New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1902-03-02

constituent OF the Young men who expressed the
belief that must be Esquimau asked the
meaning of the words, but with the exception OF
the word 'aitakto." which he said meant ito open
ones mouth" he declared that he did not know,
that the Esqumaus did not talk that way now' but
that it the language of their ancestors seeing
my interest in the matter, he presently went
through his entire repertoire. and thus 1 obtained
the songs OF the burgOmaster (gaucous) gun
raven hare fox, long tailed jaeger (boatswain gum
and gerfalcon. Meantime Publa sat dumb spec
tator and being urged to sing, replied, Mad
Iuiga" CT don't know'O: found out afterward
that there are great differences among individuals
in regard to musical gifts. though there is proba-
bly, without musical ear. lgia was one or
songful spirits in the tribe, and. with his
nearly white complexion and unusually regular
features. would make very appropriate inquire as
the bard of a nation.
When the other Esduimaus found that songs
in demand, they. too came forward with con-
tributions. and pretty soon I had exhausted the
repertoire of the Cape York colony. At any rate
though I repeatedly went over the remaining list
of animals known to them (bear. walrus, SEAL
muskox, ptarmigan etc.). in each case they re-
piled. He has song" However having returned
to station, Fort Magnesia Cape Sabine. ana
there meeting a number of other Esqumaus. founu
that their musical treasures were more extensive
Though not all the natives able to sing all the
songs, they all recognized them. 1t was common
diversion for to stand before a group or them
sing song out of my notebook and then ask them
what 1t Not one or them ever ldleu W
the animal to which the song attributed They
told me repeatedly that this the first time
white had taken notice of their songs ana
been able to repeat them. Awia Cor Niwlkengwa
wanted to my tongue, thinking there must Do
something peculiar about 1t to enable me TO sing
like them She asked whether my mother had
not been Esquimau.
My authorities at Cape York, besides lsia' were
Angutibluahsu a stalwaTt man of thirty; lglens"a'
his stepson a very bright boy OF fourteen; Publa
oDiD trnid
q woman of perhaps seventy. At Fort Magnesa
my authorities were Awia (Niwikengwa)' very
intelligent woman of about forty. wife or AROMA
dngwa: her son. Angudlu, man OF about twenty
fve one of the bravest and most perseVerins hunt-
ers Of the tribe; her daughter Akatengwa, girl
of eleven who promises surpass her mother in
intelligence though not in industry; hawiengwa,
a rather retcent fellow Of about eighteen; Utuni-
ahsoa, a famous bear hunter and traveller or ABOUT
sixty. and his daughter. Anarwi. wife OF Aseyu,
couple so intelligent and we'll hammered that nature
actually seems TO have been cruel In endowing
them with such brains and then thrusting them
into of the globe, where they nave so Mite
for them.
The additional songs I obtained not by direct
questioning but by accidentally overhearing them
and then making them repeat. I would note down
the first phrase, and ask them to sing again Ihey
would start from the beginning, and when they'
had finished the next phrase 1 would stop them ana
write down some four or six additional notes. To
start in the middle generally beyond their
power For this reason l never able to record
the long choral song "Haya va completely for
having go back the beginning after every four
or six or eight notes written down. they got con-
fused and of into protean variations. This
song, for that matter has already been recorded
by OF the sraphophone.
All the songs, except the choral one, were sung
in a curiousy low tone. inaudibe thirty feet away.
IF sang them louder than that, they would tell
me, That is not the way the Esqumaus sing"
1t will be readily understood that the ordinary
musical notation does not give perfectly lifelike
picture Of such music In some cases. indeed. IL is
accurate enough: in others, the notes Indicate
merely the eliminating points OF wave line.
This. Of course. is true OF nearly all singing
modified by technical training. The Esquimau
actually easier TO initiate and record
than those of some OF the Newfoundland sailors on
board the Windward. The "gout du terror" can