On the Eskimo Music. 13 
The East Greenland drum consists of an oval framework, on 
which is stretched a thin skin, usually the peritoneum of a polar 
bear or of a shark; on the framework is a handle. Before use the 
skin is moistened. 
The man holds the drum free as a rule, in front with the left 
hand; he holds the drum-stick with the palm of the hand turned 
up towards the drum. The women hold the drum almost at arm’s 
length and downwards, resting it on the right forearm; the drum- 
stick is held with the palm downwards, so that she must bend the 
hand upwards on striking. The Greentander does not beat on the 
skin of the drum, but on the under edge of the frame, about !'srd 
or With of the way round from the handle. 
Whilst the drum accompaniment has been a good help in 
determining the rhythm in the melodies of several primitive folk, it 
is very difficult to unravel the relation of the drum rhythm to the 
melody rhythm in the Greenland songs. Usually it never coincides 
with either the strongly or more feebly accented time units, but 
sometimes syncopically outside these, some- 
times on an accented, at others on a less 
accented note. As a rule the drum-beats are 
made regularly in definite groups in succes- 
sion, €. g. 
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en a a. 
wen; 
wo 
о ie 
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ребре р 
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er 
thus it is simply impossible for them Hig) 3 Position of the hands 
to be in time with the melody rhythm, of a man drumming (a) typical 
which, as mentioned above, is extremely in dance, (b) rare position. 
irregular. (W. T. phot.) 
Whether there is a more remote logical connection between the 
melody rhythm and that of the drum is doubtful. But it may be 
remarked, that it sometimes seems as if the singer — at fairly long 
intervals — here and there introduces a ritardando in the drum-beats, 
