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Haida Mouth Songs, and Other Songs by Known Composers
This group of songs includes those specifically designated as "Haida Mouth Songs"
or ones which I suspect to be in this style (pp. 571-572). It also includes a few anomalous songs,
or ones difficult to classify because they depart in one way or another from the traditional
pattern of two (or three) stanzas, and lack dedication to sib-children in the opposite moiety.
The songs are here presented according to their composers; the latter are listed in
alphabetical order under their English names. For each composer, references will also be
given to songs of other types which he may have composed.
Olaf Abraham's 'Antlen River Song for Tcicqedi-Children
1954, 1-2-A; recorded by Olaf Abraham on April 8.
The composer, born in 1886, is Teqwedi, the son of
a Tl'uknaxAdi man. In addition to the three songs
recorded (see below), he also composed one to his
former wife, a K'^ackqwan woman, and daughter of
Teqwedi. The words to this are: "It's for you this
WoK is crying, Teqwedi-children. It's for you this Wolf
is crying." He sang this for me, but I was unable to
record it because we no longer had electric current.
The 'Antlen River song is for his present wife,
Susie, also K'^actca and daughter of Tcicqedi (or
Galyix-Kagwantan). It was composed in 1953, during
the fall when he was fishing up the Ahrnklin River.
It is said by the composer to be in an old style. As his
wife said: "It's a sad song about 'Antlen, tla-kak-hAS
'ani—his mother's uncles' land—his forefathers'. And
the mountain never died down. It just reminds him,
that mountain, when he's looking at it, what they used
to do."
The song is introduced by a few remarks in Tlingit
(1:20 minutes). The two stanzas, each sung twice, and
separated by an abbreviated refrain, last 2:40 minutes.
The song is followed by an explanation by the composer's
nephew, Sheldon James, Sr.
The words, as dictated by Olaf Abraham and Sheldon
James, are as follows, while the translation is largely
my own:
Stanza I
'axiidan xal xEntc—Whenever I see
'Antlen cak cayi—The mountain(s) at the head of
Ahrnklin
'adeyi 'unxadjitc—I always imagine are there
'ax kak-hAs—My [dead] uncles.
Stanza 11
'i'iqa 'an xal xEntc—Whenever I see you
Tcicqedi-yAtxi—Tcicqedi-children [i.e., his wife]
tuwu lAtsin—Strength of mind
'ax djit 'ititc—You always give me.
It is characteristic that, in dictating the words, the
extra syUables and vocables of the refrain are omitted.
As sung, the words are:
A
B
X
C
B
D
B
X
A
B'
X
Stanza I (sung twice)
'axudan xal xEntcA—[A' on repeat]
'Antlen cak cayi
'uwa 'aha
'adeyin x^a djitca
'ax kahagi hASA
'a 'a hu we he—['a ha hu we he (on repeat)]
'a ha ha hu we
'uwa ha ha—['uwa mm ha (on repeat)]
'a ha ha hu we
'a ha__ha hu we
'u wa ha ha
Refrain
1291