14 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY 



for word and even a morpheme for morpheme translation is accessible 

 through the grammatical commentary. The sentences are numbered 

 in parentheses for reference there, and to facilitate comparison between 

 the Seneca and the translation. 



Although this is primarily a volume of linguistic texts, it has seemed 

 worthwhile to include the Thanksgiving Dance music, transcribed 

 by one who has had some musical training but is by no means a 

 professional musicologist. It is remarkable how well the music can 

 be accommodated by the traditional Western notation system. But 

 while this is consistently true of the sections sung by the chorus (the 

 two singers, often joined by the speaker), it is frequently not true of 

 the opening of each song, where the solo lead singer makes abundant 

 use of tonal and rhythmic deviations that I have not attempted to 

 record. I have noticed this peculiarity in a good deal of Iroquois 

 music. Regarding unconventional usages in the notation: bar lines 

 are used to indicate phrases sung in one breath, and in the drum part 

 staccato notes indicate that the drum is struck very lightly. 



The printed page can only suggest the beauty of these rituals in 

 actual performance, and can convey little of the satisfaction and 

 security found in them by those who have grown up with them as 

 part of the annual round. They are emotional experiences as deeply 

 felt and devoutly regarded as the religious expressions of any people. 

 They should be approached with the reverence and respect that is 

 always due traditions by which men are profoundly moved. 



