Indian Games and Dances with Native Songs

								

by wordless instrumental music. In ceremonies, rituals occur that are
always rhythmically intoned; each line generally terminates in a refrain.
Songs have a place in these rituals, breaking in on the recital
particularly when an emotion is evoked, for music is the medium of
emotional expression. An old Indian priest explained this peculiarity by
saying: "Harmonious sounds unite the people."
Unaccustomed as we are to the use of songs that have no words, we would not
only find it difficult to understand their meaning but we would lose much
pleasure when singing them. To obviate the perplexities arising from the
Indian's peculiar treatment of words and to make clear the meaning of a
song, words have been supplied. These words are in no instance a literal
translation, for the few broken words that belong to some of the melodies
used in these Dances and Games, because of their fragmentary character,
would have no value as an interpretation either of the music or of the
action. In a number of instances the original vocables are retained, where
the music is merely a rhythmical accompaniment to a simple, easily
understood movement. Where words are given to a song, they follow closely
both the accents and the rhythm of the music. The written stanzas are not
meant to be read but to be sung. They express the thought or the feeling
that gave rise to the music, they aim to make its meaning understood so
that the song can be intelligently sung. In arranging these words, care has
been taken never to forget or to change the natural and the psychical
environment that belongs to the melody.
Indian songs are very short. They have no preliminary measures, but at once
voice the actuating emotion; that done, they come to a close. Although they
are so short, they have form and in their structure follow in simple lines
the rules of phrasing and motivization taught in our schools. These songs,
speaking in general terms, partake more of the character of motifs than of
musical compositions. They do not stand alone or apart from the ceremonials
or pleasures of which they form an essential feature.

THE DANCE
The different Indian tribes vary in their modes of dancing; moreover, the
same theme is not interpreted by all the tribes in the same manner. In some
sections of our country the dancers wear costumes and masks that are
symbolic, both in color and form; in other regions, feathers are the
principal and emblematic decoration; elsewhere, the men may dance very
nearly nude. However diverse the dancing regalia may be or how marked its
absence, the Indian dance always presents two characteristics, namely:
Dramatic Action and Rhythmic Precision.
Every Indian dance has a meaning. The dance is generally either the acting
out of some mythic story or a presentation of a personal experience. Every
movement of the body, arms, hands, feet and head is always in strict time