DEN6M0BB] 



TETON SIOUX MUSIC 



IS 



saying: ' ' Kear not. This plant which you behold is going to grow into the most beauti- 

 ful child you ever saw. Watch for its development. Take good care of it. Give it 

 plenty of air, sunshine, and water. Let no other plant or shrub grow near it." So 

 they, realizing this was the child they had been desiring, went out and did as they 

 were told. The plant grew up, had green clothing, and beautiful whitish hair. It 

 grew to be tall. Finally beautiful corn, nicely enveloped in green covering, grew out. 

 As soon as the coverings had turned to another color the corn was taken out. So from 

 this they concluded that \\'akag'tagka had sent them something to keep and to raise. 



In the old times this ceremony extended through several days, and 

 many ceremonial songs were sung. In its later observance by the 

 Teton Sioux it is said that the entire ceremony was concluded in one 

 day. Only two of the songs were recorded by the writer. 



It was said that at the opening of the ceremony the itaij'caq came 

 from the double lodge and started to get the children for whom the 

 ceremony was to be performed. They pretended that they did not 

 know where the children lived and went through the camp singing 

 the following: song: 



No. 2. Soug of Pretended Search 



Sung by ^\'EASEL Bear 



(Catalogue No. 649) 



Voice J =112 

 Drum not recorded 



?=?c 



l»=^c 



^ 



e 



^ 



i 



E - ca tu-kte ti - pi so 



WORDS (free translation) 



e<5a' I wonder 



tukte' where 



ti'pi so they live 



Analysis. — It is interesting to observe here the rhythmic unit in 

 connection with the use of the song. As already stated, this is a song 

 of search, the singer going around the camp pretending to seek a 

 certain tent. He hastened to a tent, paused, and then passed on, 

 repeating this procedure until he came to the tent which was his 

 destination. Thus in the rhythmic unit we find a hunied triplet of 

 eighth notes, followed in the next measure by a tone prolonged to 

 the length of four quarter notes. The song is simple in form and has 

 a compass of eight tones, descending from the octave to the tonic. 

 The tones are those of the second five-toned scale, and the tonic 

 chord is prominent in the melody. One-third of the intervals are 



