ANS EGEDE in his account of Greenland devotes a chapter to 
H the play and amusements of the Greenlanders. He describes 
the songs and dances of the Eskimo in the following manner! 
(translated) : 
“They have a little drum, which is a ring of wood or a piece 
of whale-rib with shaft, covered over with a thin skin; on this one 
of them beats with a stick and sings some refrains, referring either 
to their occupations in general or his own in particular. The whole 
chorus, men and women, sing in accompaniment. Whoever can make 
the drollest display of gesticulations, in bawling, twisting and turning 
the head and limbs here and there or in hopping forwards and 
backwards, is regarded as the most capable, according as he can get 
the others to laugh at his buffoonery.” 
With regard to the actual melodies of the Greenlanders, we find 
some information, though imperfect, in CRANZ.? 
Cranz writes, that the Greenlander holds the drum in the left 
hand and “beats with a stick on the lower edge, jumping at each 
stroke a little up into the air, yet so as always to remain on the 
same spot, and makes all sorts of curious movements with the head 
and the whole body, all in four-quarter time, so that two beats fall 
on each quarter. To this he sings about seal hunting and such like, 
extols the deeds of his forefathers and displays his joy over the 
return of the sun. The listeners do not sit quiet during this per- 
formance, but accompany each verse of his song by repeating “Ajah 
ajah ah ah!” several times, in such a way that the first bar extends 
a fourth downwards, the second is begun a tone higher, then sinks 
and so on repeatedly.” ® 
1 Hans Egede, Det gamle Grønlands nye Perlustration eller Naturel-Historie, р. 85 
(Copenhagen 1741). 
>? David Cranz, Historie von Grönland I, р. 229 (Leipzig 1765). 
3 ibid. p. 229: “so dass der erste Takt eine Quarte herunter gedehnt, der andere 
einen Ton höher angefangen, heruntergesungen und so immer wiederholt wird.” 
Cranz’ account is somewhat obscure. Perhaps he refers to a melodic form con- 
structed on the first, fourth, fifth of the type we find Ds 
FRE | —, _— — 
= 
among the East Greenlanders (cf. р. 24). a 
or 
