Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-09-22
TRANSLATION NOT EASY
Finding the Real Meaning Behind the
Mere Words.
CONDENSED
INDIAN
VERSE
Why the Average Redskin Hesitates
to Sing for the "Paleface''-
Clamor Of the Drum.

Clamor of the Drum.
Written for The Star by Frederick Burton, Adopted
Member Of the Otbway Tribe.
No people the world over make such
varied and frequent use Of music as do
the North American Indians. Contrary to
general belief, there is much In their music
that is pleasing to the civilized ear when
intelligently interpreted.
This means that the song must be given
without the disturbing clamor Of the drum,
which is the Indians chief instrument for
accompanying his melodies. It also means
that when the Indian melody is sympathetic
cally harmonized-the Indians themselves
having no conception of harmony-it gen.
orally takes on a surprising charm and be-
comes quite as catchy as any tune of
other origin.
It has been the writer's privilege to spend
much time with tribe, the Ojibway. who
inhabit the vast wilderness north of Lakes
Superior and Huron. my principal purpose
in living with them being to put their nu-
merous songs into notes.
These people have developed the art fur
Their than any other Indians on the CONT
nent They have not discovered harmony
and they still overload their songs with
energetic pounding Of the drum; much Of
their music. too, has the ordinary Indians
artless repetition of descending phrases
which makes 1t drearily motonous; but
they have many songs of exquisite beauty,
songs that are perfectly formed and as
tuneful as any invented by white men.
The Indian is very shy about singing to
the paleface. He fears ridicule, and aside
from his objection to that ne has ingenious
and profound regard for his songs. all Of
which have some special significance to
him. 1t Is not uncommon, even now that
I am an adopted member Of the tribe, to
be met with refusal to sing, on the
ground. to put It plainly. that such an act
would be profane. This is usually the case
with their prayers. which are always songs.
In the second place, once persuade the In
dian to sing and the paleface finds himself
"up against the drum. It browns the
voice at times and often is beaten In a
rhythm utterly foreign to the rhythm Of
the song itself.
After disposing of these initial difficulties
comes the struggle with the words.
Few Words In Their Songs.
know Of no article so condensed as In
dian verse. Many song consists Of only
three words. which are sung over and over
again till the paleface fears to go mad with
hearing them; and generally these few
words imply to the Indian much more than
could be suggested in literal translation.
The investigator must not be content with
setting down what he conceives to be the
exact meaning of the words. but must pa
tiently dig into the complex language and
ask Indian after Indian the real meaning
that lies behind the mere words and that is
ever present in the Indian consciousness.
learned the advisability, nay, necessity, of
this procedure only by experience and after
making not a few errors which now appear
to be comica1. The song "Mujje Mukesin
Awyawyou," repeated time without num-
Der. may do to illustrate method and mis-
takes together.
I heard it first by accident. Tetebah-
bundang, a serious Indian. was singing it
for the entertainment of himself and his
six-year-old son. who was executing a
characteristic dance to the tune Possibly
because he was playing for child. Tetebah-
bundung beat the drum softly and the
quaint melody was distinctly audible. 1t
caught my fancy at once and it was SO
tuneful and singable that I caught it with
out special difficulty. although my pencil
was perplexed at the start by seeming
irregularity in rhythm. I could make
neither triple nor double time Of it. but
presently perceived that 1t consisted in a
regular alienation Of the two. a frequent
characteristic of Ojibway music and one
that Is harder for the eye than for the ear;
that is, it is puzzling to read at sight, but
once learned 1t is as singable as the SIM
plest tune in the hymn book.
The music being on paper, I asked for
the words, which l had heard imperfectly.
Tetebahbundung. whose knowledge of Eng
lsh at that time was superior to mine of
Ojibway, said they meant Il use bad
Shoes" Thereupon I set about searching
for an English line that would convey to
me the obvious sense, and yet be singable
to the Indian tune.
The Original Translation.
In my innocence, not to say ignorance.
took it for granted that Tetebahbundung.
II he had known more English, would have
translated the song II wear bad shoes"
for I could think of no use to which an
Indian could put shoes except to wear them.
It was so perfectly obvious that I made
no inquiry, and promptly decided to trans
late the Ojibway very well by the archaic
English form "a-wearing, and went to
searching my vocabulary for two-sylla.
BILE word synonymous with bad" AS ap-
| piled to shoes it easily occurred to me that
bad could be rendered by worn OUT" for
surely worn GUS shoes were bad shoes.
So the translation became worn out shoes
am a-wearing." which sings readily and
| is amusing to the listener.
1 did ask Tetebahbundung If the trans
| lation were correct, and he gravely nodded
| acquiescence. This, as l found later. was
! a manifestation of his politeneys. 1t was
white man who knew how to write both
words and music surely understood his own
| language 1fshe was content to sing worn
out shoes l am a-wearing" it was no con-
substantially his primitive reasoning in the
matter I was decidedly content, and
| showed the song to many persons. among
them Kindergarten who begged a copy
| Of 1t for her little ones. She found that
| the white children took enthusiastically to
| the song, told other kindergartRers about
It. and the long and short Of it is that let
the thing go into print.
"A long time afterward another Indian,
! Obtossoway, who had heard me sing the
| song repeatedly. plucked up courage and
addressed me thus:
"Sir, you have got that song all wrong
| It doesn't mean worn out shoes at all. and
/ 1t doesn't mean that I am wearing them
| 1t Is bad shoes I USE and that Is all there
| is to it,
Sought to Instruct the Indian.
| Patiently sought to instruct the untu-
| tored> mind of the Indian in the fine art OF
| setting over the meaning of words from one
| language to another. I outlined my own
| mental process in the circumstances, beg
! ging him to observe that "muj1e." which
means bad" has two Syilables. and that
| the singer must have two in his English
| translation; that worn-out shoes are GER
| tainly bad, and SO on. Obtoss0way lis
tened with equal patience and finer cour,
| tesy, think. than should have manifested
! had our relations been reversed; and when