Poems from Sioux and Chippewa songs . is irregular and thenative words follow this rhythm, a custom differentfrom our own, in which the music follows therhythm of the words. The poems herewith offeredare the result of an effort to express the poetic con-cepts of the Sioux and Chippewa songs in theiroriginal rhythms. The songs which form the basis of this workwere recorded phonographically in connection withthe study of Indian music which for many years thewriter has been making under the auspices of theBureau of American Ethnology of the SmithsonianInstitution at Washington. The inspiration of
Poems from Sioux and Chippewa songs . is irregular and thenative words follow this rhythm, a custom differentfrom our own, in which the music follows therhythm of the words. The poems herewith offeredare the result of an effort to express the poetic con-cepts of the Sioux and Chippewa songs in theiroriginal rhythms. The songs which form the basis of this workwere recorded phonographically in connection withthe study of Indian music which for many years thewriter has been making under the auspices of theBureau of American Ethnology of the SmithsonianInstitution at Washington. The inspiration of thepoems was a desire to ascertain whether the rhythmof a song is expressive of its idea. This point havingbeen established, there came a desire to test thepoetic quality of Indian songs by offering the versesthemselves to those who in this manner may considerthem apart from the music. As already indicated, each poem is in the rhythmof a song. In some instances the words are continu-ous throughout the song, and in these the poem re-. sembles a rhythmic paraphrase of the literal trans-lation ; in others the words were so few that it be-came necessary to elaborate the idea in order thatthe words should fill the melody, adding such factsor concepts as are known to be associated with thesong; while a third class of songs contains no words,and in these instances the poem embodies the state-ments of Indians concerning the origin or use of the song. The literal translations are shown for the purposeof comparison. Grateful acknowledgment is madeto Mr. Robert Higheagle, a graduate of HamptonNormal and Agricultural Institute, who translatedthe Sioux words, and to Mrs. Mary Warren Englishand Rev. C. H. Beaulieu, members of the Chippewatribe, who translated the words of the Chippewasongs. These literal translations and the descrip-tions of songs are used by permission of the Bu-reau of American Ethnology. Washington, D. C. -•;fc?-r,.. MM HI HI T ill ?? mammum—m
Size: 2985px × 837px
Photo credit: © The Reading Room / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade191, booksubjectindiansofnorthamerica
