DENSMoRE] MANDAN AND HIDATSA MUSIC aa 
of Ute dance song and by the several distinct drumbeats of the 
Chippewa or the “fancy drumming” noted among the Sioux. In 
87 per cent of the Mandan and Hidatsa songs the drumbeat is with- 
out division into accented groups. The time unit is a quarter note 
(one drum beat with each melody count) more frequently than it 
is an eighth note (two drumbeats with each melody count). In one 
song, which is in triple time, we find two drumbeats in each meas- 
-ure, the voice and drum being synchronous on the first count of the 
measure. 
Summary.—In observing this material as a whole we note that 
the accented tones in 41 per cent of the songs suggest a fundamental 
tone, and the simplest of its upper partials—namely, the octave, 
twelfth, second octave, and the major third in that octave. These 
tenes, if placed in the compass of one octave, constitute the major 
triad. From this fact it appears that these Indians are semicon- 
sciously aware of certain tones which, in various intensities, are 
naturally present in other tones and that they find pleasure in these 
tones, amplifying them by other tones according to their liking. The 
minor third is the interval of most frequent occurrence except the 
major second and is approximately the average interval in the songs 
under consideration. This interval appears to be especially pleasing 
to uncultured peoples and has been noted by explorers as well as by 
students of primitive music. It seems reasonable to conclude, in 
view of these observations, that a semiconscious conformity to natu- 
ral law and a certain form of estheticism are governing factors in 
the music of these Indians. 
Resemblances between the songs of the Chippewa, Sioux, Mandan, 
and Hidatsa occur more frequently than between these tribes and 
the mountain-dwelling Utes, but these resemblances are not sufli- 
cient, either in number or importance, to justify an opinion that the 
physical environment of these tribes has had an effect on the form of 
their songs. On the contrary, the differences between the classes of 
songs within a tribe may be regarded as an indication that the mental 
concept which prompts a song has a distinct influence on the melody 
and rhythm of the song. 
Points of difference in these songs are noted as follows: The 
Mandan and Hidatsa songs differ from those of the other tribes 
under analysis in a more frequent use of rests and syncopations 
(nota legato) and in a downward glissando at the close of a phrase 
or of the entire song. The five tribes under analysis differ among 
themselves chiefly in the use of the drum. Certain ordinary drum- 
beats are used by all the tribes, but in addition to these each tribe has 
certain peculiarities of drumming which are more or less pronounced. 
The differences between the songs of these tribes are no greater, 
