USE OF MUSIC BY AMERICAN INDIANS — DENSMORE 449 



had a dream in which he was told how to treat the sick. The day 

 was clear when he recorded that song for the writer, but within an 

 hour the rain was falling heavily. He said this always happened 

 when he sang this song. The word "grandfather" occurring in the 

 song refers to the thunderbird. The song may be translated : 



My grandfather has come to see me and taken pity on me and given me this 

 power. 



Another song recorded by Bob-tailed Wolf refers to the sun as "my 

 grandfather." With his songs he uses a rattle made of stiff rawhide ; 

 a face is painted on one side, the handle is wrapped with deerskin, and 

 formerly a buffalo tail was attached to it. Bob-tailed Wolf is a 

 prominent member of the Peyote organization (Native American 

 Chuch) and was photographed in his costume as a leader in its 

 ceremony. 



It is interesting to learn that a man holding such a high position 

 and allied to such sources of supernatural power is also a man who 

 "understands what babies say" and treats their small ailments. Bob- 

 tailed Wolf says that when he is treating sick babies they tell him 

 where they feel bad. He received his power with them in the fol- 

 lowing manner: One day he came upon a covey of little plovers 

 hardly old enough to walk. He was about to take them away when 

 the mother came and said, "Indian, don't take them ; I love them and 

 they are so pretty. If you will spare them I will give you power 

 to treat sick babies." He accordingly refrained from taking the 

 tiny birds and their mother told him to use water in treating sick 

 babies, instructing him to apply it to their bodies and to use it without 

 herbs. What appear to be words in his song for the babies are not 

 real words and cannot be translated. He uses the rattle described 

 above. 



J- 69 



i" r"'r p * i^lj-j ulj 'lj I ^ 



Figure 2. — Cheyenne song for sick babies, recorded by Bob-tailed Wolf. 



Turtle, the other Cheyenne doctor, learned his songs from Drag- 

 ging Otter, who had received them from an older doctor. His per- 

 sonal song, received from a buffalo, is sung "when the spirit of a sick 



