DEXSMOKKJ TETOX SIOUX MUSIC 195 



WORDS 



wakar)' sacred 



mileage he made for me 



wakag' sacred 



miY-age he made for me 



siijte' sa'pela wai) a blacktail deer ' 



wakai)' sacred 



md'c^^age he made for me 



hena'kiya those 



wtigla^kapi kog you had seen 



A Ti ah isis.— The interval of the minor third characterizes this 

 melody and constitutes 41 per cent of the entire number of intervals. 

 The trend of the melody is steadily downward, about two-thirds of 

 the intervals being downiward progressions. The compass of the 

 melody is 14 tones, lacking only 1 tone of 2 octaves. Three rendi- 

 tions were recorded; these show no points of variation. 



See plot of this melody on page 204. 



SONGS COXCEENIXG THE BEAR 



Two Shields said: 



The bear is the only animal which is dreamed of as offering to give herbs for the heal- 

 ing of man. The bear is not afraid of either animals or men and it is considered ill- 

 tempered, and yet it is the only animal wliich has shown us this kindness; therefore 

 the medicines received from the bear are supposed to be especially effective. 



In somewhat similar strain Siya'ka said: 



The bear is quick-tempered and is fierce in many ways, and yet he pays attention to 

 herbs which no other animal notices at all. The bear digs these for his own use. The 

 bear is the only animal which eats roots from the earth and is also especially fond of 

 acorns, June berries, and cherries. These three are frequently compounded with other 

 herbs in making medicine, and if a person is fond of cherries we say he is like a bear. 

 We consider the bear as chief of all animals in regard to herb medicine, and therefore it 

 is understood that if a man dreams of a bear he will be expert in the use of herbs for 

 curing illness. The bear is regarded as an animal well acquainted with herbs because 

 no other animal has such good claws for digging roots. 



' This animal was mentioned by Lewis and Clark in the account of their journey on the upper Missouri. 

 In September, 1804, Clark wrote, "I walked on Shore Saw Goats, Elk, Buffalow, Black tail Deer i'',: the 

 Common Deer. " (Original Journals of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, vol. 1, p. 155.) A footnote on this 

 passage in the Coues edition is as follows: " Cariacus viacrotis, also called mule deer. The tail is mostly 

 white, but tipped with black." (History of the Expedition under the Command of Lewis and Clark, 

 edited by Elliott Coues, vol. 1, p. 122, footnote, 1893.) The common deer is mentioned in ^iya'ka's song. 

 No. 55. 



