New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-09-12


brethren. During the ceremonies. which are
held in the Long House. the young men indulge
in play outside lacrosse being their favorite
sport but in the house the ceremonies are con-
Quoted with solemty and earnestness which
make them deeply impressive to all serious
minded spectators In fact, emitting the dane
ing and the eating Of the green corn (Which Is
done during a MONDAY recess, but In the Coun-
Gil House,, the ceremony might correctly be lk-
ened to an old fashioned Methodist experience or
class meeting. For hour after hour the wor-
shippers listened to addresses made by the prin-
cipal Chiefs the dances being introduced az IN
tervals between the speeches. These were
largely exhortations, and the resemblance to the
proceedings at a class meeting was emphasized
by long-drawn ejaculatory grunts Of "Ne-e-e-
ah" which doubtless took the place of the CHRIS
tan Amen"
EXECUTED WITH GREAT GRAVITY.
The dances are executed with great gravity
by the older men, and consist in little else thah
a shuttle round and round the musicians. VINO
are seated astride of two benches placed III the
middle Of the floor. The younger bucks VINO IN
dulge in fantastic garb sometimes 1eather
fastened to the hair at the top OF the head IN
imitation of a scalp-lock sufices as marx Oh
distinction; sometimes the trousers are removed
and knit drawers serve as "heshnSs soihe-
times string of sleighbeils around the ankles
intensifes the noise and heightens the spectacie)
are more vigorous in their dancing. anu iroHa
them is seen the characteristic Indian dance step
as il survives on the plains-an energetic stamp
ing Of the heels straight up and down
As for the music it is well worthy of study,
and. as Mir. Mac Dowell has demonstrated IN Ills
second orchestral suite, it might furnlsh theiiies
for artistic compositions of the highest CLASS "A
significant fact is that referred to by La Fort
In the report from Syracuse: the meaning or the
words has been lost in great many cases Inc
syllable sounds and the melodies survive doup'-
less preserved by supersitious veneration but the
meaning has been forgotten. This is true Also OIL
the re igious songs Of other peoples whose c1'i%@
ton is accounted much more venerable than that
of the Indians of North America 1t is SAID that
the Buddhist monks in China spend hours chah'-
ing Sanscrit hymns and prayers which were
brought TO them by the missionaries from iho''.
centuries ago and translated into Chinese; OF
their original meaning not trace mas sui'i'eu'
r1ato records a similar phenomenon. observed by
him in ancient Egypt. where the temple priests
sang hymns which they could not themselves
understand but which. they said. their ancestors
had derived with their other arts and sciences
from Isis and Osiris.
SONGS OF THE INDIANS.
MANY Of the songs of the plains Indians are
IN a. similar case. The character Of the lroQuols
melodies NAV be gathered from the accompany
ing songs from the harvest festival as noteo
wears ago by Theodore Baker and published by
hin, in his treatise, "Ueber die Musk der Nord-
amerikanischen Widen" submitted as a thesis
10 the I.eipsic University fifteen or sixteen
wears ago. Most of the songs at the green-corn
festival are accompanied by rapid beats upon
Oh. ,nusjcians' bench executed with rattes
fsbovn in the picture of the Onondagas gathered
toge,ber for their dance), made or the shells OF
- turtles The skin Of the sides, legs and
,o.t Of the animal g left intact, the bones ana
at hoirp removed A stick is thrust through
,,, 90 ,ba neck for a handle, and the open
49,, .,odo nv cutting off the feet. etc. arc
.ou,ed nm after q handful Of corn has been put
inside the shell. In some or the oaice0 '"e '""e
are sung by the dancers themsei'eS "'noO'
tho aid OF the band. and time Is kept NY e'aA''ie
small rattles made of sections or cow 5 hor'i
Whom the women dance they either shuine 1or-
ward like the old men or. standing shouioer u
ebouldor facing inward. move around the roo'ii
sidewjse alternately bringing their Toes anu
heels together 1t Is interesting from s'ric'iy
musical point Of view to know that Mr. Mac
DoveI has drawn material from both the iro-
ouojs song and the Iowa Love song lor MS
Indian suite which was heard here from inc
Boston Orchestra two seasons ago. Is 10 pe per
formed ., tho Worcester Festival in a fortnight
and will soon he published by Breitkopf ana
Harte in Leipsic H. H. ~