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1246 SMITHSONIAN CONTRIBUTIONS TO ANTHROPOLOGY VOLUME 7
Sitka or Dry Bay Peace Dance Song for 'K^el Deer'
1954, 3-2-G (b); recorded by Frank Italio on May 7. B
This song followed without a break from the preceding
and, according to the singer, was for the same
Sitka man, Kackena. Possibly the name k'^el or k'^el is
really g'^el or 'bag.' Emma Ellis, however, said that when
this song was sung for her grandfather, Qatan, his name
was 'Armor Deer' (sanket kuwakan).
This is a gay song, with refrain and two stanzas
(sung twice), that lasts 2:33 minutes. Unfortunately,
neither text nor translation was obtained at the time.
The words on the tape seem to be:
A
B
C
D
E
F
Refrain
kut yaw haw ha^ ha ya ha,
'a ya ha, 'a ha ho ye he, [laughs as he sings]
'a ya ha, 'a ha ha ya ha,
'a ya ha ha ha, 'a ya ha,
'a ya ha, 'a ha 'o yamm,
'a ya ha ha ha, 'a ya ha,
'AsdjidAx tea yahhasa-
' [tCA?]
Stanza I (sung twice)
-By accident (?) just (?) it
floated away
du k'^eh, caheyAdi yela—His bag (? g'^eli ?),
O Raven(s),
'adade tcA kanda^axtca—Because of it just
always weeping
'a-ya-ha-ha ho-o-ya-ha,
'a-ya-ha, 'a-ha-ho-ya,
'a-ya-ha, 'a ha ha ya ha (ha)
(It seems to be implied that the Ravens always are
weeping because the bag, their ? bag, floated away. We
are reminded of the halibut skin bags lost from the overturned
canoes at Lituya Bay; see p. 275).
A
Stanza II (sung twice)
'u ['i?] tuwu cade kayani yexa—Your (?) feelings
to the head (?) medicine like (yAx?)
tee [tcA?] guk^ati—Just (?) will be (?)
Xashittani-yAtxi—Cow-House-People's-children
tut xa-de cade tcuc dad AX du cada—Toward me (?)
to the head (?) only from around his head (?)
'a-ya-ha-ha ho 'o ya-ha,
'a-ya-ha 'a ho^, ha-ya-ha
'a-ya-ha, 'a-ha-ha ya-ha-ha
('a-ya-ha, 'a ha-ya-ha wo 'aw!) [at end]
(The implication is that the peace hostage is like
medicine or a magical plant [kayani].)
Peace Dance Song for 'Dog Deer' and 'Gateway Knob Deer'
1954, 3-2-A; recorded by Frank Itaho on May 7.
This song was composed by Dry Bay Chief George,
Tl'uknaxAdi, in 1902 for Frank Italio, K"'utcEn, a
CAnkuqedi man (1870-1956), when the latter was
taken as a peace hostage by the Dry Bay TluknaxAdi
(see Case 10, pp. 604-605). Frank Italio was given two
ceremonial names: 'Dog Deer' (ketl kuwakan), which
perhaps referred to an important Tluk^'axAdi shaman's
spirit; and 'Gateway Knob Deer' (kitca kuwakan),
a landmark on the Alsek River which they claimed.
The song has two stanzas (each sung twice), one for
each of the two names, and lasts 3:10 minutes.
Unfortunately the text and translation could not
be secured.
The complimentary song composed by Dave Dick
for the TluknaxAdi hostage (Sun Deer, Mortar Deer,
and Fish Rack Deer) was not recorded.
The words to Frank Italio's song seem to be:
A
B
C
D
Stanza I (sung twice)
taqana ha quti
ketla ha ku[or qu]wucki-hi(hi)—(ketl- -'dog')
'ini dak^u '{i'"di[or -ti]
'a* tex nAx sAti-hi-hi
E
F
A
B
C
D
E
F
'a ha" ha hi ya, 'a hi-hi,
'e-he qa-ti
('e he, tie hede') [on repeat]—"To the beginning!"
Stanza II (sung tmce)
di kitca Iu kAt—The Gateway Knob Nose
'uc tcA 'a^ ha^—If not just ('aw ha^)
'idusa-ha-ha—You named him
di yax kux lA-ti-ca [or -sa]—? (the canoe would
turn back??)
'a^ te(x)-nAx dutina"—? from the rock see him
[visible] ?
'a ha^ ha hi ya, 'a he he
'e he tcuya!—"Again!"
he hutc![a.t end]~" That's all!"
I cannot attempt to explain the meaning of this song.
The structure is:
Stanza I: A
A
Stanza II: A
A
' Laughs here.
B
B
B
B
C
C
C
C
D
D
D
D
E
E
E
E
F
F/
F
F/