Eskimo Songs

STOP

Early Journal Content on JSTOR, Free to Anyone in the World

This article is one of nearly 500,000 scholarly works digitized and made freely available to everyone in
the world by JSTOR.

Known as the Early Journal Content, this set of works include research articles, news, letters, and other
writings published in more than 200 of the oldest leading academic journals. The works date from the
mid-seventeenth to the early twentieth centuries.

We encourage people to read and share the Early Journal Content openly and to tell others that this
resource exists. People may post this content online or redistribute in any way for non-commercial
purposes.

Read more about Early Journal Content at http://about.jstor.org/participate-jstor/individuals/early-
journal-content .

JSTOR is a digital library of academic journals, books, and primary source objects. JSTOR helps people
discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content through a powerful research and teaching
platform, and preserves this content for future generations. JSTOR is part of ITHAKA, a not-for-profit
organization that also includes Ithaka S+R and Portico. For more information about JSTOR, please
contact support@jstor.org.

9 6

Journal of American Folk- Lore.

ESKIMO SONGS.

BY ELEANOR HAGUE.

The following Eskimo tunes were recorded by Captain George
Comer on the west coast of Hudson Bay, near Cape Fullerton. Nos. i
and 2 are chorus songs sung by women. No. 2 probably accompanies
the chant of a single singer. No. 3 is a chant sung by a single person.
The cylinders from which the records were made are rather faint, and
part of them were so indistinct that it was impossible to catch the tune.

Introd.

I. ESKIMO SONG. 1
Chant.

i

V^— y^_ V-

m

m

^+=1-

■&$

—I 1 F=H 1 1

A wa wa wa wa

-+-&-

-4~ -<S- .

Chant.

$

Refrain.

m

-V — v — v v V-

£*=■-*

3?

^m

fr-i — |-

4 4

4 4 4 k

* * ^L. * ■*

.t ■*-' •*

th=W-

— I 1 F=4 H

-^r

-^r^S7

-#- -g- •#■ -«>-•

93

Chant.

£=*

rgJjnTj j jJ J. 1 AIT3T3JJJJJ

13=H

« #» ' rt ** *u 44

Refrain.

-7$&

m

m

- 1 M X --X-

i ^rn

1 I 1

3fS

*-#-

4 4 4 4

1 4 rg- . .^Lv

1 Actual pitch. The J> sign placed above a note means that it should be sung a little
below pitch.

Eskimo Songs.

97

i^

Chant.

PN | fZ r-T S.

■j >"

■z*- -*•

^3<-*

=*j y^y

JJe/ratn.

fhiJj3''ii*jjj]ji^Tj j. j j, jjj.

^■i-ff'i

i

Chant.

w

-&T-

Ji J. i

^T

^^

V -# V

iii ij.i -JTTJJ^JJ JJ JJ I J JJ J^jQ

Close.

~&- •&• ~&~

The song consists of five repetitions of a chant, which is irregular in
rhythmic structure, probably in accordance with the words. Pre-
ceding the chant are two introductory notes. The first four lines are
each followed by a refrain, which consists of two parts. Its rhythm
is fairly well fixed, and it seems plausible that the irregularities may
be due to imperfections of singing. The close of the whole song con-
sists of a repetition of the first part of the refrain, which terminates
with a long-drawn-out note in place of the modulations found in the
preceding lines.

2. FRAGMENTS OF ESKIMO SONG. l

$

a

Moderately increasing the speed with the successive repetitions.

m

fr ffii 4 r

J- J j ' -J- -i i j ' -J- S

i

A

jjj.i'j.J-^4

-z<- -*

tt

I

^W=

-<si- -J- T^ 5- +-

■$.

4- 1 +i? ' +

■*■-»*-*■

Between these two phrases are passages of indefinite rhythm, but
on one note, B.

1 Actual pitch.
VOL. XXVIII. — NO 107. — 27.

9 8

Journal of American Folk-Lore.

3. FRAGMENT OF ESKIMO CHANT. '

$

I I I i J

i.. ^- -sp.. .4.

_l — 1 — 1 1 — 1 — 1

J.J.d'dddd'd

Ah ay yah ay yah

O - vo ga lay,

m

€ ± n h n 1 ^p=\ — r~ :=??q=T

IF J> * .j lJ> 3 ' t3 Fi F ' J. J- J-

— I — I p

#

^^rruj-hHH^xj

-* — n-

-*-*-

A - vo - ga lay

ay

I

=F

T

=3

-29 —
yah

-j-

"^-

H-

^"

-<*- -«*- -fit"
ya ya yay

ya ya 'ya ya

ay

-s>-
yah

* I I E

-*-£-

-a-i ^ -n r*

O - bo - ga lay

ah - lo - ah - lo - e - lo

1

IE

— 1 — 1 — 1 — 1 — +-

- I ■■ I :=T

-*-5T

IE

-i^-

T7-

-*— #-

rpq:

t) -•--•--«-

^rrjr

Ay

IE

-3r-^r

-d- -J-*'*

mm

yah yah yah yah yah yay yah yah yah yah yah,

New York.

1 Actual pitch. The first part of the cylinder was too faint to catch.

1