Indian Songs
The language of the Chippewas, however figurative and significant, is not copious. In their speeches and songs they are emphatic and impressive by the continual repetition of the same phrase or idea; and it seems to affect them like the perpetual recurrence of a few simple notes in music, by which I have been myself wound up to painful excitement, or melted to tears.
A cousin of mine (I have now a large Chippewa cousinship) went on a hunting excursion, leaving his wife and child in his lodge. During his absence, a party of Sioux carried them off, and on his return he found his fire extinguished, and his lodge empty. He immediately blackened his face (Indian mourning), and repaired to the lodge of his wife’s brother, to whom he sang, in a kind of mournful recitative, the following song; the purport of which seems to be partly a request for aid against his enemies, and partly an excuse for the seeming fault of leaving his family unprotected in his wigwam.
My brother-in-law, do not wrongfully accuse me for this seeming neglect in exposing my family, for I have come to request aid from my brother-in-law!
The cry of my little son was heard as they carried him across the prairie, and therefore I have come to supplicate aid from my brother-in-law.
And the voice also of my wife was heard as they carried her across the prairie; do not then accuse your brother-in-law, for he has come to seek aid from his brother-in-law!
This song is, in measure, ten and eight syllables alternately; and the perpetual recurrence of the word brother-in-law seems intended to impress the idea of their relationship on the mind of the hearer.
The next is the address of a war party to their women, on leaving the village.44
Do not weep, do not weep for me,
Loved women, should I die;
For yourselves alone should you weep!
Poor are ye all and to be pitied:
Ye women, ye are to be pitied!
I seek, I seek our fallen relations,
I go to revenge, revenge the slain,
Our relations fallen and slain,
And our foes, our foes shall lie
Like them, like them shall they lie,
I go to lay them low, to lay them low!
And then da capo, over and over again.
The next is a love song, in the same style of iteration.
’Tis now two days, two long days,
Since last I tasted food;
’Tis for you, for you, my love,
That I grieve, that I grieve,
’Tis for you, for you that I grieve!
The waters flow deep and wide,
On which, love, you have sailed;
Dividing you far from me.
’Tis for you, for you, my love,
’Tis for you, for you that I grieve!
If you look at some half thousand of our most fashionable and admired Italian songs—the Notturni of Blangini, for instance—you will find them very like this Chippewa canzonetta, in the no meaning and perpetual repetition of certain words and phrases; at the same time, I doubt if it be always necessary for a song to have a meaning—it is enough if it have a sentiment.
Here are some verses of a war song, in the same style as to composition, but breathing very different sentiments.
I sing, I sing, under the centre of the sky,
Under the centre of the sky
Under the centre of the sky I sing, I sing,
Under the centre of the sky!
Every day I look at you, you morning star,
You morning star;
Every day I look at you, you morning star,
You morning star.
The birds of the brave take a flight round the sky,
A flight round the sky;
The birds of the brave take a flight, take a flight,
A flight round the sky.
They cross the enemies’ line, the birds!
They cross the enemies’ line;
The birds, the birds, the ravenous birds,
They cross the enemies’ line.
The spirits on high repeat my name,
Repeat my name;
The spirits on high, the spirits on high,
Repeat my name.
Full happy am I to be slain and to lie,
On the enemy’s side of the line to lie;
Full happy am I, full happy am I,
On the enemies’ side of the line to lie.
I give you these as curiosities, and as being at least genuine; they have this merit, if they have no other.
Of the next song, I subjoin the music. It seems to have been composed on a young American (a Long-knife), who made love to a Chippewa girl (Ojibway quaince).
Ojibway Quaince
Aun dush ween do we nain,
Git-chee mo-ko-maum aince
Kah zah wah da mood
We yá yá hah há we yá yá hah há.
We ah, bem, ah dè,
We mah jah need dè,
We ne moo, sha yun
We yà, yà hah hà! we yà yà hah hà!
O mow we mah ne
We mah jah need dè,
O jib way quaince un nè,
We yà, yà hah hà! we yà yà hah hà!
Kah ween, goo shah, ween nè,
Keesh wan zhe e we ye
O gah, mah we mah zeen.
We yà, yà hah yà! we yà yà hah hà!
Mee goo shah ween e goo
Ke bish quah bem ah de
Che wah nain ne mah de.
We yà, yà hah hà! we yà yà hah hà!
The literal meaning of the song, without the perpetual repetitions and transpositions, is just this:
Hah! what is the matter with the young Long-knife? he crosses the river with tears in his eyes. He sees the young Chippewa girl preparing to leave the place; he sobs for his sweetheart because she is going away, but he will not sigh for her long: as soon as she is out of sight he will forget her!