Dr. Frances Densmore, 1867-1957. Photograph taken October 3, 1949. (Courtesy of Bureau of American Ethnology archives). CONTRIBUTIONS FROM THE MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAN INDIAN HEYE FOUNDATION VOL. XXIII FRANCES DENSMORE AND AMERICAN INDIAN MUSIC A "Memorial Volume Compiled and Edited by Charles Uofrnann NEW YORK MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAN INDIAN HEYE FOUNDATION 1968 JUL 2 2000 Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 67—30974 Price $ 5.00 Printed in Germany by J. J. Augustin, Gliickstadt CONTENTS Foreword v Introduction vii Preface ix Chronology xi Early Life i She Heard an Indian Drum i The Music of the American Indians 2 Songs Used as Illustrations with Lecture 10 Experiences at the St. Louis Exposition (1904) 13 Geronimo's Song 19 Prelude to the Study of Indian Music in Minnesota 21 First Field Trip Among the Chippewa 24 Professional Career 3 1 Annotated Bureau Reports, 1907-1918 31 Incidents in the Study of Ute Music 39 Annotated Bureau Reports, 1918-1925 42 Incidents in the Study of Indian Music at Neah Bay 45 Annotated Bureau Reports, 1925-1946 47 Selected Letters 61 Representative Articles 67 The Use of Music in the Treatment of the Sick 67 Technique in the Music of the American Indian 76 The Belief of the Indian in a Connection between Song and the Supernatural 78 The Poetry of Indian Songs 81 Poems from Sioux and Chippewa Songs 86 Unpublished Poems 93 The Music of the American Indian 96 Conclusion 101 The Study of American Indian Music 101 Appendix 115 Congressional Tribute 115 Pitch Discrimination 119 Bibliography 121 s s^^l^^^= Honoring Song for Frances Densmore, given the name of Ptesan'twn'pawin (Two White Buffalo Woman) as the adopted daughter of Red Fox, chief of the Teton Sioux, 1911. FOREWORD Frances Densmore's reputation as an authority on the study of American Indian music is well known to those who have followed her career through its more than six decades of intensive research, collection, and analyses. Her unique accomplishments were many, much of which will be enumerated in detail in this volume. One must go to her more than twenty publications and miscellaneous reports issued by the Bureau of American Ethnology of the Smithsonian Institution, and to her many other published works, to understand the scope of her more than half century of work. Her tireless, scholarly efforts met with a success seldom gained by those who devote their lives to specialized subjects. In Dr. Densmore's case, more than casual credit should be given to one who chose an uncommon career and whose meritorious accomplishments give her the rank as one of the foremost experts on the music of the American Indian. Before Frances Densmore began her study in 1893, pioneers laid a foun- dation for scholars who, in the twentieth century, would bring so much of the Indian's musical culture to light and preserve it for the future as a vital part of America's heritage. The story of some of these pioneers will also be related in this volume. During her years of field work among Indian tribes from British Columbia to Florida, Dr. Densmore was so prolific in her reports, analyses, and documentation that much of her writing will be used to tell her story. Frances Densmore will speak for herself through reports, letters, diaries, and notes, as well as several, important, unpublished papers. From 1893 until her death in 1957, Dr. Densmore kept a detailed daily diary. From 1940 until the last years of her life, she corresponded with the writer, serving as mentor and guide for my own study of American Indian music. Over one thousand letters resulted during those years, many of which will appear for the first time in this volume.* Pages from her diaries will also be quoted. Frances Densmore realized at the beginning of her career that the pursuit of the subject entailed a lifetime of study because of its many ramifications and the complexity of the primitive art. She began her study at twenty-six and continued until her death at ninety. She had a wise and sincere out- look on life and on her work; being so dedicated, her philosophy was always "nothing downs me." She recorded songs in remote and unknown places throughout North America, rescuing songs from oblivion and recording as much authentic material as quickly as possible before the oldest singers died and their knowledge was lost forever. In an early letter to me, she insisted that "there is more to the preservation of Indian songs than winding the phonograph." When one realizes the problems, the tremendous * Unless indicated otherwise, all letters and memoranda appearing in this volume were addressed to Charles Hofmann. vi FOREWORD difficulties, the obstacles that confronted this pioneer woman, who much of the time worked alone in the field, one is conscious of the extraordinary achievement of Frances Densmore. This volume is intended as a tribute to her work, her contribution to ethnomusicology, and as a guide for those who wish to follow her ideas and be inspired by her accomplishments. It is part of an observance of her iooth birthday anniversary, a memorial volume bringing to readers the story of one who "preserved the past, recorded observations in the present and opened the way for the work of others in the future." My sincere gratitude goes to those many persons who helped make this volume possible. Dr. Frederick J. Dockstader and the Museum of the American Indian, Heye Foundation, sponsored this tribute and made possible its publication. I also wish to acknowledge the helpful cooperation and contributions of the Bureau of American Ethnology, Smithsonian Institution, and its archivist, Mrs. Margaret C. Blaker, as well as the Archive of Folklore, Music Division, of the Library of Congress, and its head, Mrs. Rae Korson, and the staff of the library of the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. Dr. Willard Rhodes of Columbia University allowed the use of several letters included in this volume. My thanks also go to Dr. Matthew W. Stirling for his personal memoir and comments related to the many years of association with Frances Densmore at the Bureau of American Ethnology. Charles Hofmann New York City May, 1967 INTRODUCTION From 1928 until her death in 1957, I was closely associated with Frances Densmore. As Chief of the Bureau of American Ethnology, I theoretically supervised her work, which consisted merely in supplying a few suggestions and the Government funds that financed her trips. She alone selected her projects and the localities where she conducted her work. She was proud of her title of "Collaborator" and on one occasion when the title was inadver- tently omitted from an official report, she sent me a wire inquiring if it had been revoked. A regular fund of three thousand dollars per annum was set aside by the Bureau for the study of Indian music. Inasmuch as government appro- priations were made for only one year at a time, she felt insecure and asked me to notify her each year when the appropriation had been renewed, doubtlessly because the fund made her field work possible. Each year she visited Washington to consult with me and to be reassured that her work would continue. She was well aware of music's great importance in Indian ceremonies; in fact, it was usually an absolutely essential factor. She once remarked to me that without music the Indians would have no religion. Thus she always attempted to fit her music studies into the general matrix of tribal ethno- logy. In the foreword to her study of Chippewa music, she says: "The study of Indian music is more than a collection of Indian songs. It includes a consideration of the vocal expression of a mental concept; therefore in- correct repetitions of a song are as significant as correct repetitions. Into their value enters a human element—the personality of the singer." Because of this realization, her reports are really ethnological studies that emphasize music. She told me that Dr. Walter Hough had advised her early in her career, not to read scientific reports in advance concerning the people she was to visit, for these might inadvertently influence her interpretations. She took his advice seriously, and one may be sure that her ethnological interpre- tations are her own. She always collected for museums the implements used in relation to the music—the instruments played and any herbs or other materials connected with the songs. Everything she did was systematically planned in advance and she followed these plans meticulously. On her annual visits to the Bureau, she arranged to see each member of the staff in turn so that she could pick their brains on whatever topic concerned her at the time. Frances La Flesche and J. N. B. Hewitt were her favorites; being Indians, she felt that they always had something to contribute. (It is interesting that these two Indians were proteges of two of our first women ethnologists; Hewitt, the Iroquois, was launched on his career by Erminnie Smith and La Flesche, vii Vlll INTRODUCTION the Omaha, by Alice Fletcher.) Because her visits usually lasted only two days, Dr. Densmore carefully planned every hour. When the Bureau was unable to obtain funds for the proper storage and care of her great collection of wax cylinders, or for the equipment to copy them in permanent form, I persuaded her to let us transfer them to the Library of Congress. She was reluctant to do so, for she had a sentimental attachment to the Bureau, but seeing the need, she readily agreed. Frances Densmore was completely dedicated to her work and so serious minded that she apparently had little sense of humor.