ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT 15 



SPECIAL RESEARCHES 



The study of Indian music for the Bureau of American 

 Ethonology has been carried forward during the past year by 

 Miss Frances Densmore. The three phases of this research 

 are (1) the recording of songs and collecting of other material 

 in the field, including the purchase of specimens; (2) the 

 transcription and analysis of songs, with the development of 

 information; and (3) the preparation of material for publica- 

 tion. All these phases have received attention during the 

 year, and the songs of three hitherto unstudied localities have 

 been recorded. 



Early in July, 1930, Miss Densmore went to Grand 

 Portage, an isolated Chippewa village on Lake Superior, near 

 the Canadian boundary. This village was visited in 1905, a 

 ceremony was witnessed, and one of its songs written down; 

 therefore a return to Grand Portage was particularly inter- 

 esting. The purpose of the trip was to witness the Chippewa 

 dances on the Fourth of July, but she remained more than 

 three weeks, continuing her study of native customs. Sev- 

 eral songs of the Wabunowin were heard and translated, these 

 resembling the songs of the Grand Medicine, which formed a 

 subject of intensive study during 1907-1911. She also 

 witnessed the tipi-shaking of an Indian medicine man and 

 listened to his songs for almost an hour. This performance 

 is very rare at the present time. Although the evening was 

 quiet, the tipi was seen to sway as though buffeted by a 

 tempest, then remain motionless a few seconds and again 

 shake convulsively. This was continuous while Miss Dens- 

 more watched the performance and was said to have con- 

 tinued several hours afterwards. Inside the tipi sat the 

 medicine man, believed to be talking with spirits whom he 

 had summoned, the spirits making known their presence by 

 the shaking of the conical structure. The next day the 

 medicine man said that he had summoned the spirits in order 

 to ascertain whether his treatment of a certain sick man 

 would be successful. He said that if the spirits ^^ spoke 

 loud and clear" the man would recover, but if their voices 



