448 ANNUAL REPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 1952 



metric unit, or tempo, of the voice and accompanying instrument, 

 but this does not characterize the songs for the sick. Only 34 of 

 these songs were recorded with accompaniment, but the metric unit 

 of voice and accompaniment was the same in 24, constituting about 

 70 percent of the number. The accompaniment was faster than the 

 voice in six and slower in four songs. A small drum was substituted 

 for the usual rattle when recording these songs. As one purpose 

 of Indian healing songs is to quiet the patient, a tabulation was made 

 also of the tempo of the 197 recorded songs. This shows that 59 songs 

 were sung slowly (J=40 to J=104) constituting 30 percent of the 

 number. In a previous tabulation of 710 songs of all classes in three 

 tribes, the largest groups have a more rapid tempo ( J = 76 to J =104). 

 The latter may be considered the general tempo of Indian songs, 

 though many are much more rapid. 



The foregoing analysis shows that the characteristics of recorded 

 Indian songs for the sick are irregularity of rhythm in the melody, 

 a slow tempo, and a coincidence of voice and accompaniment. As 

 the songs under consideration are typical, it is believed that the results 

 would be the same if the analysis included a larger number of such 

 songs. 



The ownership of a song, as indicated, was with the man or woman 

 who received it in a dream. Others might know the song and be 

 asked by the owner to sing with him in order to add their power to 

 his in a case of serious illness, but they could not use such songs with 

 authority unless granted that privilege by the original owner. He did 

 not relinquish his own use of the song by this action. Among the 

 Menominee and in some other tribes there was a rule that a man seek- 

 ing to buy a song and its manner of use must make the request four 

 times, on consecutive nights, and that each request must be accom- 

 panied by a gift. The owner would then teach the song, explain its 

 use, and show a specimen of the herb to be employed with it. He did 

 not transfer the plant ; this the inquirer had to identify from memory 

 and find for himself. 



Two types of Cheyenne doctors in Oklahoma have recorded their 

 songs for healing the sick. These are Bob-tailed Wolf, who received 

 his songs and power direct from supernatural sources, and Turtle, 

 who obtained most of his songs from an older doctor, and received 

 only one song himself. That song was taught to him by a spirit 

 buffalo. 



Bob-tailed Wolf treats all forms of illness. Power has come to 

 him in many dreams, but the first manifestation was connected with 

 an experience in a thunderstorm. He was traveling on horseback 

 when the storm arose. A bolt of lightning knocked him unconscious 

 and killed his horse. On the fourth night after this occurrence he 



