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SCIENCE. 



[Vol. XV. No. 378 



words; 4. Passamaquoddy equivalents of English words ; 5. Count- 

 ing -out rhymes; 6. Imitations of sounds made by animals; 7. 

 Ordinary conversations in the Indian language, in which two or 

 more persons took part. These records were always accompanied 

 by a statement on the cylinder of the subject, time and place, 

 name of the Indian giving the testimony and that of the observer. 

 This safeguard seemed necessary for future identification, as their 

 labels might be displaced or lost, and by that means their value 

 be impau'ed. 



Among the songs ■ recorded are war-songs, a sacred song ("The 

 Song of the Snake-Dance"), and several songs which form a part 

 of ancient stories. It is said that in old times, as so often happens 

 among primitive peoples, the folk-tales and legends were all sung. 

 In many instances at the present time these stories have for the most 

 part lost that character, and are simply narrations, although in 

 many of them songs occur, and some still have a lyrical character. 

 As an example of a story with songs in it, may be mentioned an 

 interesting account of the adventures of Black Cat ("Pogump") 

 and the Toad Woman (••Pookjinquess"), a story which is full of 

 rude imagery, in which occurs a very old song with onomatopoeic 

 sounds. The so-called war-songs, which still sui-vive In the 

 memories of the old Indians, seem particularly desirable for 

 preservation. One of these, a Mohawk war-song, the words of 

 which were improvised, is of a most interesting character. The 

 song sung at the celebration of the chief on the first night of the 

 festivities was taken from the lips of the Indian who sung it the 

 last time this event was celebrated. 



Of sacred songs, the only one which was obtained is the song of 

 the snake-dance, a little-known ceremony, which will be described 

 in a forthcoming article in the American Journal of Folk-Lore. 

 This dance, which has lost whatever sacred character it once had, 

 has not been performed by the Passamaquoddies for five years, 

 and the song was sung at that time by Noel Josephs, who sang it 

 on the cylinder of the phonograph for me. All the listeners, of 

 whom there were several, said that the song was very ancient. 

 The words of the song as sung are as follows: — ■ 



' Way ho yah ne, way ho yah ne, way ho yah ne, way 

 Hew nayie hah, hew nayie hah, hew nayie hah." 



ho — — o, 



These words are said to be archaic, which fact is regarded as 

 additional evidence of the great age of the song itself, and were 

 obtained by me from a study of the cylinder of the phonograph 

 upon which it was recorded. When compared with the original, 

 it shows how accurate the records are. The words of the song, 

 which have been indicated by the spelling given above, were also 

 derived from the phonograph. They were sent to Mrs. W. Wal- 

 lace Brown of Calais, Me. , who is one of the best students of the 

 Passamaquoddy language known to me; and she writes me that 

 she regards them as indicating the pronunciation as nearly as 

 possible by phonetic methods. 



The music of the "Snake-Dance" given below was written out 

 by Mrs. H. E. Holt. Mrs. Holt had never heard the Indians sing 

 the song, but was able from the I'ecord to write out the notes, 

 from which a^hird person sang the song in the same way as the 

 original recorder, Noel Josephs. 



time to the music by a dance. The second is the song of the 

 Indians who take part in forming the coil which represents the 

 snake. Calls to those not taking part in the dance frequently 

 occur in the second part of the song, but those are not indicated. 

 On the same cylinder with the music of the " Snake-Dance " I 

 was able to obtain in the Passamaquoddy language a record of the 

 proclamation announcing the dance, and an invitation to the 

 same. 



The possibilities of the phonograph in these studies indicate one 

 of the great advantages of this instrument. What specimens are 

 to the naturalist in describing genera and species, or what sections 

 are to the histologist in the study of cellular structure, the cylin- 

 ders made on the phonograph are to the student of language. In 

 the quiet of his study he can hear the song repeated over and over 

 again as often as he wishes, and can, so to speak, analyze it, and 

 in that way separate the constituent sounds. Moreover, these 

 records on the cylinders can be submitted to specialists for study. 

 The collector may not have a musical ear, as in my own case, and 

 may not be able to write out the songs, no matter how many times 

 they are repeated. He can in that case collect the records, and 

 submit them at some favorable time to one who is able to catch 

 the song and set it to music. 



It is particularly desirable to record the songs of the Indians, 

 for we may conclude that these are very ancient, and preserve 

 their identity for a long time. This is true at least as regards 

 tliose pertaining to sacred observances, which may be regarded as 

 of great antiquity. Songs in sacred ceremonials are among the 

 last of the religious observances to be modified or changed. Para- 

 phernalia of sacred dances, or even the whole sacred character of 

 the dance, may be lost; but the song would be the last to have its 

 integrity impau-ed. Moreover, when a comparative study of songs 

 of different peoples is desirable, the cylinders taken from one tribe 

 may be carried among the Indians of another in order to compare 

 records or to see if those taken are recognizable. This method of 

 comparison renders possible an exactness in the comparative study 

 of Indian songs which has never been possible before." 



The records of the stories or folk-lore of the Indians which 

 were taken can be studied in the same way as the songs. Although 

 the cylinders remain as perpetual records of the stories, it is de- 

 sirable to write out the Indian words and obtain an accurate 

 translation. I have gone far enough in my work to see that this 

 can be done with great precision with the phonograph, and that 

 the instrument has great capabilities in this method of work. 



The study of folk-lore can never stand on a scientific basis as 

 far as Indian tales are concerned until we reduce to a minimum 

 the errors of interpretation which may creep in through the trans- 

 lator. The tales are so full of imagery that the tendency to en- 

 large upon them is fascinating, and names of well-known aiithors 

 who have succumbed to this influence might be mentioned. As 

 long as there is a possibility that the hearer adds to or detracts 

 from the story as he hears it, by so much is the value of a story 

 for scientific comparison diminished. The phonograph records 

 the story exactly as the Indian tells it ; and although free transla- 

 tion of it may, and probably must, be made, to render the story 

 comprehensible, we can always preserve the phonographic record 



Hew nayie hall, hew nayie hah, hew nayie hah, hew nayie 



hah, hew nayie hah, hew nayie hah. 



The first part of the song is sung by the conjurer, who goes 

 about with a rattle while singing, searching for the snake, keeping 



1 It would be desirable to apply the phonograph to the preservation of other 

 songs which are rapidly becoming extinct. For instance, it is said that the 

 ■ old plantation melodies of the negroes are rapidly being replaced by other 

 songs. These might be recorded on the phonograph for permanent preserra- 

 iion. 



as a check on exaggeration, or as a reference in critical discussions 

 of the subject-matter of the story. In this way the phonograph 

 imparts to the study of folk-lore, as far as the aborigines are con- 

 cerned, a scientific basis which it has not previously had, and 

 makes it approximately accurate. 



In order to determine the pronunciation of Passamaquoddy 



