﻿FLETCHER-LA 
  FI.ESCHE] 
  MUSIC 
  373 
  

  

  Songs, 
  Singing, 
  and 
  Rhythm 
  

  

  Song 
  was 
  an 
  integral 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  life 
  of 
  the 
  Omaha. 
  Through 
  song 
  

   he 
  approached 
  the 
  mysterious 
  Wako 
  n 
  'da; 
  through 
  song 
  he 
  voiced 
  his 
  

   emotions, 
  both 
  individual 
  and 
  social; 
  through 
  song 
  he 
  embodied 
  feel- 
  

   ings 
  and 
  aspirations 
  that 
  eluded 
  expression 
  in 
  words. 
  As 
  is 
  amply 
  

   demonstrated 
  in 
  this 
  volume, 
  the 
  Omaha 
  did 
  not 
  depend 
  on 
  words 
  to 
  

   convey 
  the 
  meaning 
  of 
  his 
  songs, 
  so 
  many 
  have 
  few 
  or 
  no 
  words, 
  the 
  

   voice 
  being 
  carried 
  by 
  vocables 
  only, 
  and 
  yet 
  the 
  songs 
  were 
  able 
  to 
  

   convey 
  a 
  well-understood 
  meaning. 
  

  

  Songs, 
  like 
  the 
  language, 
  were 
  transmitted 
  from 
  one 
  generation 
  to 
  

   another 
  and 
  care 
  was 
  taken 
  to 
  preserve 
  accurately 
  both 
  songs 
  and 
  

   language. 
  No 
  liberties 
  were 
  permitted 
  with 
  either. 
  As 
  to 
  the 
  songs, 
  

   the 
  writers 
  have 
  phonographic 
  records 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  song 
  sung 
  by 
  differ- 
  

   ent 
  groups 
  of 
  singers, 
  the 
  records 
  having 
  been 
  taken 
  at 
  an 
  interval 
  of 
  

   more 
  than 
  ten 
  years, 
  yet 
  the 
  songs 
  show 
  no 
  variation. 
  An 
  interest- 
  

   ing 
  instance 
  occurred 
  some 
  ten 
  years 
  ago. 
  An 
  old 
  Ponca 
  was 
  visiting 
  

   the 
  writers, 
  when, 
  in 
  a 
  period 
  of 
  silence, 
  he 
  was 
  heard 
  to 
  hum 
  a 
  familiar 
  

   Omaha 
  song. 
  He 
  was 
  asked 
  to 
  sing 
  the 
  song 
  into 
  the 
  phonograph, 
  

   and 
  did 
  so. 
  Then 
  he 
  was 
  asked, 
  "Where 
  did 
  you 
  learn 
  the 
  song?" 
  

   Among 
  the 
  Omaha, 
  ' 
  ' 
  he 
  replied 
  . 
  ' 
  ' 
  When 
  did 
  you 
  learn 
  it 
  ? 
  " 
  " 
  When 
  

   I 
  was 
  a 
  lad." 
  ' 
  ' 
  Have 
  you 
  always 
  sung 
  it 
  as 
  you 
  sing 
  it 
  now? 
  " 
  With 
  

   a 
  look 
  of 
  astonishment 
  he 
  replied' 
  "There 
  is 
  but 
  one 
  way 
  to 
  sing 
  a 
  

   song! 
  " 
  As 
  he 
  was 
  a 
  man 
  then 
  more 
  than 
  70, 
  his 
  version 
  of 
  the 
  song 
  

   must 
  have 
  been 
  of 
  full 
  fifty 
  years' 
  standing. 
  On 
  comparison 
  of 
  his 
  

   rendition 
  of 
  the 
  song 
  with 
  three 
  other 
  records 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  song 
  from 
  

   different 
  singers 
  in 
  the 
  possession 
  of 
  the 
  writers, 
  no 
  variation 
  was 
  dis- 
  

   covered. 
  This 
  incident, 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  it 
  goes, 
  indicates 
  a 
  fair 
  degree 
  of 
  

   stability 
  in 
  the 
  songs 
  of 
  this 
  people. 
  In 
  many 
  of 
  the 
  societies 
  a 
  fine 
  

   was 
  imposed 
  if 
  a 
  member 
  made 
  mistakes 
  in 
  singing. 
  As 
  has 
  been 
  

   shown 
  in 
  preceding 
  pages, 
  a 
  mistake 
  in 
  the 
  singing 
  of 
  ritual 
  songs 
  

   invalidated 
  the 
  ceremony 
  and 
  made 
  it 
  necessary 
  to 
  begin 
  again. 
  It 
  

   will 
  be 
  recalled 
  that 
  in 
  the 
  ceremonies 
  connected 
  with 
  the 
  Sacred 
  

   Pole 
  and 
  the 
  White 
  Buffalo 
  Hide 
  if 
  a 
  mistake 
  was 
  made, 
  a 
  rite 
  of 
  con- 
  

   trition 
  had 
  to 
  be 
  performed, 
  after 
  which 
  the 
  ceremony 
  was 
  begun 
  

   anew 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  singing 
  the 
  songs 
  was 
  concerned. 
  

  

  Songs 
  were 
  property. 
  They 
  belonged 
  to 
  a 
  society, 
  to 
  a 
  gens, 
  or 
  to 
  

   an 
  individual. 
  They 
  could 
  generally 
  be 
  purchased 
  from 
  the 
  last-named 
  

   but 
  the 
  right 
  to 
  sing 
  any 
  of 
  the 
  songs 
  belonging 
  to 
  societies 
  or 
  gentes 
  

   could 
  come 
  only 
  through 
  membership 
  or 
  birth. 
  

  

  In 
  singing, 
  the 
  Omaha 
  was 
  not 
  concerned 
  with 
  his 
  audience, 
  he 
  was 
  

   not 
  seeking 
  to 
  present 
  a 
  musical 
  picture, 
  his 
  mental 
  attitude 
  was 
  

   wholly 
  subjective, 
  he 
  was 
  completely 
  occupied 
  with 
  voicing 
  his 
  own 
  

   emotion, 
  consequently 
  he 
  paid 
  little 
  attention, 
  generally 
  speaking, 
  to 
  

   any 
  shading 
  or 
  what 
  we 
  term 
  "expression." 
  This 
  statement 
  can 
  

  

  