Native Americans: 22 Books on History, Mythology, Culture & Linguistic Studies - James Mooney

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a small part of their stock of traditions. Besides the contents their form also is very interesting, as most of them have been handed down in unchanged form and their narration demands a great deal of art. Many traditions are told in a very abridged form, the substance being supposed to be known. A specimen of this kind is the Sedna tradition (p. 604). All these tales must be considered recitatives, many of them beginning with a musical phrase and continuing as a rhythmic recitation, others being recited in rhythmic phrases throughout. Other traditions are told in a more detailed and prosaic manner, songs or recitations, however, being sometimes included. Ititaujang, for instance, in traveling into the country looking for his wife, sings the song No. XIII, and in the Kalopaling tradition the boy, on seeing the two Inuit coming, sings:

Inung-- maqong-- tikitong-- aipa-- kapiteling aipa-- mirqosailing

      Some Eskimo are very good narrators and understand how to express the feelings of the different persons by modulations of the voice. In addition, as a number of tales are really onomatopoetic, an artistic effect is produced. The way of reciting is always similar to the one above described by notes (p. 648).

      Besides these tales, which may be called poetic prose, there are real poems of a very marked rhythm, which are not sung but recited. The following are examples:

      Merrymaking Among the Tornit

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Pika pikagning mingepignirming qijepignirming sukadla. aq! aq!

      The Eskimo reciting this song jump up and down and to the right and left with their legs bent and their hands hanging down, the palms touching each other. In crying aq! aq! they jump as high as possible.

      The Lemming’s Song

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music

      Besides these old songs and tales there are a great number of new ones, and, indeed, almost every man has his own tune and his own song. A few of these become great favorites among the Eskimo and are sung like our popular songs. The summer song (No. I) and “The returning hunter” (No. II) may be most frequently heard. As to the contents of the songs, they treat of almost everything imaginable: of the beauty of summer; of thoughts and feelings of the composer on any occasion, for instance, when watching a seal, when angry with somebody, &c.; or they tell of an important event, as of a long journey. Satiric songs are great favorites.

      The form of both old and new songs is very strict, they being divided into verses of different length, alternating regularly. I give here some examples:

      Arlum Pissinga (the killer’s song)

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music

      I. The killer’s song:

      (1) Qiangalo taitoχalunga,

       Qolaralo taitoχalunga

       Qiangalogalo

       Qolaralogalo

      (2) Senilearaluqdjuara

       Maliksiaqtuaqtugo.

       Uvanaleunen

       Audlatsiapiata

       Kingodnidlaqdjuagung

      (3) Qangatirgakulung uaijuvara.

      II. Summer song:

      Aja.

      (1) Ajaja adlenaipa.

       Adlenaitariva silekdjua una aujaratarame

       Ajaja, Ajaja!

       Aja!

      (2) Ajaja adlenaipa

       Adlenaitariva silekdjua una tektorotikelektlune.

       Ajaja, Ajaja.

       Aja!

      (3) Ajaja nipituovokpan!

       Nipituovokpan kouvodlalimokoa nunatine aujadle

       Ajaja, Ajaja

       Aja!

       &c.

      III. Utitiaq’s song:

      Aja!

      (1) Adlenaipunganema adlenait.

       Adlenaipunganema

       Adlenaipunganema adlenait,

       Aja!

      (2) Sikuqdjualimena adlenait.

       Atoqpoqtaromena

       Tanerangitu adlenait.

       Aja!

       &c.

      IV. Kadlu’s song:

      (1) Odlaqē´, odlaqē´, odlaqē´.

       Odlaqē´ saranga tutaranga atujang una ajajaja.

       Odlaqē´ atedlirlungai aχigirn qodlusuaning aχiatungitunga ajaja.

       Nettiulunga iχatijetingirn pinassousirdlunirn pinasuatautlirpadlirunirn.

      (2) Odlaqē´, odlaqē´, odlaqē´.

       Odlaqē´ saranga tutaranga atujang una ajajaja.

       Odlaqē´ atedlirlungai aχigirn qodlusuaning aχiatungitunga ajaja.

       Ugjurutlarunirn iχatijitingirn pinassousirdlunirn pinasuatautlirpadlirnunirn.

      (3) ....&c.

      Some of these verses contain only a single word, the rhythm being brought about by the chorus aja, amna aja, &c. I add two examples of this kind:

      V. Song in the language of the Angakut:

      Ajarpaija taitlaniqdjuaq ajarpe aitarpik ajijaija.

       Ajarpaija ataqdjuaq ajarpe aitarpik ajijaija.

       Ajarpaija mingeriaqdjuaq ajarpe aitarpik ajijaija.

      VI. Oχaitoq’s song:

      Aja.

      (1) Tavunga tavunga tavunga tavunga

       Tavunga tavunga tavunga tavunga tavungadlo tavunga

       Aja.

      (2) Pissutaramaima tavunga tavunga.

       Pissutaramaima tavunga tavunga tavungadlo tavunga, &c.

      The rhythm of the songs will best be understood by examining the melodies. Every long syllable may be replaced by two or even three short ones; other short syllables appear as unaccented parts before the accented part of a measure; in short, the rhythmic adaptation of the words to the melody is very arbitrary and interchanges frequently occur, so that it is impossible to speak of metric feet. At the same time this furnishes distinct proof that the musical rhythm is the decisive element in determining the form. The rhythmic arrangement of the words is regulated with considerable exactness by the quantity of the syllables, and not by the accent. While, for instance, in speaking, it would be “palirtu´gun,” in song No. IV it

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