ESKIMO MUSIC 



isian r grasseye; e is like German a, French e; ng at the 

 end of words is almost inaudible, being identical with the 

 French n in on. A very peculiar sound is that of f. In 

 pronouncing the English r, the tip of the tongue is put 

 close against the hard palate; for German r the position is 

 a little more forward. If you fix the anterior edge of the 

 tongue against the lower incisors, and, with the tongue 

 quite lax, try to pronounce r (either English or German), 

 the result will be the Eskimo f. Vowels with dash over 

 them are long (a e 1 T o u) ; vowels with curve over them 

 are short (a e £ if o u). Consonants with dash over or 

 under them (m ii t) are sustained, like Italian double con- 

 sonants, as in dotto, Giovanni, there being a perceptible 

 pause between the " onset " and " offset " of the conso- 

 nant. 



It is not to be supposed that these airs resemble the 

 voices of the animals to which they are attributed. This 

 is not at all the case. The snow bunting's real song, for 

 example, is as follows: 



The raven, besides his ordinary croak, has a rather 

 musical call, which, according to the Eskimos, he uses only 

 in the pairing season: 



Krung ! krung ! 



The second note especially has a remarkably pleasant 

 metallic ring, dying away gradually like the sound of a 

 tuning fork. The boy Akeo imitated it to perfection. 



The words of the songs, so far as could be learned, are 

 intended to express the sentiments which the animals may 

 be supposed to entertain in accordance with the vicissi- 

 tudes of their lives. Thus, the snow bunting's song, I was 

 told, is the bird's lament at the snares which the Eskimo 

 children set for him. The dovekie, in its songs, seems to 

 be greatly exercised about the nauya or glaucous (burgo- 

 master) gull, and with very good reason, as that fierce 



355 



