Ce: \\ \ \ \ \¥ \ \\ \ ON \ / , i \) 4 SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY BULLETIN 93 PAWNEE MUSIC BY FRANCES DENSMORE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE WASHINGTON : 1929 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, Washington,D.C. - - - Price 90 cents (cloth) LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, Bureau oF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY, Washington, D. C., April 16, 1929. Srr: I have the honor to transmit the accompanying manuscript, entitled ‘‘Pawnee Music,” by Miss Frances Densmore, and to rec- ommend its publication as a bulletin of the Bureau of American Ethnology. Very respectfully yours, M. W. STIRLING, Chief. Dr. CHartes G. ABBOT, Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution. Itt FOREWORD The previous studies of Indian music ! have included no tribe in which ceremonialism is so highly developed as among the Pawnee, whose songs are here presented. This research was conducted among members of the Skidi and Chaui Bands near Pawnee, Okla., in 1919 and 1920. Portions of two important ceremonies were witnessed and several gatherings of a ceremonial character were attended during the progress of the work. The ceremonies were those of the Morning Star and the Painting of the Buffalo Skull, the writer being admitted to the Morning Star lodge during the former ceremony and witnessing the Buffalo and Lance dances, which are a part of the latter. The gatherings included hand games, and dances in honor of Pawnee soldiers upon their return from the recent war. Grateful acknowledgment is made of assistance rendered by inter- preters, especially by Mr. James R. Murie, chief of the Skidi Band, who explained many tribal customs and who wrote down and inter- preted the words of the songs. The writer also acknowledges the courtesy of Dr. John R. Swanton in standardizing the orthography of the Pawnee words. 1Chippewa Music, Bull. 45; Chippewa Music II, Bull. 53; Teton Sioux Music, Bull. 61; Northern Ute Music, Bull. 75; Mandan and Hidatsa Music, Bull. 80; Papago Music, Bull. 90, Bur. Amer. Ethn.; and Music of the Tule Indians of Panama, Smithsonian Misc. Colls., vol. 77, no. 11. Vv CONTENTS Page LST Ge iS yais S S ASU SR 1 oC pe (AOE EC cL ge SE Arranged im order of serial mumbers.5.22 20/225. 522.2)2.-24-----+. XI Arranged in order of catalogue numbers_ == ==--=.---.=-...-.--.:.- XIII Special signs used in transcriptions of songs-------------------------- XVI EE CE BUTTS Re tas SA SIN De Pe SI TI See Aan le oO gO ee XVI Ptenie met pOnne sae sora ee ee ee ee ee ee ee be ee XVII Pee aC Lerman). Ol SINGera e242 ye te ee XVII Den eNeCS PU rnOtce Oeste) irk eth SrA eee ee eS eo ee Se 1 Comparison of Pawnee songs with Chippewa, Sioux, Ute, Mandan, Hidatsa, PPR plat CISL SOLID Rate athe eee tC oe a oe So ac et oe ce (NEL VG EG ELV a iS, To Sa SN Np = ose oR BS 2 ERE WAU NIRA NCR IR UVic pee = ie. Miranda ep eel eS Obl te al ES ee kt 13 [DESC OLA REREN CC 7 [Se ae a oy So OR TARE ep Rl 14 Prarie: DORTICOPOMON Y= 2 eRe oo oo oo ee ee Cee peed 18 aetCeA NOE TIGCt: ek tn Sar Na 8 oe es ON Ue ode 2 pale, Nae 24 Pr TarE ERIN BP se a fe ar fd peptone Nghe Capa Be oh i Sete ee lon Aes te 36 “Evgchey [h20s Gee DAS SY Si ied Op nae J Rees Cee a pomyele ge) teers Ceo ee Maree Me aa ce eee fa LU 37 Paaeprousnne, Meer SOCIOUY Ss .)5 i050) a oh Se ed ce 47 Bangor whe, White Lance Society i 62 soa eo i ee ee 1 White). (CREE TESS Sg ig RRO I el Aa epee Nets [Ay la ee 1 BUC enmee F LA eee 2p = See Cave es et eS ae Sea at 86 1 Died Dec. 20, 1927. 2 This singer is commonly known as John Rowak, according to the pronunciation of the Skidi Band. He is a chief of the Chaui Band and requested that his name be presented with the letter Z used by the Chaui. The words of his songs are presented in the form used by the Skidi in order that they may be uniform with the majority of recorded Pawnee songs. 3 Died June 13, 1923. 4 Died June 12, 1928. 5 Died Nov. 18, 1921. CHARACTERIZATION OF SINGERS A majority of these songs were recorded by Wicita Blain and his wife, who are members of the Skidi Band and spent their early years in Nebraska, before the removal of the tribe to Oklahoma. Both were afflicted with blindness and, when recording their songs, were led by a granddaughter who acted as interpreter. Mr. Blain recorded songs of the Lance and Buffalo dances which are his by right of inheritance. In the Buffalo dance attended by the writer he led the songs, being seated back of the ‘altar’; he also took a prominent part in the Lance dance. Mrs. Effie Blain is considered an equally reliable singer of the old songs. John Luwak (pl. 2, a), who recorded many songs, is chief of the Chaui Band and a fine example of the old-time Indian. He speaks practically no English, but is ambitious to accept the best customs of the white man. In accordance with his request, the phonograph 49716°—29——2 XVIII CHARACTERIZATION OF SINGERS was taken to his home, at some distance from Pawnee, and a majority of his songs were recorded there, with his niece acting as interpreter. Dog Chief (pl. 1) is one of the oldest members of the tribe and is highly respected. Horse Chief is one of the younger men and wears his hair in two long, shining braids. He is one of the leading singers at dances. Mark Evarts (pl. 2, 6) is a quiet, conservative member of the tribe. Mrs. Good Eagle (pl. 2, c) also is held in high esteem. Mrs. Mary Murie and Fannie Chapman are known as excellent story tellers. Coming Sun is a prominent member of the Skidi Band. He asked that his English name be withheld because of the importance of certain material which he had contributed to this work. BULLETIN 93 PLATE | BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY DOG CHIEF a[seq pooy ‘siyAy ‘9 SUPA HIV 9 yeany ago ‘o CALVTd €6 NILATIOG ADOTONHLA NVOINANY JO NvaAYENd PAWNEE MUSIC By Frances DENSMORE THE PAWNEE TRIBE The Pawnee is commonly regarded as the last of the Caddoan Tribes which migrated in a general northeasterly direction at an early date.! When the Siouan Tribes entered the valley of the Platte River in Nebraska they found the Pawnee already established in that region. The Pawnee called themselves by a term meaning “men of men.”’ Their present name was probably given by some neighboring tribe and derived from pariki, meaning a horn, as it was the Pawnee custom to shave the head except a narrow strip extending from the forehead to the scalplock and to stiffen this ridge of hair with grease and paint, curving it upward like a horn. While in Nebraska the Pawnee lived in earth lodges which were in four permanent groups of villages, each having its geographical location along the Platte River. The people of each group were a unit, representing a division of the tribe. The Skidi (Wolf Pawnee) was in the northwest, its people considering themselves related to the Arikara, another Caddoan Tribe living some distance to the north. The Pitahauerat (Tapage Pawnee) were downstream, the Kithahki (Republican Pawnee) were upstream, and the Chaui (Grand Pawnee) were located between the two last named. The soil of the region was dry and rather sandy with rough, broken land toward the mountains in the west, yet the Pawnee were essentially an agricultural people, cultivating corn, beans, squash, and pumpkins. Buffalo and other game was abundant in the early days, and the Pawnee were excellent hunters, their hunting expeditions covering a wide area. The first treaty between the Government of the United States and the Pawnee Indians was made at St. Louis Trading Post in June, 1818.? 1 In the classification of the North American races by John W. Powell the Pawnee is classified as one of the five independent groups of the Caddoan stock. Miss Alice C. Fletcher regards the Pawnee as a confed- eracy, the divisions or bands of the tribe being treated by her as separate tribes in the Handbook of Amer- ican Indians North of Mexico, Bull. 30, Bur. Amer. Ethn., pt. 2, p 213. Cf.also Linton, Ralph, The Thunder Ceremony of the Pawnee, The Sacrifice to the Morning Star by the Skidi Pawnee, and Annual Ceremony of the Pawnee Medicine Men, compiled chiefly from unpublished notes of Dr. G. A. Dorsey, published as leaflets Nos. 5, 6, and 8, Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago, 1922-23. 2 Indian Affairs; Laws and Treaties, Charles J, Kappler, ed., vol. , pp, 156-159, Washington, 1904, 1 2 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [BULL. 93 At that time a separate treaty was made with each band of Pawnee, designated as Grand, Noisy, Republic, and Marhar, the treaties being respectively on June 18, 19, 20, and 22. Peace was then concluded with all tribes of the region which had been disturbed by the war of 1812.