Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1912-09-03
Has Been at Standing Rock
Agony Several Months Gather
ing Material
Photographic Record Of Five
Hundred Songs Have Been
SeCured.

latter part of June. She has added a
great deal OF material to her collec.
ton of Sioux Indian music and lie.
gends which will be published in book
form by the Bureau of Entomology of
the Smithsonian Institute of Washing
ton, d. G.
Miss Densmore has one book pub
lished by that institution, which deals
with Chippewa Indian music. 1t Is
very interesting. She is u very cap.
able woman, for she has done this:
Secured Photographic records OF
about 500 Indian songs, and after ver-
Lying these records by repeated re.
cording, she has translated them, set
ing them down in readable music no.
tation, with the words in Indian.
Accompanying each song is a de-
scription or analysis explaining the
key, Or keys and that idiosyncrasies
of the peculiar time and its relation
to the drum that is plaed with nearly
all Indian songs.
With many of the songs goes a le-
gend that deals mostly with the origin
OF the song as per instance.
Once upon a time an Indian woman
left her husband and ran away. He
did not like this, so he sought the aid
of a powerful medicine mar Of his
tribe. The wise one said that he would
compose a song and as the beating Of
his medicine drum could be heard
around the world, it would surely
reach the run,away's ears, and she
would be persuaded to return. The
medicine man was as good as his
word, for in a short time the wife
came to her husbands tipi. She had
%journcyed from a great distance. The
medicine man then 81 G to the nus.
band two pieces of bone and was told
to keep these always in his medicine
bag and his wife would lever leave
him again. And it was even so.
Each medicine song has its descrip-
tive symbol or hieroglyphic writing.
Mnemonics is the proper name. These
drawings are very crude, yet the In
dians draw them with painful exact
hess and careful d~elineation accord
ing to hereditary custom. You can
show an Indian one of these mncm-
onics and If he is so inclined, he will
sing the song which it represents. or
If he should hear the song he can at
once draw the mnemonics. His men,
DRY lis most wonderful for such things.
Their songs are apparently full of
the most glazing incogruities. They
do not sing a line, or sentence entire,
but must dnterject a lot Of meaning.
less syllables like He, Eli and Ho.
They will sing one song for as much
as five minutes and one not CONVEX
SAINT with the language would natur-
ally suppose that it must be a song
story or most intense interest. Il
theme with a thrilling climax, for the
singers get very much worked up
wrilc singing it. But, If you phono-
graph and transcribe and analize that
song, and extract from its midst all
The superflous ~interjections you will
have something like this: "Pretty
Went Away, Went Away"
"Hi--Prc-he-hi-tty- ho-hO-hO-Fea-he
hi Observation-Disclosures =
Awa.a-a,ay-a-ah -o.oh." d. c. repeat
do it again.
This is merely a short rendition.
To give this song in full would fill
a column or two, but il you would
like to get all Of it just follow direc-
tons and repeat for awhile until you
get tired.
OF course you will miss the melody
here, and that is the most essential
part. Instead of making their melody
conform with the words, or having
the two work in conjunction, they sub
ordinate the words to the music, mu-
tilating them almost beyond %recosni-
ton. The melody Is the thing. BY
long drawn harmonious manipulation
of song notes they give vent to the
deeper feelings of their nature. Their
songs without words are very express
sive and effective. OF course you
must understand the Indians temper.
ament in order to fully appreciate his
music.
The Chippewas have a. secret or
der called The Mide-wi-ni-ni or Grand
Medicine Lodge. 1t is OF ancient orr
gin and it's purpose seems to be to
promote health and good moral habits
among it's members. According to
tradition it was through .Ae starting
OF this society that the Chippewa
Indians came into possession of their
Medicine songs. 1t came about in this
way.
There was born to an old childless
woman a 0 n He very rapidly at
tanned the age of maturity and BEGAN
renowned and was looked upon with
great respect for he was a Medicine
man. One day a cousin of his died.
So this young man set about to resur.
rect him in the following manner. He
showed the Indians how to build the
Grand Meulcine Lodge; it is an OBJ;
long affair built something in the
shape of a green house. After it was
completed he had the dead body plac-
ed in one end Of DIT. He then made
the drums and rattles such as those
Indians now use. He told his father
to beat the drum and sing, but the
old man sal he did not know how.
He was told to try anyway and as he
proceeded the songs would come to-
him. he would be inspired. The son
.- a. 49, H ~, pa = - IS 49, ~ -, x = - b. -