Indian Games and Dances with Native Songs written by Alice C. Fletcher
A >>
Alice C. Fletcher >> Indian Games and Dances with Native Songs
Pages:
1 | 2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8
At the beginning of the song the dancers should be at a little distance
from the space set apart to represent the "field," so that they will be
able at the proper time to go toward it. As the first line of the first
stanza is sung the dancers should stand in a loose group, adjust their hoes
and pouches to be ready to go to the "field"; during the singing of the
second line they should break into a file and move off. All these movements
of body, hands and feet must be in strict time and rhythm with the music.
Song No. 1
1
Here we stand ready now to go on our way
To the field, buried under leaves dead and gray.
_Refrain_: Ah hey they,
Ah hey hey they,
Ah hey they ha!
Ah hey they,
Ah hey hey they,
Ah hey they ha!
[Music]
By the end of the first line of the refrain the dancers will have reached
the "field" and have begun to dispose themselves over the space. Seven must
stand in the first row, where they are to make the seven ceremonial hills.
These seven dancers should lead the motions of all the others, so that the
movements may present even lines, as in the bowing of violins in an
orchestra. The refrain should be repeated as many times as is necessary
while the dancers are taking position, clearing the field, etc. The number
of repeats must be determined upon at the rehearsals of the dancers.
Sufficient time should be taken to bring out the picture and to give it in
perfect rhythm with the music. When the refrain closes, the dead leaves and
twigs are supposed to be gathered into heaps ready to be burned.
2
See the fire send its "word of flame" mounting high,
Now the smoke rolls about the earth, shuts out sky.
_Refrain_: Ah hey they,
Ah hey hey they,
Ah hey they ha!
Ah hey they,
Ah hey hey they,
Ah hey they ha!
The action for this stanza should indicate the heat of the fire; shielding
the face, pushing back stray leaves or twigs to the burning heap; the
rolling smoke follows the dancers, who here and there try to escape it.
This scene will require study to bring out the picture rhythmically. It
should form a contrast to the preceding and the following scene, in both of
which the movements are more or less uniform. In this scene groups should
emphasize certain conditions: the fire, the smoke, the work of keeping the
heaps together, so that the picture will be one of action diverse to a
degree and yet every movement dominated by the rhythm of the song; the
picture will thus be made a unit.
3
Mellow earth, make the little, hills smooth on top,
On the earth softly the kernels we drop.
_Refrain_: Ah hey they,
Ah hey hey they,
Ah hey they ha!
Ah hey they,
Ah hey hey they,
Ah hey they ha!
In the action of this stanza the seven dancers in the front row make seven
ceremonial hills, mellowing the earth with the wooden hoes and gathering it
into little hills made smooth on top. The pouches are swung to the front,
the corn taken out with one hand while the other holds the hoe at rest, and
the kernels are dropped on the softened earth. The dancers should be
careful to remember that in the ceremonial row of seven hills but one
kernel is to be dropped in the first hill, two in the second, and so on up
to seven in the seventh hill. All the dancers scattered over the "field"
must follow the movements of the seven in charge of the seven ceremonial
hills.
4
Cover all gently, leave the print of our feet
On the earth mellowed fine, so brown, so sweet.
_Refrain_: Ah hey they,
Ah hey hey they,
Ah hey they ha!
Ah hey they,
Ah hey hey they,
Ah hey they ha!
In the action for this stanza the hoe and the feet of the dancers have a
special part. The movements of the dancers should represent the covering of
the dropped seed with the mellowed earth and the making of the footprint on
the top of the little hill within which the seed is now hidden. In the
native Ritual Song the term "footprint" is used symbolically; it represents
a person--in this instance the one who had done the work--also the work
itself that has been accomplished. The dancers should be careful to
remember the rhythm of the second, fourth, sixth and eighth measures, as
these can be used to emphasize "footprints" and also the completion of the
task. During a repeat of the refrain the dancers should drop their hoes and
gather in groups as if to look at the field; this action will bring them
into the position required for the fifth stanza.
5
How like lines of buffalo upon the slope,
Lie our little brown hills, so full now of hope.
_Refrain_: Ah hey they,
Ah hey hey they,
Ah hey they ha!
Ah hey they,
Ah hey hey they,
Ah hey they ha!
The motions of the hands and the movements of the body should indicate that
in looking over the field one is struck by the striped appearance made by
the rows of little hills, recalling the resemblance to the buffalo
descending the slope. The final "ha!" of the refrain should indicate
pleasure. A brief silence should follow, during which the dancers pick up
their hoes, adjust their pouches, fall into line and sing the following
song:
Song No. 2
Light our hearts and gay
As we homeward take our way,
While the winds about us play,
Singing as we go.
Hy-ya hy-ya hy-ya ho!
Hy-ya hy-ya hy-ya ho!
Hy-ya ho!
Ho!
Hy-ya ho!
[Music]
This song should be repeated many times as all the dancers, with rhythmic,
springing steps, wind about the camp ground before they finally disperse.
DANCE III
INTRODUCTORY NOTE.--This dance is from the Corn Ritual Song and is a
dramatization of a visit to the planted field after the lapse of a few
weeks. Life has been stirring in the kernels of corn that had been hidden
within the little hills, and the kernels now call to those who had planted
them to come and see what was taking place.
_Properties_.--The same as those used in the preceding dance. Both the boys
and the girls should wear the same costume as in Dance II.
_Directions_.--The scene should be the same as in Dance II. The "field" to
be visited should be in the same place as the space set apart for the
"field" where the little hills were made and planted.
A part of the boys should act as guards of the "field" as before. A few
should scatter among the girls and join in looking at the sprouting corn as
it breaks through the soil, and these should join in singing the song.
At the opening of the dance the dancers should be discovered standing in
groups as though they had accidentally met as neighbors of the same
village. They should stand at the same place whence they had started to go
to the "field" in the preceding dance. The groups should be talking in dumb
show. Suddenly each group should act as if its attention had been arrested
by a sound, and while in this attitude of arrested attention all should
begin to sing the following song:
Song
1
A call I hear!
Hark! soft the tones and weak.
Again the call!
Come! our feet that call must seek.
_Refrain_: Hey hey they,
Ah hey hey they,
Ah hey hey they,
Again the call!
Ah hey hey they,
Ah hey hey they,
Ah hey hey they,
Ah hey they.
[Music]
This dramatic dance will require to be rehearsed and the details planned by
the dancers, so that a clear picture may be brought out and also the native
poetic thought embodied in the Ritual Song from which it is taken. A few
hints can be given, but much of the action must depend upon the imagination
and dramatic feeling of the dancers.
As the first line, "A call I hear!" is sung some one should raise the hand
toward the ear, another raise it as a warning to keep quiet. The line
"Hark! soft the tones and weak" is an address to one another in the groups.
Then comes another sudden arrest, "Again the call!" These three lines
should be sung without any change of position either by the groups or by
the individuals. Action should be confined to the hands and the head. When
singing the fourth line all should begin to stir, to adjust their pouches,
tighten their hold on the wooden hoes and, as if moved by a common impulse,
should prepare to go and seek the source of the call. In their going the
groups should not fall into one line but each group move by itself. During
the refrain the dancers should act as if in doubt which way to go. At the
line "Again the call!" all should stop as if arrested, and then move off
again when the refrain is taken up. All the groups should keep the rhythm
of the music. There should be a good deal of by-play and the action should
indicate bewilderment, both as to the meaning of the call and the locality
whence it comes. It should appear as though some of the groups are baffled
in their attempt to locate the call.
2
A call I hear!
Hark! it is near at hand,
The call! The call!
Floats to us where we now stand.
_Refrain_: Hey hey they,
Ah hey hey they,
Ah hey hey they,
Again the call!
Ah hey hey they,
Ah hey hey they,
Ah hey hey they,
Ah hey they.
The action of this stanza shows the dancers being led by the call to the
"field," where the call seems to become clearer and at last is there
located. The dancers should scatter in groups, while different individuals
should look about searchingly but without breaking the groups. These should
move here and there seeking for the "footprints" that had been left on the
smooth tops of the little hills, and so lead to the action required for the
next stanza. Whenever in the song the line "The call! The call!" occurs,
there should be an apparent arrest of movement among the dancers as if to
listen.
3
Again the call!
Forth to the light of day
They come! They come!
Come pushing upward their way.
_Refrain_: Hey hey they,
Ah hey hey they,
Ah hey hey they,
They call! They come!
Ah hey hey they,
Ah hey hey they,
Ah hey hey they,
Ah hey they.
"Day" is the symbol of life; the kernels are coming "into the light of day"
in the original Ritual Song, meaning they are entering into life. They call
as they come, struggling and pushing their way through the breaking earth.
This life movement should be indicated by the motions of the dancers as
they pass in groups with rhythmic steps from one little hill to another.
Directions as to how these motions should be made would hardly be helpful;
the dancers can best plan this pantomime.
4
Again the call!
Two feeble leaves are seen,
They call! They call!
Soon shall we stand clad with green!
_Refrain_: Hey hey they,
Ah hey hey they,
Ah hey hey they,
They call! They call!
Ah hey hey they,
Ah hey hey they,
Ah hey hey they,
Ah hey they.
The original Ritual Song tells that the feeble leaves, the first shoots,
cannot stand or support themselves; they are helpless as infants. But they
have come to the "light of day," "have entered into life," and they will
grow, become strong and stand, stretching ever higher into the light. The
native stanzas portray the progressive movements of the corn from feeble
helplessness into the power of life. The action of the dancers should
convey this meaning by appropriate pantomime.
5
They call! They call!
Up springs our jointed stem,
They call! They call!
Golden fruit shall grow on them.
_Refrain_: Hey hey they,
Ah hey hey they,
Ah hey hey they,
They call! They call!
Ah hey hey they,
Ah hey hey they,
Ah hey hey they,
Ah hey they.
In this stanza the promise of fruit is given. The dancers should show
excitement not only at the wonderful spectacle they observe but because of
the promise given.
They should still keep in groups as they move about and exult in the
results that have come from the little hills where they left their
"footprints."
In the original Ritual Song there are more than a score of stanzas in which
the various occurrences of the growth of the corn are mentioned, mingled
with symbolic imagery. "Footprints" represent both labor and ownership.
Those who planted the kernels look for these marks and rejoice over what
they find. They had begun their planting "like a game," a venture; whether
it would be successful or not no one could tell. But success had come. The
action for the last stanza should indicate an abandonment to delight; hoes
should be dropped as the groups mingle and act out pleasure not only at
what is seen but what is promised.
A pause should follow, then the hoes should be picked up and the dancers
gather by twos and threes in a line to return home; as they start they
break into the same song which they sang on the return from making and
planting the little hills:
[Music]
The dancers should keep up the song and rhythmic dance until their
individual tents are reached.
DANCE IV
INTRODUCTORY NOTE.--This dance, taken from the Corn Ritual, represents a
visit to the field later in the season when the harvest time is near at
hand. The keynote of this visit is in a line of one of the many stanzas of
the original Ritual Song, "I go in readiness of mind." The mind is assured,
prepared to find in the place where the "footprints" had been made, where
the little kernels had broken the covering of earth to reach "the light of
day," that these have now grown tall and strong under the summer sun and
are "standing in the fulness of day." This assurance is justified, for the
corn is found ready to pluck, and some of its ears are joyously carried to
the people at home.
_Properties_.--The same costumes as those worn by the boys and girls in
Dance II and III. The green scarfs used in Dance I will be needed in the
latter part of this dance; these can be folded and carried in the pouches
and pockets.
_Directions_.--The scene should be laid in the same place as the two
preceding dances and the dancers should gather at the same spot whence they
started to the "field" in Dance II and III.
The dancers, both boys and girls, should be discovered standing in an open
group talking together in dumb show, evidently discussing the probabilities
as to the ripening of the corn. They may have been saying: "Already the
boys are shouting, The cattail is in bloom!" This was a sign that the time
had come for the corn to be ripe. Some one whose mind was "in readiness"
makes the suggestion (in pantomime) to go to the "field"; to this all
agree, and the group breaks into lines as the boy and girl dancers sing the
following song:
Song
1
In readiness of mind to the field we go,
Where we footprints made, there stately jointed stalks grow.
Loud rustle the long leaves, bright the tassels wave o'er each row.
_Refrain_: Ah hey hey hey they,
Ah hey hey they,
Ah hey hey hey they,
Ah hey hey they,
Ah hey they.
[Music]
The steps of the dancers must be in rhythm with the song and all movements
should indicate a feeling of assurance. When the "field" is reached certain
motions of the feet should suggest a memory of the "footprints." The
"field" is now covered by rows of tall cornstalks; therefore, when the
"field" is reached the dancers should move in parallel lines, as if they
were passing between these rows. Some lines should cross at right angles,
giving the effect of walking between high barriers, along pathways that
intersect each other at right angles. When the dancers pass along these
alleys, so to speak, movements should be made to indicate brushing against
or pushing out of the way the "long rustling leaves" of the corn, and to
point to the "waving tassels" far above their heads. This pantomime, with
its rhythmic movements suggesting long lines of cornstalks, the brushing
aside with the hands of the long leaves of the stalks, should make an
effective picture.
2
Strongly the ears shoot out, fill'd with golden grain,
Up into the full light, life flowing in each vein,
Sacred the corn now stands ready to give its strength full fain.
_Refrain_: Ah hey hey hey they,
Ah hey hey they,
Ah hey hey hey they,
Ah hey hey they,
Ah hey they.
The length of the original Ritual Song, together with the picturesque
quality of the native language, permits the bringing out in full detail of
this scene of the cornfield: the ears standing at angles from the stalk,
and the husks full of kernels replete with life-giving power. Because of
this power the corn has now "become sacred," filled with life from
Wakon'da, thereby related to that great power and through it linked to the
life of mankind. The idea of this unity throughout all nature, including
man, is fundamental to Indian thought and belief. It is expressed in all
his religious ceremonies and also in his vocations, both serious and
playful. In the present instance it appeals to him through the planting,
the growth, the maturing and the use of the corn, giving its life to man.
To convey the picture of the cornfield, and to suggest the thoughts that
imbue the scene as expressed in the native rituals, will require some
study, but the effort will be well worth while. These thoughts were vital
upon this continent centuries before the land became our home. The maize in
all its richness and beauty has become ours to enjoy, and while we accept
this gift let us not fail to catch and to hold the lingering vibrations of
its native teaching that aimed to lift the thoughts of the worker in the
cornfield to the Great Giver of Life and Beauty.
In planning the pantomime for this stanza the dancers should not forget the
rhythm of the song and to keep the lines as though they were walking
between rows of tall cornstalks.
3
Where'er we look wide fields wait harvest to meet;
Ripe are the ears we pluck, juicy the corn we eat;
Filling our arms, we go homeward, happy hearts there we meet.
_Refrain_: Ah hey hey hey they,
Ah hey hey they,
Ah hey hey hey they,
Ah hey hey they,
Ah hey they.
The action requisite for the interpretation of this stanza by pantomime is
comparatively easy, as looking over the field ready for harvest, and
plucking a few ears of the corn. Care should be taken not to appear to
touch the row where the seven hills were made, for the product of these are
to be used as the "first-fruit offering." During the singing of the first
line of the third stanza a few of the dancers should slip behind some of
the others and there take out their scarfs from the pouches or pockets,
make each scarf into a loose bundle and carry it upon the folded arms as
though it was filled with ears of corn. In this way, a few at a time, the
dancers can secure their scarfs, and arrange them to look like bundles of
corn to be taken homeward.
All the lines that have been moving as between rows of corn should now come
together and form a long line and with dancing, rhythmic steps, and arms
filled with corn, return to the starting place, and from there wind about
the camp ground singing the refrain, which can be repeated _ad lib_. until
they finally disperse and go to their tents.
DANCE V
Introductory Note.--This dance represents the bringing of the "first-fruit
offering" of the corn from the seven little hills that were ceremonially
planted after the dead leaves of winter had been cleared away. The dancers
who follow the seven leaders carrying the cornstalks represent the people
in triumphal procession in honor of Corn as "Mother breathing forth life."
Both words and music of the song for this procession are taken from a great
religious ceremony of the Pawnee wherein Corn is spoken of as A-ti-ra,
Mother, with the prefix H' signifying breath, the sign of life. "H'A-ti-ra"
("Mother breathing forth life") is repeated over and over and is the only
word used in this song. The repetition is not an idle procedure but an
awakening of echoes in the native mind, of all that Corn has meant to his
ancestors and race during the centuries. The repeated words imply
contemplation on the subject. This song when heard sung by a hundred or
more could not fail to impress one with its majestic fervor. The beautiful,
bountiful maize giving its life that others might enjoy life, on another
plane, is here reverently and joyously proclaimed "Mother."
_Properties_.--Green and other bright colored scarfs or mantles, as many as
there are dancers, boys and girls, also wreaths made of long leaves like
those of the cornstalk; these can be manufactured from green paper. Tall
yellow plumes, similar to the tassel of the corn, and fastened to the
wreath in such manner that when the wreath is worn the plume will stand
above the forehead. Seven cornstalks, or wands so wound with green as to
appear like the stalk of the corn with its tassel.
_Directions_.--All the dancers should be wrapped in their mantles and have
on their wreaths, the erect tassel plume standing directly over the middle
of the forehead. Boys and girls must mingle in this dance. All dress as
before, with the addition of the mantles. Implements, pouches and bows and
arrows are not used. Of the seven who are to lead, four should be boys and
three girls. When leading the procession and carrying the cornstalks, the
first line of four should be a boy, two girls, a boy; the second line of
three should be a boy, a girl, a boy. These seven must wear green robes or
mantles and hold the cornstalks, with their hands draped by the mantle. The
other dancers can wear green or other colored mantles or scarfs. The boys
must sing the songs, for the volume of sound must be full in order to
produce the true effect of this impressive ceremony. The seven dancers who
have been selected to act as leaders should stand in a group by themselves
in front of the other dancers, who are in loose groups at the rear. On the
space which heretofore in these dances has represented the "field," the
seven cornstalks or wands should be laid in a windrow on the ground. When
ready to begin the dance the dancers should be discovered in the two groups
as already described, talking quietly in dumb show.
The seven leaders, who are in the front group by themselves, appear to
consult together; then, led by one of their number, sing the following
song:
Song No. 1
1
Golden on ev'ry hand,
Waving, the cornfields stand,
Calling us thither;
Calling us thither,
First-fruits to cull and bring
Our sacred offering
To great Wakon'da,
Giver of Corn.
[Music]
During the singing the seven leaders stand together wrapped in their green
mantles. All the other dancers are grouped at a little distance back, still
talking as at first in dumb show. At the third line they stop talking, at
the fourth line they give attention to the seven leaders, at the fifth line
they join in the song. During the singing of this stanza there should be no
change in the relative positions of the two groups, but during the singing
all who sing should keep up a gentle rhythmic swaying of the body.
2
Now to the field we hie,
Where stands the corn so high,
Calling us thither;
Calling us thither,
First-fruits to cull and bring
Our sacred offering
To great Wakon'da,
Giver of Corn.
The seven leaders, at the beginning of the first line of the second stanza,
slowly fall into line and with deliberate rhythmic steps move toward the
"field," reaching it by the fifth line, and while singing that line they
should pick up the cornstalks and hold them, with their hands draped with
their green mantles, high to the front.
At the close of the first stanza the other group of dancers should resume a
dumb show of speaking to one another until the third line of the second
stanza, when they change their attitude and give attention; at the fourth
line they join in the song, and at the fifth move toward the "field" where
are the seven leaders. By the close of the second stanza all the dancers
should be in one group at the "field."
All the dancers stand there at the "field" a moment in silence. Then the
seven leaders sing the introduction to the following Processional Song:
Song No. 2
_Introduction_: Follow Mother Corn,
Who breathes forth life!
_Chorus_: H'A-ti-ra, H'A-ti-ra, H'A-ti-ra, A-ti-ra,
H'A-ti-ra, A-ti-ra, H'A-ti-ra, A-ti-ra,
A-ti-ra, H'A-ti-ra, A-ti-ra.
[Music]
This song is retained as sung in the original Pawnee ceremony; the meaning
has already been explained.
The introduction is sung by the seven leaders, who advance in two rows,
four in the first, three in the second, and in this manner they lead the
Processional Dance. At the chorus all the other dancers fall in behind the
leaders, either in couples or singly, every one singing. All steps must be
rhythmic and in time with the music. The seven leaders move steadily, also
in time with the music, as they hold the cornstalks high, while the
followers wave their scarfs or mantles and dance happily and lightly, but
with dignity. The picture should be one of contrast as the procession takes
its way among trees and through the sunny fields, the seven moving evenly,
with the corn held high, and the joyous, fluttering group of dancers
following.
Pages:
1 | 2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8