalping did not often
result in death. As a sort of bravado braves would
flaunt a certain portion of their scalp. the hairneatly braided and ready for the knife if the enemy
dared to get so close. This scalp-lock was about
the size of a half dollar. Braves with their scalplock removed proudly bore the scar of honor.
Moreover. it was considered a much greater featto touch a man than to kill hill\. especially with a bow
and arrow at a safe distance. Special ornamented
sticks called coup-sticks were used to touch an
enemy. In their waning years old braves would
get together to tell and re-tell the histories of their
many coups. All this was made possible by theswiftness and agility of the horse which in one or
two generations had created a dynamic new culture.
or rather. heightened dramatieally the culture
already in existence. But what of the older culture?
Is isolation and slowness of foot travel adequate
enough to explain the diversity of languages?

center pole of the Sun Dance lodge pulling on
the rope until the skewers in their chests
broke through the flesh. At the insistence ofshocked missionaries such un-Christianpractices have been deleted from the ceremoney. Indeed. the Sun Dance itself has
been officially banned in Canada. but now
that it has become fashionable for politicalfigures to be made honorary chiefs at Sun
Dance celebrations the government haslessened its vigilance.
The traditional Plains dwelling is the tipi.
a large conical hut of long poles covered withsewn buffalo hides. Nowadays canvas is used
and is painted with bright symbolic designs.
In the buffalo days tipis were seldom painted.
Inside they are surprisingly large and comfortable even in cool weather. possessing adouble wall for several feet up from theground. Beds are arranged around the wallwith a slanting back rest at either end. givinga zig-zag effect as the eye travels around theroom. The rest of the floor is covered withanimal hides except for the center where thefire is built. Smoke escapes through an
adjustable opening in the roof. The tipi now
serves only a ceremonial function and isstored with great care until next summer's
Sun Dance.

The only other explanation possible is that thedifferent language groups came at different periods
or were refugees from other cultures. In thisconnection it is interesting to note that in the vastterritory of the Eskimos only one language exists
from Alaska to Greenland. with one or two regional
dialects. Obviously only one group originallysettled in trle Arctic. But at the present time solittle is known of early migrations that it is impossible to 'trace the origins of the many Plains
tribes with any certainty. Theories have beenoffered from time to time but have been abandoned
for lack of more concrete evidence. One man haseven claimed that similarities exist between the
Welsh Celtic dialect and the Kootenay language(a Plains tribe that moved into the Rockies)
Despite their language differences the Plains
tribes of Canada and the northern United States
display a surprising similarity in their generalcultural characteristics. The greatest single
event in their lives is the festival of the Sun
Dance. a great religious celebration which eachyear brings together the scattered remnants ofonce-thriving nations to renew their faith in theancient wisdoms of God. nature. and man
Formerly. the Sun Dance was a clearing-housefor all sorts of ceremonies and events connectedwith tribal life. There the young braves could
take their v OW8 of honor and JD,anhood in painful
initiation ceremonies. They dragged buffalo
skulls behind them with thongs attached to theskin of their backs. or danced around the sacred-- WATCHING THE DANCE

2

As in most Indian tribes the traditional
marriage laws countenanced polygamy if thehusband had attained sufficient material andspiritual stature. But now that Christianity
is universally tolerated, if not fervently
embraced, the ideal marriage is monogamous, just as it is on the remainder of thecontinent.

of the higher values we hope our civilization
is based on. They merely offer the opportunity to get drunk. Yet in those few areas'where he is given greater responsibility for
his own future - - a situation brought about by
the efforts of an enlightened agent, not bylegislation -- in these areas he is again
coming into his own and may yet find themeans to express his ancient values so that
all may understand.

For the past six or seven decades the Plains
Indian reserves have felt the growing pressure of the white world around them and many
Indians are experiencing a hopeless paralysis
as their cultural islands diminish in power
and insight. Others are more active in accepting the white man's ways but underneaththey feel that something irretrievable is being
lost. It is useless to tell the Indian that thebest in our culture compares favorably withthe best in his, for he never has the chance
to experience it. The hostile and often brassy
towns adjacent to his reserve reveal nothing

PLAINS MUSICThe basic drum rhythms of the Plains
Tribes are extremely simple, consisting ofeither a steady pulse

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-- BLACKFOOT DANCERS

3

-- BLACKFOOT TIPIS

f"l J-:--1 1. ; .J1
The great temptation for us to feel the steadypulse in groups of two or four has given riseto the popular misconception of the sinister
UM-pah-pah-pah. Um-pah-pah-pah, drumbeat which always accompanies the activities
of Indians in Hollywood movies. This, noless than other misconceptions, is a sourceof great amusement for the Indian movie-goer.
The steady pulse may have a short series ofheavily accented duple beats as in the Grass
Dance but it immediately returns to normal.
However, there are gradual volume changes inboth the steady pulse and dotted rhythms.
Sometimes the beat fades to a whisper, especially when words are aung, to allow for
greater intelligibility.
Greater rhythmic subtlety occurs between the
drum rhythm and the voice. In fact, they sometimes sound as if they are not related at all.
The voice will continue its autonomous rhythm
a fraction before or after the steady drum beats.
In the realm of melody and voice production the
Indian really comes into his own. The highvibrato is the most striking characteristic of
Plains singing. The nasal method of projection
imparts a non-human quality to many voices.

The traditional Indian method of testing voiceprojection is to hold the nose. If a sound is
still heard then the singing is wrong.
The melodies themselves are for the most part
cast into scales and modes familiar to our ears.
The occasional melody has an "oriental" flavor
with several semitones or smaller intervals
bunched around one or two principal tones.
Melodies are mostly in the shape of a descending
graph with a low pick-up tone often introducing
the high tone. An even higher tone sometimes
occurs near the beginning but the general trend
is downard once the verse has been started.
The verses are repeated ad libitum.
Aside from religious songs which have their own
special char-acteristics, most of the songs arein two sections. The first section is high andalways uses vocables to carry the melody.
Vocables are vowel sounds often introduced by avariety of consonants -- e. g. hay, yah, ho, hee,hie, yay, ay, etc., which are approximate
English e-q uivalents of the Indian sounds. Vocables
are pretty standardized from tribe to tribe. The
second half of the song may continue the vocables
or may have a verse in the language of the tribe.
The Crees are very fond of word songs, theBlood and Blackfoot use them occasionally.

Musical instruments are few and very simple.
The hand-drum is a shallow hoop approximately
10 to 20 inches in diameter covered with a single
hide, intersecting pieces of hide on the backforming a convenient handle. It accompanies
solo songs and small groups. The bass-drum islarger and deeper and covered with two hides.
It is used simultaneously by several singers atlarge dances. The rattle is used for religious,
medicine, and personal songs. A whistle ofwillow-reed or the bone of a bird is used for
ceremonies connected with the Sun Dance. Holedflutes and whistles are rare.
NOTES ON THE RECORDINGS

When I die I'll have no fun,I'll just keep going on and on.
SIDE I, BAND 3 -- CREE: BEAR CEREMONY,
sung by Harry Nicotine, with rattle accompaniment. This the beginning of an all-night religious ceremony which honors the bear as oneof God's strongest and most cunning creatures.
It is one of a group of festivals of which the Sun
Dance is the most important and most famous.
As in the Sun Dance, a sacred lodge is built of
branches where the religious songs are sung.
Later, a food offering is given to the bear anda general feasting and singing lasts until dawn.
At the beginning of the ceremony the ceremonialor "medicine" pipes are smoked to honor theCreator. The food for the offering and feast isa mixture of powdered dried meat, berries, andanimal fat -- the famous "pemmican" of traditional Plains life. The ceremony has not beenpracticed for several decades so it was mostfortunate to secure this recording from the last
man who remembers it.

SIDE I, BAND 1 -- CREE: WAR SONG (WORLDWAR II), sung by George Nicotine and group,with hand-drum.
As the process of acculturation continues, the Indian is producing an increasing number of songs in English rather thanin his native tongue. This is especially true of
the Crees who were always more fond of word
songs than the other Plains tribes in Canada.
SIDE I, BAND 4 -- CREE: BIG DOG DANCE
Each year brings a new crop of pow-wow love
SONGS, sung by Antoine Lonesinger, with drum.
songs in English, and during World War II, with
In former days when the Indians moved theirso many Indians in the armed forces, it seemed
camp often to follow game it was necessary tomore natural to tell of their exploits in English.
have a special group of men responsible for huntSimilar songs from the World War I period are
ing laws, territory regulations, etc. The council
all in Cree. However, whether the songs areof the "Big Dogs" met in a special hut in the
traditional, transitional, or contemporary thecenter of the camp from which their proclamations
musical idiom remains purely Indian. The comwere shouted and sung. Eventually their influence
bination of English words and Indian music creates spI'ead to other camp affairs and they were often
called upon to arrange special feasts and dances.
strange off-beat accents that are faintlyreminiscent of calypso songs.
SIDE I, BAND 5 -- CREE: HAND-GAME SONGS,sung by William Peaychew and group, with
Oh brave soldier boy,sticks. The hand-game or stick-game is theOn the land, on the sea, and in the air,most popular and widespread Indian gambling
In Japan, Tokyo-o-o;game on the Plains -- indeed, on most of theJust the same I'm staying with you.
continent. The number of players varies from
SIDE I, BAND 2 -- CREE: PRISONER'S SONG,
two to as many as twenty. The players sit crosssung by William Burn Stick, with hand-drum.
legged or kneel on the ground facing each other,
The composer of this song was hanged forusually six to eight on each team. Between themmurder in an Edmonton jail several years ago.
is a row of ten sticks standing upright in the
A few of his friends who visited him in jail still
ground. One of the players holds two cylindricalremember the sad song he sang there, but allpieces of bone, each small enough for the hand toagree that the present singer sings it best. Perconceal. One of the bones is distinguished by ahaps the fact that he is blind gives him special
black ring around the middle. The object of the
feeling for the mood of disillusionment whichgame is to guess which hand conceals the unsurrounds both the melody and words. While
marked bone.
songs of this sort are not common, they do express the Indian's disillusionment not only with
When each player has contributed his money tohis own traditional values but with all the superthe pot they draw to see which team will have theficial trappings of modern civilization, bothbones first. The team in possession then starts
material and spiritual.
singing one of the hundreds of songs which traditionally accompany the game, each player beatTranslation:
ing in time with a stick on a long pole or board
lying in front of the players. One of the players
While I'm living I'll have fun (make love);
however, doesn't beat the pole for he has the
When I die, I'll die.
bones and is going through all sorts of gyrations5

resented here are composers of several dance.songs and are much in demand at the numerous
winter pow wows, or parties, as we would callthem. However, these songs are not only sungat parties. Very often a group of young swains
will get together to sing a nd to discuss thingsin general -- and women in particular. Songs
like this recorded example are typical of suchsessions and may even originate under these
conditions. Love songs are never written ~girls, but only about them .

and trick passes to fool the opponents. Satisfied
that his tricks have fooled the opposing players
he holds both arms out, inviting a player on the
opposite side to guess which hand contains theunmarked bone. If the guess is wrong the sameside retains the bones and takes one of the ten
sticks . The procedure is repeated perhaps tothe accompaniment of another song. If theguess is correct, however, one of the sticks
goes to the successful side and they gain possession of the bones. The game is Continued
until one side has all the sticks.

Trans lation:

The Cree hand-game songs are distinguished bya series of rhythmic grunts which are sometimes
interpolated between verses. Other tribes do
not use this device. The songs are always fastand steady rhythmically. It is most unusual for
women to play the game, though they often watch
and can sing many of the songs.

When you see a dog coming,That's me.
You take him, you take him,
You feed him and you fill him up;
You tie him up,
That's me.
SIDE I, BAND 8 -- CREE: GRASS DANCE
SONG, sung by Elie Pooyak, with hand-drum.
The Grass Dance is one of the most popular
dances of the Plains Indians. Originally danced
only by a sele c t group of warriors who wereused as "shock troops ", it has degenerated intoa tourist display of colorful costumes andplumage. The basic costume consists of fulllength tights in black or some brilliant color,adorned with fancy belts, aprons, ankle bells,
knee-bells, armlets, feathers, and pieces offur. The head-dress is made of brilliant clothand ornaments topped with a plume of porcupine
quills or horse-hair . An eye-mask of fancy
beads is often worn .

The game is sometimes played ceremonially byelders and medicine men and a special group of
Holy Hand-Game Songs is used for this purpose.
It is considered sacrilegious to use these songs
for the popular game of course. Although thegame can be played with improvised sticks andbones, some of the sets are elaborately carvedin ivory as family heirlooms, especially thoseused for Holy Hand-Games.
SIDE I, BAND 6 -- CREE: GREETING SONG("SHAKE HANDS SONG"), sung by William
Peaychew.
Formerly used on traditional festive occasions
these greeting songs have recently become
associated with Christmas and New Year's celebrations. Close friends who haven't seen eachother for some time will welcome the opportunity to use this special form of greeting. A
formal, stylized greeting of this sort in no way
detracts from genuine feeling of sentiment. The
reticence and dignity of older Indians is the result of long familiarity with ancient traditions
and highly institutionalized forms of behavior.
It is easy to see how early contacts between
Indians and whites supported our notion of the"noble savage." In fact, it makes one wonder
just who the savage really was.

While the music is similar from tribe t o tribe,
the costumes and dancing vary. In some tribes
the spectacular Hoop Dance is in c luded under
the general cat e gory of the Gra ss Dance. The
dancer carries several hoops which he climbs
through and rotates on his arms and legs.
The example given here is traditional and isused for a specific purpose. If a dancer drops
an armlet or some other part of his costume
an old respected warrior picks it up and hands
it to him to the accompaniment of this specialmusic . It is somewhat faster than the usual
Grass Dance which has a heavy, moderate beat.
As in all Grass Dances, the volume of the drumming is heightened at the climax of each verse.
Often the tempo of the music increases as thedance progresses but older men frown upon thisuns eemly innovation.

SIDE I, BAND 7 -- CREE: POW WOW SONG,
sung by Alan Fox and Lawrence Kiskotagan.
Sometimes called "Ordinary" Dance Songs, these
popular modern songs are patterned on the traditional Owl Dance with its slow to moderate
triple rhythm. The form is also used as a vehicle for more serious love songs and even modern
war songs (see I, 1). The young singers rep-

SIDE I, BAND 9 - - CREE: POW WOW LOVE
SONG, sung by Elie Pooyak. The singer sangthirty-three of these songs at one recording
session. some in English, some in Cree. This6

worn by the solo dancers who have attached themto their knees and ankles. The five singers aresealed around a large two-headed drum, eachbeating with his own stick.

example is typical of the love songs in Cree(see I, 7). His voice is superior to those of
most singers out this fact would never be singled
out for comment, least of all by himself. Among
Indians a special talent is regarded as a gift of
God and is not to be used for personal aggrandizement but for the general good. The badsinger sings along with the good and everyone
enjoys himself. It would be unthinkable foreveryone to s top singing jus t because the bes t
singer was present. In all their arts and activities the Indians were guided by the idealof total participation, not passive appreciation.

SIDE II, BAND 3 - - BLOOD: CHICKEN DANCE
SONG, with bass drum and leg-bells. The
Chicken Dance was originally an imitation of
the mating dance of the prairie chicken. Nowadays, however, it has become similar to theGrass Dance, the only distinguishing featureof the costume being a tail-piece of feathers.
Among the Blood and Blackfoot the music isalso similar to that of the Grass Dance thoughusually somewhat faster. The Cree music forthis dance is more distinctive, possessing fast
dotted rhythms similar in effect to their handgame songs. The Grass Dance and Chicken
Dance are the mos t popular solo dances formen on the Canadian Plains. The Chicken Dance
is a favorite among young boys whose proud
mothers deck them out in the most fanciful head
and tail plumage.

SIDE II, BAND 1 -- ASSINBOINE: WARRIOR'SDEA TH SONG (FOR SITTING BULL), withbas s drum, leg be lIs. News of Sitting Bull' s
exploits had reached the Canadian Plains tribes
long before his visits to Wood Mountain, theCypress Hills and the Qu' Appelle Valley in1877. A previous visit (without his large band)
had taken him to Blackfoot country to visit therenowned Chief Crowfoot. As a result of his
flight to Canada in 1876, several hundred
descendants of his original band are now livingon a Sioux reserve in southern Manitoba.

The personnel on this recording is the same as
the preceding Grass Dance -- several dancers,
and five singers playing a bass -drum.

When news of his death in 1890 reached his
Canadian friends a general spirit of mourning
spread throughout the region especially among
those tribes with whom he had had intimatecontact.

SIDE II, BAND 4 -- BLOOD: OWL DANCE SONG.
The Owl Dance is the most popular social danceon the Plains. The couples form a large circle
and dance side by side in a clockwise direction.
Couples are often of the same sex though usually
they are mixed. There are also special Circle
Dances for women.

This song was recorded at an Indian pageant in
Fort Qu' Appelle near the site of Sitting Bull'svisit.

The dance is slow to moderate and very sedate
by our standards. The steps are short and consist of a double step on one foot and a single
step on the other, bringing the feet together
again. This simple I, 2, 3, step is repeated forthe duration of the dance. Couples may do aslow revolution as they continue their clockwise
movement.

SIDE II, BAND 2 -- BLOOD: GRASS DANCE
SONG, with bass drum, leg-bells. The Blood
Indians of southern Alberta belong to theBlackfoot language group which comprises threereserves in Alberta and one in northern Montana.
Their reserve is the largest in Canada andboasts of modern improvements such as grain
elevators, a large artificial lake, and extensive
irrigation systems. In keeping with this progressive attitude they have placed much of theirtraditional culture at the disposal of tourist
enterprises. Their Sun Dance is the most spectacular in Canada and last.s three or four weeks.
During this period mammoth festivals and dances
are staged and many prominent figures in theworld of business and politics are made honorary
chiefs. It is a sharp contrast to the unpretentious yet fervent Cree and Stony Sun Dances of
Saskatchewan which last only two or three days
and reflect more authentically the religious
nature of the ceremony.

As we have seen, the Cree Pow Wow Dancesand "Ordinary" Dances are all identical with the
Owl Dance, at least musically. Local tradition
decides what they are called. The Bloods andBlackfoot, on the other hand, have retained thetitle "Owl Dance" for all their triple-time danceswith the exception of a few women's "Circle
Dances", It is unusual to find an Owl Dancewith words in the Blackfoot area. They areamazed at the number of word-songs the Crees
have in this genre.
SIDE II, BAND 5 -- BLOOD: SUN DANCE
SONG, sung by Jim Low Horn, Jack Low Horn,and Mrs. Emil Wings, with hand-drum. Thisis a religious song from a long sacred service
connected with the Sun Dance.

This Grass Dance Song was recorded during
the Blood Sun Dance at one of the afternoon
festivals. The bells heard on the recording are7

companiment. Since the Blood and Blackfootcultures are virtually identical, this and thesong following may be regarded as supplementary to the section on Blood music. As it
happened, the recordings made on the Blood
Reserve were of better technical quality so they
were used to illustrate the general area of theBlackfoot Confederacy.

SIDE II, BAND 6 -- BLOOD: CRAZY DOG DANCE
SONG, sung by Jim Low Horn, Jack Low Horn,and Mrs. Emil Wings, with hand-drum and .
rattle. The "Crazy Dogs" were members of amilitary society noted for their extreme bravery
and recklessness. After the return of a successful war party there would be a general celebration during which the Crazy Dogs would reenact their exploits in song and dance.

The present song is intimately connected withtwo councillor chiefs on the Blackfoot Reserve.
It is a personal song of Ben Calf Robe but as
he did not wish to sing he asked his relation
One Gun to sing for him. Personal songs arefamily heirlooms and may not be sung byothers unless permission is given. This particular song is over 100 years old and has been
passed on from generation to generation.

SIDE II, BAND 7 -- BLOOD: SERENADE, sungby Adam Deianey and group. This type of songis known throughout the Plains area undervarious titles -- Midnight Rider's Song, Aroundthe-Camp Song, "Cowboy" Song -- and each
title is somewhat descriptive of the circumstances
attending its performance. Young men and boys
mounted on horses (up to four on a horse) slowly
ride about the camp singing these slow, beautiful melodies. They usually begin at sundown andsometimes continue through the night until dawn.
Now that the old camp life has virtually disappeared, the songs are usually sung only at theannual festival of the Sun Dance where theancient rituals are re-enacted and the traditional
way of life is briefly resumed for periods varying from two or three days to three or fourweeks.

Story of the song's origin: After Wandering on
the prairie for many hours alone, a woman
finally realized she was lost and sank down exhausted by a small stream to sleep for the night.
Later on she was awakened by the singing of a
strange and wonderful voice and arose to findout where it was coming from. As she continued her search the voice grew louder andlouder until it seemed to come from the groundat her feet. Stooping down, she saw an oddlyshaped stone which she picked up to examine.
The singing immediately stopped and she realized she had found a lucky charm. The next
day she wandered back to camp holding her
magic stone and singing the song she had heard
the night before.

Tipis and tents are arranged in a large circle
about the sacred lodge in the center where thereligious ceremonies and songs are performed.
But when the sacred rituals are over for the
day everyone relaxes, goes visiting, plays
games, or dances. Singing these serenades isjust another aspect of the general festivities of
the Sun Dance. Between verses the singers maypause for some verbal horsej:tlay or call to thegirls in the surrounding tents. Sometimes asinger will improvise a verse for his special
girl friend but otherwise the songs consist of theusual vocables. The tempo is slow or moderate,depending on the pace of the horses.

Both the stone and the song are now in Ben Calf
Robe's possession who uses them as "woman's
medicine" whenever his wife is ill. The stone
is kept in his "medicine bundle." When asked
whether the stone's voice were male or female
he replied, "Neither, just a voice. "SIDE II, BAND 10 -- BLACKFOOT: WAR SONG,
sung by Wilfred Calf Robe (age 9) and Albert
Scalp Lock (age 10), with hand-drum accompaniment.

SIDE II, BAND 8 - - BLOOD: OWL DANCE
SONG, sung by Adam and Wallace Delaney, withhand-drum accompaniment. A most unusual
example of the popular Owl Dance sung in twopart harmony. When questioned about the pitchdifference the brothers looked at each other inbewilderment, not realizing they had createdsomething new in Indian music -- harmony.
They understood immediately when the recording was played back, and laughed. Adam said:"Sure, it sometimes happens that way -- if
Wallace starts too low I start a little higher toeven things up. Sounds kind of nice doesn't it? "Many parents still urge their children to learn
the traditional songs of their people. These
two youngsters already have a formidable
repertory and are active participants in the
dancing and singing celebrations. Under the
influence of white customs, participation insuch events is gradually being limited to specialists, the main body of the tribe content in
the role of interested onlookers.
PHOTOGRAPHS BY KEN PEACOCKEDITOR, HAROLD COURLANDER
PRODUCTION DIRECTOR, MOSES ASCHSIDE II, BAND 9 -- BLACKFOOT: LUCKY
STONE SONG, sung by One Gun, with rattle ac-

8

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