The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1913-04-09

nifty to learn his tribal
dances. Nor Is he permitted, to sing
sing at all except when he is told to.
sing by an official. He isSmade to play
were selling fish. He Is. being! turned.
into a poor. imitation Of a sec0nd-rate
white man. 4
Now we get to Mr.. O'Hara and what
he says: =
THE Indian" he told me. "is natu-
rally musical. He expresses his emo-
ton in song. If he is impressed by a
sunrise, q battle, a good hunting
ground. a tragedy, he sings his senti-
ment. The Indian lover Woos the
maiden in song. The mother croons
over the grave Of her first born. He
for the drawing Of water and the hew-
ing of wood and the pitching of his
tents in lush meadows.
Most of these songs are individual
and ephemeral. The Irving Berlin Of
the Chippewas may sing a song to his
love which tickles that young woman
into grave Mysteries. But 1t may not
err hand. It may "go big" as they say
on Broadway. 1t is a 'knock out"
Generations afterward that song may
be sun in his tribe. Other songs
expressive of the graver emotions.
tapping that deep we'll Of sentiment
which underlies the deceptively stolid
. sHa'sn Of 'uf intsstrisai t assfa to M she
|O'Hara referred to a most impressive
incident Of the recent dedication Of
the great Indian monument on Staten
Island.
II noticed" said he. that the
chiefs, twenty or sc in number, from
as many tribes. sang a peculiar.
melancholy song in E minor. One
chief told the Interpreter that it was
a song of the passing to another life
i'm other words. a song of death. 1t
was an almost uncanny evidence of
their feeling Of the fitness of things.
Nothing could have been more appro-
pirate thar this song at the dedication
Of a monument to their vanishing
race. It was not an impromptu. It
had been handed down in the different
tribes through uncounted generations.
Remember that the Indian is one of
the most worshipful Of men. His life
is one long prayer, and when he ex-
presses that prayer vocally It is In
the form Of q song"
But the Indian knows good music.
Mr.. O'Hara told this incident to Illus
IA trader" said he, "played over
100 photograph records to Al Indian
encampment not long ago. Most OF
them were Of Broadway songs: Two
days afterward q party of Indians
particular record over again. It was
that Of Schumann's 'Traumerei.'"
He goes direct to the Hopi Indians
in Arizona. with whom he will stay al
least SIX months. His first duty will
be- to get acquainted. of course. 1t IL
his his. hope sgs. that that . he may ay pre- RrsSs tr,Ss6 to fr.
haps the richest Of oil in tradition and
the peer Of any tribe Intellectually
by means Of the monograph. From
this he will go to other tribes. An
effort will be made to encourage the
Indians to sing their w songs. 1t II
ment of the interior to recognize thai
the Indian has q racial and intellectu'
al history that should be preserved
His needs go beyond bull beef and
blue Jeans. The effort to fit the In.
dian for the increasingly complex ex'
istence of today is to be continued. al
a matter Of course But he will b.
encouraged to remember with pride
that he is an Indian-and that hi.
songs and dances and traditions art
as i~neffaceably a portion Of American
history as the landing on tho Pilgrim
Rock. Candor compe's the prophec,
that Mr.. O'Hara will meet with OPP
position until the purpose and scop,
Of his mission is clearly understood
It means in effect a revival of the IA
cial spirit Of the Indian-no longel
attended by danger to the white-ant
n reversal Of the policy of the last fift,
years. That policy has been to arti
into a mould he doesn't fit.
O'Hara Ia young. blue-eyed blond
I and vigorous. He is a musician of at
tainments and one Of the successful
J among the younger popular compos
. ers.