DENSMOBB] CHIPPEWA MUSIC — n 303 



WORDS 



agoMjin it is hanging 



ekwateg^ in the edge of the sunshine 



kokoc'newa^bamft' it is a pig, I see 



na^bozide' with its double (cloven) hoofs 



mema^gidisi^adisiwage^ ' it is a very fat pig 



we'mitigo^jlwuge^ The people who live in a hollow tree " 



ma'miga^diwuge^ are fighting 



ma''niiskwewa^pinaMiwiige' they are fighting bloodily 



ddni'' he is rich 



da''gitcigam^ewena^ he will carry a pack toward the great water 



(The rabbit speaks)^ 



ic'kweacinge^ at the end of the point of land 



en'dijidji^tcigwakwen'djigeyan^ I eat the bark off the tree 



bijiwe'kuwia^ I see the track of a lynx 



nama^nahaninda^ nagana^ I don't care, I can get away from him 



kwa'kwackwandamo^ it is a jumping trail (referring to a rabbit 



trail by which the singer will travel to 

 safety) 

 Sep! (an interjection without mean- 

 ing) 



This song was recorded by Mr. John W. Carl (see pp. 83, 130), a 

 graduate of Haskell Institute. Mr. Carl's mother, a Chippewa, sang 

 two of the MMe' songs contained in Bulletin 45 (serial Nos. 78, 79). 

 Until he was 10 years of age Mr. Carl lived the typical life of a Chip- 

 pewa child in a tribal camp. He stated that he had a distinct recol- 

 lection of this game. 



The "game of silence," which consisted in keeping still as long as 

 possible, was played by the children at the suggestion of the older 

 members of the family. It is said to have been called frequently 

 into requisition when the adults wished to discuss matters of impor- 

 tance. A pile of presents was placed in the center of the wigwam — 

 beaded moccasins, belts, and arrows of attractive design. These 

 were to be the reward of keeping perfectly still for an indefinite 

 period of time. The game was usually played in the evening, and 

 if the children fell asleep before the spell was broken it was cus- 

 tomary to renew the contest as soon as morning came and the f amUy 

 were waking. The child who first spoke or laughed was regarded as 

 ingloriously defeated, while he who held out the longest received the 

 spoils. 



When the game was started this song was sung by some one with 

 an active imagination. The indicated words are not arbitrary. 

 Still more startling situations might be invented and the narrative 

 continued still longer. The words of the song as rendered are in four 

 distinct sections with no apparent connection between them. To the 



1 This word and the next to the last word are slightly changed to conform to the music. 

 ' This term probably refers to the French, who lived in log cabins. 

 3 This refers to a familiar folk-tale in which the rabbit defied the lynx. 



