102 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [bdll. 45 



No. 85. Song of the Crab Medicine-bag (Catalogue no. 195) 



Voice J = 104 

 Drum J =116 

 ( Drum-rhythm similar to No. 1 ) 



A - ca wi he he a ne a - ca 



we he he a ne hi hi 



hi hi hi a-ca we he he a he a, -ax, we a ni ni hi hi hi 



i^ 



-[-•- 



hi 



wa - ca we 



he he 



^=«.i^F=t=t^=tf 



ni wa - ca we he he ya we 



^^=t^=^^^ S:t^ r-lr \^ ^ ^Mr-i ^^^^ 



ni hi hi wa-ca we he he a ni wa-ca we he he a ni 



nin-da-we-dja ha ni hi hi ya ha ni hi ni hi hi hi hi hi wa-ca 



WORDS 



Aca'gecen^ Like a crab 



Ninda'badjia^ I am using it 



Narrative. — Two women are mentioned in this song. Their 

 grandfather gave them each a medicine-bag made of the skin of 

 a small crab. The two women wore these medicine-bags around 

 their necks and after receiving the bags they never lacked for 

 anything — they had all that they wanted. This was a good kind 

 of medicine-bag, for the crab has claws which hold very tightly, so 

 the medicine-bag enabled the women to hold on to everything 

 that was good. 



Analysis. — This song resembles a chant. The 

 accents and the grouping of tones are clearly marked, but the metric 

 unit ( J=104) varies constantly, the variation not being sufficient to 

 be indicated. The first word is so dismembered as to lose its identity, 

 only the first two syllables being retained. The syllable ne marks the 

 conclusion of the succession of syllables which represent the word. 

 The second word is mispronounced. The song continues one acci- 

 dental tone. 



(^ -O- ^¥^ 



Song picture no. 85. 

 The drawing repre- 

 sents a MIde' bag 

 with two nii'gis be- 

 side it. 



