44 BUREAU OF AMERICAK ETHNOLOGY [bull. 53 



MOCCASIN GAME SONGS (MAKlZiN^ATA'DlWIN' NA'guMOWi'nun) 



This group comprises Nos. 142-145 and 168-176 of Bulletin 45, 

 and Nos. 125, 126, 161-163, and 176 of the present work. It is said 

 that in the old days most of the moccasin game songs were "com- 

 posed in dreams" but only a few such are included in this series. 



The instrument used to accompany these songs is a drum, speci- 

 mens of which vary but little in size, provided usually with deerskin 

 heads (see pi. 3).^ With this drum is used an ordinary short drum- 

 stick the end of which is wound with cloth. Small pieces of tin are 

 sometimes set in the frame of the moccasin game drum, to add a 

 jinghng effect. 



In the analysis of these songs may be noted a large proportion in 

 minor tonality, exceeded only by the songs of the woman's dance and 

 the songs connected with gifts. Eighty-four per cent begin on, and 

 all end on, either the tonic or dominant. None of the songs have a 

 compass of less than an octave, resembling in this respect the woman's 

 dance and the pipe dance songs. One- third of the songs are on the 

 second five-toned scale, this being the largest proportion in the entire 

 collection, the closest approximation being the woman's dance songs. 

 The several five-toned scales comprise- 43 per cent of the entire num- 

 ber, and apart from these the group presents a wide range of tone 

 material. Only one song contains an accidental — the flat sixth. 

 Forty-two per cent of the songs are harmonic in structure, the group 

 being exceeded in this respect only by the dream songs. The per- 

 centage of descending minor thirds is below the average, notwith- 

 standmg so large a proportion of the songs is minor in tonality, this 

 group resembling the love songs in this respect. The average interval, 

 which is the same as in the pipe dance (3.5 semitones), is the largest in 

 the entire series. Eighty-nine per cent of the moccasin game songs 

 begin on the accented part of the measure, being exceeded in this 

 respect only by the woman's dance songs with 90 per cent, and by the 

 pipe dance songs with 100 per cent. With the exception of the 

 woman's dance and the gift songs this group maintams the time 

 throughout the song more steadily than any other group, a feature 

 which is surprising in view of the excitement of the game. Thirty- 

 three per cent of the songs contain a rhythmic unit, the percentage 

 of songs in the entire series containing such unit being 62. In this 

 the moccasin game songs are seen to be below the average, songs for 



1 The instrument here ilhjstrated was obtained at White Earth; it is said to be very old. The cover has 

 been renewed from time to time, the design being duplicated on tlie new cover, as in the instance of 

 Odjib'we's war drum (p. 62). Tlae diameter of the drum shown in plate 3 is 181 inches, the thickness 

 2>i inches. A single piece of deerskin forms both heads; this is sewed with strips of hide on v/hich some 

 of the hair remains. Inside the drum are three tightly stretched cords, each provided with small pegs tied 

 at equal distances. At the writer's request the former owner of the drum fastened a cord across an ordi- 

 nary hoop (pi. 3) in the same manner as the cords are fastened inside the drum. The pegs are tied to the 

 cord and before the cover of the drum is put in place the cord is twisted to increase the tension, permitting 

 the pegs to vibrate against the deerskin. 



