192 SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION 



when making the presentation speech and then handed it to the recipi- 

 ent of her gift. This represented the whip, and the horse was deUvered 

 to the new owner at a subsequent time. Only one song is used when 

 the stick representing a horse is given away. This was recorded by 

 Henry Thunder and has the words " He (or she) is brave enough 

 to give away a horse." 



Leaving the Winnebago at the conchision of the dance, the writer 

 went to the Menominee reservation but returned to the Winnebago 

 in September and recorded numerous songs. She visited a wide 

 region in the vicinity of Tomah. Wisconsin, but found that the Indians 

 were alDsent in the cranl^erry marshes ; accordingly she went each 

 day to Millston, where a member of the Thunder clan maintains a 

 basket-making camp. Songs were recorded there and at a similar cam]i 

 north of Black River Falls. The mild weather made it possiljle to 

 hold conferences in the open air. The recording instrument was a 

 dictaphone, which was placed on a bench or on the running board 

 of the car and was operated by a storage battery within the car. This 

 method has not been used heretofore but proved satisfactory. 



A series of old war songs was recorded by Thundercloud, beginning 

 with the song at the dog feast before the departure of a war party 

 and continuing to their return with scalps of the enemy. These songs 

 are connected with a war bundle and are sung at the Winter Feast. 

 A description of the scalp dance included the custom of carrying the 

 scalps, fastened to poles, in a procession around the outside of a long 

 wigwam similar to the Aledicine Lodge. After a similar procession 

 inside the wigwam, the poles bearing the scalps were stuck in the 

 ground east of the war bundle, and the drum and gourd rattles were 

 placed beside them. A similar performance was enacted when the 

 Winnebago young men returned from service in the World War, 

 except for the absence of the scalps. A new dance was also invented 

 to celebrate their victory. Several songs composed by Winnebago 

 soldiers when in France were added to those already obtained. One 

 such song was addressed to a young Indian who did not enlist and 

 contained the words. " Our beloved flag went across the ocean and 

 came back. Are you really glad to see it back again ? " 



Other recorded songs included those of the " first hunting," in 

 which the Indian asks the chief of the deer for meat so that his people 

 may have food, and a second song of thanks for the meat. An inter- 

 esting moccasin-game song contained the words, " Why do they call 

 me fish-winner? " In explanation of the latter it was said that in old 

 times when the people had nothing else to wager they used fish in 



