densmore] 



CHIPPEWA MUSIC 



135 



the Chippewa was shot through the breast. The man's name was No'dinuk'wum, 

 which means Wind-Thunder. His friends attempted to carry him with them, but it 

 seemed that he would surely die, and their own lives were in danger; so they left 

 him with his face painted and a feather in his hair, to die like a warrior. After they 

 had left him they heard him singing this song. It was an entirely new tune and two 

 of the men remembered it and sang it after they reached home. The song affected 

 the men as no entreaty could have done. They rushed back, dragged the wounded 

 man to the water's edge, lifted him into a canoe, and paddled away safely. The man 

 recovered and now lives at Pine Point. The singer said that he recently saw the 

 man and also the scar of the wound. 



Analysis. — The metric unit in this song is the measure, not the incU- 

 vidual count in the measure. This unit is regular. The divisions of 

 the measure are not always exact, but are indicated as nearl}^ as 

 possible. The meloily tones comprise the minor triad and sixth. 



No. 121. "I Am Ab^RAID of the Owl" (Catalogue no. 261) 



Sung by Henry Selkirk 

 Voice J= 152 

 ( Recorded without drum) 



ni - wek ka - ye 



wek 



ka - ye 



ko - ko - ko niu - go 



ne - ji 



ke - wfi - bi - a - 



^^ 



l=E 



:t=p: 





=t=^= 



=t^ 



a be a niu be a ya be a ya be a ya 







WORDS 



Eniwek^ Very much 



Gaye'' Also 



Nin I 



Ko'kokoo' Of the owl 



Ningosa^ : Am afraid 



Nejike'wilbianin' Whenever I am sitting alone in the 



wigwam 



Narrative. — The singer stated that he composed this song himself when he was a 

 child. The cii-cumstances were as follows: His mother had gone to a neighbor's, 

 leaving him alone in the wigwam. He became very much afraid of the owl, which is 

 the particular terror of all small Indians, and sang this song. It was just after sugar 

 making and the wigwams were placed near together beside the lake. The people in 

 the other wigwams heard his little song. The melody was entirely new and it attracted 

 them so that they learned it as he sang. The men took it up and used it in their moc- 

 casin games. For many years it was used in this way, but he was always given tbo 

 credit of its composition. 



