6 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY 



tion and powers and limitations of the Federal Chieftains, and also 

 those governing the Chief Warriors. 



He also added to the Bureau's collection of ritual wampum strings 

 by completing two new sets of strings made from loose beads on 

 patterns taken from originals in the Museum of the American Indian, 

 Heye Foundation, and a set which was owned by the late Chief David. 

 Skye, of the Canadian Six Nations. 



During the year Mr. Hewitt continued to represent the Bureau of 

 American Ethnology on the Advisory Committee on Geographic 

 Names, Department of the Interior. 



On June 21, 1936, Mr. Hewitt left Washington on field duty, visit- 

 ing the Tuscaroi'a Reservation near Lewiston, N. Y., and then the 

 Grand River Grant to the Six Nations in Ontario. On the latter 

 reservation he obtained a short Delaware vocabularj^ and a fine Mo- 

 hawk text embodying the so-called Handsome Lake Religion, the- 

 preparation of which was about completed by the end of the fiscal 

 year. 



SPECIAL RESEARCHES 



Miss Frances Densmore, a collaborator of the Bureau of American 

 Ethnology, in continuation of her study of Indian music, submitted 

 a manuscript entitled "Dance Songs of the Seminole Indians", with 

 phonograph records and transcriptions of 25 songs. These songs 

 were recorded in February 1932 at Brighton, Fla., by Billie Stew^art, 

 one of the best singers in the Cow Creek group of the tribe. Five 

 songs connected with the tribal ball game were presented, together 

 with songs of the alligator, steal-partner, switch-grass, and buffalo 

 dances. The songs of the ball game were sung to bring success and 

 were accompanied by beating on a water-drum hung by a strap from 

 the player's shoulder. A coconut-shell rattle accompanied the dances. 

 All the songs of each series were recorded. This afforded an oppor- 

 tunity to note the maintaining of a fundamental pitch throughout 

 the series, with a pleasing variation of rhythm in the several melodies. 



EDITORIAL VrORK AND PUBLICATIONS 



The editing of the publications of the Bureau was continued 

 through the year by Stanley Searles, editor. In addition to the cur- 

 rent work of the office the comprehensive manuscript index of Bulle- 

 tins 1-100 has been corrected. All entries have been verified. 



An index of Schoolcraft's "Indian Tribes", in six volumes, is near- 

 ing completion. More than 30,000 entries have been made and are 

 now being alphabetized. 



