56 ANNUAL REPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 19 42 



style often designated "Olmec," and are among the first of such objects 

 to have been scientifically excavated. Their study will be important in 

 defining and placing this art in its proper cultural context. 



At the conclusion of the work, the materials were brought to Mexico 

 City, where a division was made with the Department of Archeology 

 of the Mexican Government. The entire body of stratigraphic ma- 

 terials, and a part of the remaining objects, were then shipped to 

 Washington for purposes of study. 



SPECIAL RESEARCHES 



At the beginning of the fiscal year. Miss Frances Densmore, a 

 collaborator of the Bureau, began the recording of Omaha songs at 

 Macy, Nebr., on the Omaha Reservation. Musical studies had been 

 made among the Omaha by Miss Alice C. Fletcher prior to 1893, 

 and Miss Densmore wished, if possible, to contact singers who had 

 recorded for Miss Fletcher and also to obtain duplicate recordings 

 for comparative purposes. Among the older Indians, Miss Dens- 

 more located three singers, Edward Cline, Benjamin Parker, and 

 Mattie Merrick White Parker, from whom songs had been obtained 

 by Miss Fletcher. Miss Densmore recorded 32 songs from this 

 group, including several which had been sung for Miss Fletcher. 

 Joseph Hamilton and Henry J. Springer, who had been too young 

 to sing for Miss Fletcher, were familiar with the songs of old war 

 societies and recorded 33 songs. A third group comprised younger 

 men, George R. Phillips, Robert Dale, and John G. Miller, from 

 whom 6 songs connected with the first World War were obtained. 



Some of Miss Fletcher's published Omaha songs were played on a 

 piano and were recognized by the Indians as having been recorded 

 for her. Miss Densmore obtained new recordings of these which 

 were transcribed and compared with the versions presented by Miss 

 Fletcher. It was noted that while the general effect of each melody 

 is the same in both versions, differences are rather marked. An ade- 

 quate comparison of the singing of these songs in the two periods 

 of time could be made only if the original recordings were available 

 for comparison with the records made in 1941. In contrast to the 

 differences in these serious songs, it was said that the song of the 

 hand game, presented by Miss Fletcher, is in use at the present time. 

 This was re-recorded for the present work, and the two versions 

 differ only in the omission in the new recording of a few bytones. 

 From this it appears that songs in common use are preserved among 

 the Omaha without change, while songs connected with ancient cus- 

 toms or ceremonies, which have not been sung for many years, are 

 being forgotten and will soon disappear. 



Miss Densmore also obtained from Benjamin Parker a description 

 and a model of an old type of drum. In former times the cylinder 



