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1304 SMITHSONIAN CONTRIBUTIONS TO ANTHROPOLOGY VOLUME 7
Jenny Jack's Lament for Kagwantan-Children
1954, 6-1-B; recorded by Jenny Jack on May 10.
The composer is a Teqwedi woman, born in 1903,
the daughter of a K'^ackqwan man. The song was
composed to mourn the death of George Bremner,
K^'ackqwan, who drowned about 1940. He was the son
of a Qalyix-Kagwantan father, and was the nephew
of B. A. Jack, the composer's husband. This man,
Qa:^wuxitc, is the same one who is lamented in a song
by Olaf Abraham (1954, 1-2-C; p. 1292).
It was unfortunately impossible to secure either a
good dictated text of the words, or a translation. The
words have therefore been transcribed from the tape,
and the translation has not been checked with any
informant. The singer used the drum, but omitted the
usual Thngit introduction. The song, with Refrain,
Stanza I (sung twice). Refrain, and Stanza II (sung
twice), lasts 3:15 minutes.
As sung, the words are:
A
B
C
D
A
B
C
D
Refrain
'a he-ya 'a 'ay 'a 'e-i-ya 'a-ya, 'a,
'e-i-ya 'a^yay-a, 'e i-ya 'yay 'a,
'e-i-ya 'a-ya 'a 'e-i-ya 'a-ya 'a,
'e-i-ya 'a, 'u 'a-ya ha-ni ya na.
Stanza I (sung twice)
deya 'iti 'ituwu,—(? subside?) your feehngs,
Kahagantahani-yAtxiyi' a—Kagwantan-children,
'iyida tuwutc kuk'^qadjaqa 'a—By longing for
you 1 wiU be kUled.
'e-i-ya 'a-ya 'a 'e-i-ya 'a-ya 'a 'a,
'e-i-ya 'a; he-ya ha-ni ya ya
('u 'a-ya ha^ni 'a-ya) [on repeat]
I interpret the words to mean that KagwantanchUdren
(that is, the dead man) are implored to reduce
their anger, or change their minds, and return from
the dead, because the composer is dying through longing
for them.
Refrain
A
B
C
D
A
B
C
D
'e-i-ya 'a ha^yay 'a, 'e-i-ya 'a^ya^ha 'e 'i-ya 'a,
yay 'a,
'e-i-ya 'a yay 'a, 'e-i-ya ha yay 'a,
'e-i-ya 'a ya 'a 'e-i-ya 'a yay-ya 'a-ha-ha
'e i-ya u"; ya ha-ni ya ya,
Stanza II (sung twice)
'ax 'Anqahawu yAX,—^Like my God
'ihihi ya qawes :^eyex