6 BUEEAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [bull. 45 



rhythmic analysis of the songs, and also in the analysis of individual 

 songs. The Chippewa seldom strikes a drum and sounds a tone 

 simultaneously. One phonograph record (no. 124; catalogue no. 

 205) shows a remarkable peculiarity. The metric units of voice and 

 drum are so nearly alike that the same metronome indication is used 

 for each. At the beginning of the record the drumbeat is slightly 

 behind the voice, but it gains gradually until for one or two measures 

 the drum and voice are together; the drum continues to gain, and 

 during the remainder of the record it is struck slightly before the 

 sounding of the corresponding tone by. the voice. The record is 

 not sufficiently long to show whether, in a more extended perform- 

 ance, the drum would have slackened in speed until it again took its 

 place after the voice. 



It is worthy of note that appreciable interruptions in regular 

 rhythms are accurately repeated. For instance, in certain songs 

 there occur tones prolonged less than one-half their value; these 

 are marked thus (• . It was found that if the singer sang the song 

 several times he prolonged the tones to exactly the same length in 

 each rendition. Other tones are similarly shortened and are marked 

 thus •)• These also are found to be accurately repeated. 



Thus far, observation indicates that the rhythm is the essential 

 part of the Cliippewa song. The words of a song may be slightly 

 different in rendition, or the less important melody progressions may 

 vary, but a corresponding variation in rhythm has not been observed. 

 A song, when sung by different singers, shows an exact reproduction 

 of rhythm. 



During many of the Cliippewa war dances the drum is in even beats, 

 equally accented. The drum rhythm of the woman's dance consists 

 of an accented beat preceded by an unaccented beat ; the drum rhythm 

 of the moccasin game is similar, but the unaccented beat in the for- 

 mer corresponds approximately to the third count in a triple measure, 

 while the unaccented beat in the latter corresponds in value to the 

 fourth count in a quadruple measure. Another distinction lies in 

 the manner of beginning these rhythms. In beginning the rhytlim 

 of the woman's dance, the drummers give the unaccented beat with 

 a rebound of the stick, so that it seems to be connected with the 

 beat which precedes rather than with that which follows it. As soon 

 as the rhythm is well established, however, the unaccented beat 

 clearly connects itself with the succeeding beat. In the moccasin 

 game the rhythm is unmistakable from the start, the short beat being 

 closely connected with the longer one, which is emphatically accented. 

 These three rhythms, the war dance, the woman's dance, and the 

 moccasin game are the principal rhythms of the drum among the 

 Minnesota Chippewa. 



