underneath the ground, making a road underneath the awls in the
direction the children were going, so that the Head came out again to
where they were seated resting themselves. On seeing it they again
ran forward, the Head after them calling on them to stop, but they
were afraid. Again did the little girl get tired and ask her brother
to save them by throwing something behind him. He threw his tinder or
spunk, and immediately the prairie took fire, spreading out behind
them, burning the Head to a cinder, leaving nothing but the bones.
The children traveled on. A wolf this time came near the Head and, as
with the fox and badger, was desired by the Head to become her husband.
“You are nothing but a frightful ghost,” exclaimed the wolf, and ran
into his hole. The Head followed, the wolf dug, and in the end the Head
again came out near the children. They ran forward and arrived at the
bank of a large river. Two cranes were standing on the bank. The boy
requested the cranes to carry them over. One of the cranes asked the
boy, “How does my breath smell?” “Very sweet,” said he, “as though you
had eaten service berries.” “Good,” replied the crane, “now both of you
get on my back.” They being seated, the bird flew across and landed
them in safety on the opposite shore. In the interim the Head came to
where the other crane was standing and commanded it to bear it over
immediately, as it was in a great hurry to overtake the children. The
bird proposed the same question. “How does my breath smell?” “It smells
of stinking fish,” replied the Head. “Good,” said the crane, “now get
on my back.”
The Head having placed itself, the bird flew, and when about the middle
of the stream shook the Head off its back in the water, which on
falling cried out, “Now, I go to dwell among the fishes!”
The children perceiving they were freed from their tormentor continued
their route more at leisure, and after traveling some days they arrived
at a large camp very hungry and very tired. It was the camp of their
father, and he was there as its chief. When he saw his children he
abused them for having a bad mother, would not let any person give
them food nor take them into their lodge. He brought cords, bound the
children’s hands, and taking them outside the camp raised them into
a tree, tied them both together and to the top limb of a large tree.
He then ordered the whole camp to move off and thus left his children
to perish. After all had gone he again looked that his children were
secure and examined the camp to see that no one remained behind, but
perceived nothing but a little old dog lying on an extinguished fire,
with his head in a large shell for a pillow, apparently sick. “Why do
you remain behind the camp?” inquired the man. “Because I am sick and
can not travel,” answered the dog. The man was enraged, told the dog to
begone, kicked it, but he only howled and would not raise his feet. The
chief after beating the old dog so that he thought him dead left and
followed his people. As soon as he departed and was out of sight the
dog rose and sought the tree where the children were, commenced gnawing
at the root of it, and in four days and nights it fell to the ground.
He then gnawed off their cords, which occupied two nights more, and
the children found themselves free but so very weak they could not
travel. The little old dog rambled through the ground where the camp
had been placed, discovered a piece of rotten wood afire, and brought
it to where the children were. He gathered other branches and made them
a comfortable fire, at which they warmed themselves. The little boy
covered his eyes with his hands and hung his head, his sister cried,
they were very hungry and very miserable. “Look, my brother, what a
fine herd of elk is near!” the girl exclaimed as about 50 of those
animals came walking toward them. The boy looked at them, wishing
they were dead so that they might have meat, and as soon as he looked
upon them they all fell dead. They went to them, and, having no knife
wherewith to skin them, the boy wished them skinned, and in a moment
they were so. He now began to see the power granted him, which was
to look upon and wish for anything he desired. By the same means he
produced the elk skins dressed and made into a large lodge, far larger
than any of his people, which was erected, and the meat of the elk
piled around the lodge on scaffolds outside. In the interior was an
apartment for the little old dog. They were now happy.
Day after day large herds of buffalo came near the lodge, and on
looking at them the boy killed them, skinned them, and placed the meat
on scaffolds, cut up and dried.
When he thought he had enough he made a feast to the magpies and
desired one of them to take along some fat meat and fly in the
direction of the camp to endeavor, if possible, to overtake them. The
bird left and after flying some days arrived at the camp. They were
all starving, having had no meat for a long time. Some of the men
were playing ball in the middle of the camp. The magpie advanced and
dropped a large depouille among them and all scrambled to get a share.
They inquired of the bird where he got the meat, and received the
information, together with the news, that a great deal of meat was on
scaffolds, enough to feed the whole camp. The father of the children
was the chief; he called a council and determined on going back to the
large supply of food, but knew it belonged to his children from the
description given of them by the magpie. In due time the camp arrived
at the boy’s lodge and placed their tents. The boy sat in his lodge,
his head down, and his eyes covered with his hands. All the camp with
his father at their head came around begging him for meat. But the boy
answered not a word, neither did he look up. The rest had no power to
take the meat, not even to approach the scaffolds. The second day after
their arrival his sister said, “Do, my brother, come out and look what
a fine camp of our people are here.” He went, looked, and all fell dead
in their lodges, or wherever they happened to be. At this the little
old dog began to cry and besought the boy to revive his (the dog’s)
relations, who fell with the others. “Show me them,” said the boy.
“They shall live.”
He went with the dog through the camp, who pointed out his sisters
and brothers, all lying dead. The boy revived them by looking upon
them.[59] After a short time the little girl said, “My brother, it is
a great pity so many fine men and women should die. Look upon them and
let them live again.” The boy did as desired and the whole camp was
again called to life and motion.
[59] In Chippewa and cognate Algonquian dialects the Life God,
Nanabozho (i. e., Inabi‘ōzio‘), was created, mythic tradition explains,
by a look of the Great Father Spirit in the heavens, gazing down
through the Sun as His shield. Such is the literal meaning of this
illuminating designation.
He then made a feast, called all of them together, distributed the
meat, and told them of the conduct of their father toward them. The boy
was made chief of the camp, the little old dog was transformed into a
man and became the first soldier, and the father was degraded to be a
scullion and bearer of burdens for the whole.
BY A WOMAN
An old woman lived in a lodge alone except her children, and raised
corn in a garden. One of her little boys was shooting birds with arrows
in the garden, when on a sudden appeared a sack full of rice, which,
dancing up and down before the boy, sung out, “My nephew, shoot me and
eat me, my nephew, shoot me and eat me.” (This part is sung by the
narrator.) The boy shot an arrow into the sack and all the rice spilled
on the ground. Here the story ends with a general laugh.
BY TAH-TUN-GAH-HOO-HOO-SA-CHAH, OR “THE BULL’S DRY BONES,” AN OLD AND
FAMED PRIEST OF THE ASSINIBOIN
The whole surface of the earth was at a time covered with water; in
fact, no land existed but at the bottom of this great ocean. Seven
persons were on a raft, viz., five men and two women. These were the
first Gros Ventres, besides whom the only living objects visible were
a Frog, a Muskrat, a Crow, and a Spider. The men, wishing for land and
being informed in a dream how to act, told the Muskrat to dive to the
bottom of the water and try to bring up a portion of earth. The being
plunged, remained a long time under, but appeared without any. He was
ordered to try again, and dived still farther, remaining under a much
longer time, but reappeared with nothing. Again and again he plunged
and at last disappeared for such a length of time that all thought he
was drowned, but he rose to the surface, stretching out his claws to
those on the raft, saying, “I have brought it,” and immediately expired
from exhaustion. They drew in the being and scraped from between his
claws a small portion of earth which they made into a flat cake, set
it on the water, and behold it spread rapidly in every direction.
They then called the Crow, gave it directions to fly as far as the
earth extended. The bird departed but did not return, from which they
concluded it to be so extensive that the Crow could not come back.
Being in possession of land, and seeing all was damp and cold and
barren, they wished for spring to make something grow, and inquired
of the frog how many moons remained until spring would come. The Frog
said, “Seven,” but the Spider contradicted it, called him a liar, on
which a quarrel ensued, and the Spider beat the Frog to death with a
stick. The latter, on dying, stretched out his legs toward the men,
indicating seven by the claws thereon. The eldest of the party and head
of the whole, whom they called their father, not being certain whether
the Frog told the truth, started two of the others (brothers), both
very brave and venturesome, with orders to travel in quest of spring.
They set out eastward and in six months arrived at warm weather, where
they found spring bundled up and placed on a scaffold, the packages
consisting of flowers, seeds, turnips, roots, etc. Two large Cranes
were standing beneath the scaffold, which the brothers loaded with
the “spring season” and ordered them to fly back to their people. The
birds started, and in another month arrived with their cargo safe, thus
verifying the predictions of the Frog, which so enraged the men against
the Spider that they put him to death, and he is to this day despised
and crushed by all, while the frogs every spring sing forth the praises
of their truthful ancestor.
The travelers, having accomplished their mission, bent their course
westward to explore the new country, and after a long time came to the
Rocky Mountains.
In one of the valleys between the mountains they perceived a motion
in the earth at a certain spot as though it was boiling or as though
some animal was endeavoring to get out. One of the brothers proposed
shooting an arrow into it, but the other objected and requested him
to let it alone. The former was, however, a very obstinate, reckless
man who never would listen to good advice, and shot an arrow into the
spot. A whirlwind gushed out, and rose up in the air in a round black
column, bearing the two men up along with it. Higher and higher they
rose until so far above the earth that they could not see it. The
wind now carried them eastward for several days, when at length they
descended to earth on the other side of the sea. Here they rambled
about some time and found an old woman working in a cornfield from
whom they begged something to eat. She gave them a mess of corn and
potatoes. After having eaten they inquired of her if she could inform
them how they could get back to their family. She said she could, but
they must implicitly follow her directions or some harm would befall
them. After they had made the required promises she took them to the
seashore, made a sacrifice of some corn to the water and invoked the
appearance of the Wau-wau-kah. Immediately afar off appeared an object
moving over the surface of the water, spouting it out high in the air,
and, approaching with great rapidity, soon arrived at the place where
the travelers stood. The being thus conjured up had the head of a man,
though of monstrous size, and out of which projected two horns as large
as the largest trees.
The body was that of a beast covered with long black hair, the tail
was like that of a very large fish and covered with scales, and it was
endowed with a spirit. To this monster the woman gave directions and
made two seats in its horns like large birds’ nests, one in either
antler, in each of which she placed a man, in one a sack of corn and
in the other a sack of potatoes. Spreading out her hands and invoking
the sun, the monster at her desire departed with its cargo and in a
great many days arrived at the opposite shore in safety. The old woman
had instructed the travelers that immediately on landing they should
sacrifice to the waters, by throwing in a little corn. One of them
did so, but the obstinate brother would not. Being reproached by the
monster for not following the advice of the woman he shot an arrow
into it and was immediately swallowed up by the beast. The remaining
brother was in great distress at this, and, recollecting the conduct of
the old woman, made a sacrifice of some corn. Stretching out his hands
he invoked the Sun to his aid. Immediately a dark round spot appeared
in the west which came forward with terrible velocity and a whistling
sound, increasing in size and speed as it approached. This was a
thunder stone, which, with an awful report and bright flash, struck the
monster on the back, separated it in two, and the man was liberated. A
terrible storm arose, the sea rolled, and the monster disappeared.
They now bent their course westward and after many days came to a
lodge inhabited by an old man and his family, from whom they begged
something to eat. He showed them immense herds of buffalo, apparently
tame, and all black except two, which were milk white. He told them to
kill whichever they wished, but not to destroy more than they wanted
for food or clothing. The good brother killed a fat cow, which, being
more than they wanted, he took the rest of the meat to the old man’s
lodge. The other remained behind and shot arrows into a great many
buffalo uselessly, for which the old man reproached him. After having
feasted they were about departing when the old man showed them a great
number of ducks and geese. “These,” said he, “with the buffalo, are our
life; treat them well.” On the old man’s leaving the Indian who had no
ears commenced killing the birds with a club and made great havoc. The
old man returned and said, “You have done wrong, you are a bad man,
evil will befall you, the Wau-wau-kah shall bar your road home to your
people. But your brother is a good man, has ears, and for his sake
some of my buffalo will follow him home to his people, and the white
cowskin shall be his fetish to remember me by.” They separated; the
travelers pursued their journey and encamped on the prairie at the foot
of what they supposed was a mountain, but which was the Wau-wau-kah
lying across their road. In the morning they advanced to go around
it, but, turn whichever way they would, the monster turned with them
and obstructed their way, so that the whole day was spent in useless
efforts to get forward.
The good brother proposed sacrificing some corn to appease it, but the
other became very angry and would not listen to any peaceful measures.
He collected immense piles of buffalo dung all around the monster and
set it on fire, by which the Wau-wau-kah was roasted alive. The smell
of the roast being savory he cut out a slice and ate it, offering
some to his brother, who, however, would not taste thereof. In the
morning they continued their way, the buffalo following at a distance.
At rising the ensuing morning the one who had eaten the flesh of the
monster said, “Look, my brother, what handsome fine black hair is
growing from my body.” The other looked and beheld the hair of the
beast. On the next morning he said, “Look at my head, my brother,
horns are coming out upon it,” and so it was. On the third morning he
said, “Look at my legs, my brother, fish scales are growing there.”
Each and every morning when they arose the Indian was assuming more
and more the shape and appearance of the Wau-wau-kah. In the course
of a few days his body was completely covered with hair, his head was
furnished with horns of a monstrous size, and his legs were growing
together in the form of a fish. They traveled on, the body and entire
shape of the Indian rapidly increasing in size and appearance to that
of the monster whose flesh he had eaten. They now proceeded slowly,
owing to the difficulty the one experienced in walking by the change
he was undergoing, and this impediment increasing in proportion as his
extremities gradually assumed the form of a fish.
In the course of time they arrived at the mouth of the Yellowstone
and encamped for the last time together. The change was now nearly
completed, and when they arose in the morning behold a complete
Wau-wau-kah was presented, who said to the other, “Depart, I am no
more your brother; I am no more a man; I am either your friend or
your enemy, according to the way you treat me. Leave. You will find
your people several days’ travel down on the banks of the Missouri.
Take them the corn. Yonder stand the buffalo you have brought; they
will follow you home. You will become a powerful nation. Each and
every year they must sacrifice some corn to me by throwing it into the
Missouri, or the wind shall blow, the rain fall, the water rise and
destroy your crops. As for me, I shall be separated here; my head will
go up into the clouds and govern the wind, my tail fall into the water
and become a monstrous fish to disturb it. My body will rove through
the Rocky Mountains; my bones may be found, but my spirit will never
die. Depart, you have ears and a good heart.”
At the close of this speech the winds blew, the thunder rolled, the
lightning flashed, and a terrible storm arose, amidst which the monster
disappeared. The other returned to his people, told them the story of
his travels, and to this day corn is sacrificed to the Missouri by the
Gros Ventres to appease the spirit of the Wau-wau-kah.
SONGS; MUSIC[60]
[60] For the recording and interpretation of Siouan music see Miss
Frances Densmore, Bull. 61, Bur. Amer. Ethn.
The construction of the Indian flute and music produced by it have
already been described, although we are not able to state in what
manner, if any, it resembles the Arcadian pipe.
Most ceremonies, dances, public demonstrations of joy or grief, and
other matters of general interest are accompanied by songs, which have
appropriate names, but these chants are for the most part only tunes
or modulations of voices in concert, with the introduction of a few
words in some of them. They are in fact a continued chorus consisting
chiefly in repeating the meaningless syllables “Hai-yah, hai-yah,
hai-ai-ai-yah-ah-ah, hai-yah, he-e-e-ah, hai-yah,” etc., fast or slow
as required by the nature of the song. Where words are introduced they
are composed of five or six syllables or three or four words, bearing
some relation to the event which is honored with the song, but are of
no consequence, so that all question regarding their rhyme or poetical
compositions may be passed over in silence. The tune is generally begun
by one person pitching it, who after singing a few notes, is joined
by the whole choir, or sometimes, as in the scalp song, the women add
their voices in the second part of the tune, where the name of the
warrior who killed the enemy is mentioned. The modulations are bold and
wild, by no means discordant or disagreeable, and they are remarkable
for keeping very exact time either with the voice, drums, or feet, and
where words are added they are so few, and the syllables so separated
to accord as scarcely to be understood or distinguished from the rest
of the chant.
The songs are measured, accents occur at fixed and regular intervals,
being mostly the same in beats as the Scotch reel time. The effect
intended is produced by action, energy of voice and motion, costume,
and the wild intonations of the time, not from words repeated. These
songs are suitable to the occasion, and the whole when well got up has
a decidedly unique appearance, singularly correspondent in all its
component parts. These chants are very difficult for us to learn and
scarcely less so to describe, but are preferred by them to any music,
vocal or instrumental, of white performers yet presented to them. The
length of a tune is about equal to eight bars of our common time, and
the syllables to each beat vary from four to eight, but in some of
the medical songs the intonation is so rapid as scarcely to admit of
being counted. Songs for dancing, medicine (that is, the practice of
healing), and on other assemblies are generally accompanied with drums,
bells, rattles, flutes, and whistles, of all of which the drum is the
principal instrument, for though on some occasions all of them and
several of each kind are used, yet there are none in which the drum is
not used, but several where the rest are dispensed with.
Independent of public songs, singing is a very common amusement for
the young men at nights, principally to attract the attention of the
females, and often intended as signals for secret assignations.
Subjoined is a list of most of their songs, in reading over which it
will be observed that there are none denominated “Hunting songs,” that
employment not being celebrated in song in any way, either for success
or failure, unless the incantative song by the Master of the Park to
bring the buffalo toward it would be construed in that light. The uses
of the others can be traced in their names, taken in connection with
what has already been written concerning their ceremonies. The words
“do-wan” attached to all means “a song.”
SONGS OF THE SIOUX, CROW, AND ASSINIBOIN NATIONS
-------------------------+-----------------------+--------------------------
Indian name | Interpretation | Occasion, etc.
-------------------------+-----------------------+--------------------------
Wah-kit-tai´ do-wan |Scalp song |More than ten different
| | kinds.
Chan-du´-pah do-wan |Incantation Pipe song |Two or three varieties.
Tah-tun´-gah do-wan |Bull song |In the Bull dance; also
| | used in the park.
Te-chagh´-ah do-wan |Incantation Lodge song |Religious.
Cong-ghai´ do-wan |Crow song |In Crow dance and before
| | starting to war.
Pai-hun-ghe-nah do-wan |White Crane song |Incantation—in the song
| | of that name.
Nap-pai´-she-ne do-wan |Song of the Braves |In the dance of “Ceux qui
| | sauve pas.”
Ah-kitchetah do-wan |Soldiers’ song |Used at the soldiers’
| | dance.
To-kah-nah do-wan |Foxes’ song |In the dance of that band.
Ah-do-wah |Diviner’s song for |About 20 different kinds.
| the sick |
At-to-do-wah |Tattooing song |Sung while performing
| | that operation.
Opah-ghai do-wan |Gathering of the kins |Called also the thunder
| | song (incantation).
Och-pi-e-cha-ghah do-wan |Buffalo Park song |Incantation.
Shunga-tunga do-wan |Horse song |In the whip dance.
Shunk to-ka-chah do-wan |Wolf song |Sung on starting to war.
To-shan do-wan |Drinking songs |More than ten varieties.
We do-wan |Sun song |Religious.
We-chah-nauge do-wan |Song to the dead |Lament.
Hoonk-o´-hon do-wan |Song of thanks |Several.
Wah-ghunh´-ksecha | |
do-wan |Bear song |Medicine.
We-coo-ah |Love song |About 10 varieties.
Nap-pai-e-choo do-wan |Hand gambling song |
Hampah-ah-he-yah |Moccasin gambling song |
We-hhnoh´-hhnoh |Incantation song and |
| feast |
Tsh-kun do-wan |Women’s dance song |Where women only perform.
Opon do-wan |Elk song |Medicine for elk,
| | religious.
-------------------------+-----------------------+--------------------------
Their drums are of two kinds. The most common is made like a tambourine
without its bells, the skin forming the head being stretched over the
hoop while wet and kept there by sinews being passed through it and the
hoop a few inches apart. (Pl. 80, fig. 1.) The inside portions of the
skin have cords made of sinew extending across from several places,
meeting in the middle and forming a handle to hold it up by (2). It is
held up in one hand and beaten with a stick by the other, no more beats
being made than are necessary to correspond with the accents of the
notes, thus preserving the time.