78 



BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY 



[BLLr.. 53 



itself. The kingbii-il is always prompt to })or('oivo the approach of 

 one of these enemies and always rushes out to meet it." ^ It does 

 not feax to attack even hawks, owls, and eagles. The warrior's use 

 of the skm of the weasel, the most ferocious of small animals, as a 

 decoration has been akeady noted (p. 63). 



If a birdskin were not available, a charm in the form of a bird 

 (pi. 12) was made of cloth and the medicine placed between the two 

 layers of the material. 



No. 6. War Medicine Song 



Sung by Niski^gwux 



(Catalogue No. 384) 



Voice J - 138 

 Drlm Jz= 108 

 ( Dnun-rhythm similar to No. 2 ) 



r 



imm^^ 



s) — 1^ — 1^— 



■zs*— 



d: 



ii 



isi 



l:4=^EIi#=^=^ 



Ga - um - ba - ci - wad 



uim - bi - n6 - si - wa - yaii ga - uiu 



ba- ci-\vad 



uim-bi- n§ - si-wa - yaii g<a-um - ba- ci-\vad c 



i^4iiipliiE|ipppi« 



nim-bi - nS -si-wa 



yau ga-um - ba - ci - wad e uim- bi - u6 



WORDS 



{First rendition) 



ga'umba'ciwad' it is wafted upward 



uim'biue'siwayau' my bird-plumage 



[Second rendition) 



ga'umba'sin' they will be tlyiug 



nim''bika'kwadon' my balls 



Analysis. — Four renditions of this song were recorded. In two 

 of these the close of the song was as transcribed; the other renditions 

 were interrupted several measures earlier by shriU war cries. Indif- 

 ference concerning the completion of a song has been noted in a few 

 otlier instances, the singer seeming satisfied without hearing the 

 final tone. This suggests that the relation of the tones to a keynote 

 is not clearly felt. A strong rhytlimic sense is shown by the accuracy 

 with which the rhythmic unit is repeated. The melody tones are 

 those of the fourth five-toned scale. 



Niski'gwfin stated that before the battle he sang liis dream song. 

 This song came to hmi when he was a young man, after he had 



» S. F. Baird, T. M. Brewer, and R. Ridgway, North American Birds, Boston, 1874, p. 318. 



