moonev] MYTH OF THE MILKY WAY 1053 



This is one of the favorite songs of the Paiute Ghostdance. The 

 tunc has a plaintive but rather pleasing effect, although inferior to the 

 tunes of most of the ghost songs of the prairie tribes. The words as 

 they stand are very simple, but convey a good deal of meaning to the 

 Indian. It must be remembered that the dance is held in the open air 

 at night, with the stars shining down on the wide-extending plain 

 walled in by the giant sierras, fringed at the base with dark pines, and 

 with their peaks white with eternal snows. Under such circumstances 

 this song of the snow lying white upon the mountains, and the Milky 

 Way stretching across tin- clear sky, brings up to the Paiute the same 

 patriotic home love that comes from lyrics of singing birds and leafy 

 trees and still waters to the people of more favored regions. In the 

 mythology of the Paiute, as of many other tribes, the Milky Way is 

 the road of the dead to the spirit world. Ro'rdni' serves merely to fill 

 in the meter. 



2. 1>I N \ GAYO N 



Dena gayo'n, De'na ga'yoni', 



Dena' gayo'n, De na ga'yoni', 



Haw .1 doro ii. Ba wa do roni', 



Bawa ilcirn ii, Ba wa do'roni'. 



Translation 



A slender antelope, a slender antelope, 

 A slender antelope, a slender antelope, 

 He is wallowing upon the ground, 

 He is wallowing upon the ground, 

 He is wallowing upon the ground, 

 He is wallowing upon the ground. 



This song evidently refers to a trance vision in which the sleeper 

 saw an antelope rolling in the dust, after the manner of horses, buf- 

 falo, and other animals. 



3. Do' ti'mbi 



1 ><_> ti inl'i. I >o ti mbi-na n, 

 I 'o ti mbi. ]>o ti iiilii-n.i n, 

 Tl'mbi bai'-yo, Ti'mbi ba'i-yo-a'n, 

 Ti'mlii bai'-yo, Ti'mbi ba'i-yo-a'n. 



Translation 



The black rock, the black rock. 



The black rock, the black rock. 



The rock is broken, the rock is broken, 



The rock is broken, the rock is broken. 



This song may refer to something in Paiute mythology. Na'n and 

 a'rt are unmeaning syllables added to till out the measure. 



I. I'ASi \\ i \. ".I \X 



Piistt' wi noghan, 

 Pasii' wi noghan, 

 Piisii wl'noghau, 



