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1306 SMITHSONIAN CONTRIBUTIONS TO ANTHROPOLOGY VOLUME 7
Stanza I (sung twice)
A dega 'axu 'ate tuwu ketin yanalg^Ali
B 'aga qatuwu ckeguxsAguwu
C"*" 'a ye 'u 'e 'e ye 'u 'e ye
D 'i 'a yai 'ani 'aya
A
B
Refrain (repeated)
Stanza II (sung twice)
tlel [or lil?] 'ade xeyeqawun gaqayiyE goodby yina
'a 'ida gau xa [or ta?] cAne sAtiyi
C
D
'a ye 'u 'e 'e ye 'u 'e ya,
'u 'a yai 'ani 'aya
The structure is:
Refrain:
Stanza I:
Refrain:
Stanza 11
A
A
A
A B C D (repeated)
B C+ D (repeated)
B C D
B C D (repeated)
McAUester writes: "Note the deUghtfuUy tricky
rhythm in the C phrases. There is a good example in
the song of the ' 'ani 'aya' ending formula (both musical
and textual) in the D phrase."
Unrecorded Love (?) Song by Billy James
Billy James, Lixak 'SmeUs Good,' (1854-1919) was
a Kagwantan man from Sitka, the son of Sitka Jack,
Tl'uknaxAdi. This song was composed when he was
"stuck" (storm bound?) on Kayak Island, and very
lonely. Since it is addressed to Teqwedi-children, he
was probably thinking of his wife, Jenny Abraham,
KaxuxEt (died 1919), Tl'uknaca and the child of a
Teqwedi man.
The words were dictated by Minnie Johnson.
Stanza I
tea dja Kayak SA—(I'm) right here on Kayak
tuwunik'' de—Where sorrow struck(?).
daq yel sAk'^ce—What Raven
gutc yAk'^qAgax—WUl pity the Wolf?
'ican 'asgi—Alas,
'ax tuwu qu—1 feel so sad.
Stanza II
qatqa sAk^'ce gEs 'at—(There it is?)
'AnxalgEntc—I look around (at it)
'i 'ic-hAS 'ani—Your fathers' land,
c-Teqwedi-yAtii—Teqwedi-children.
yAk'^qeqa'enin tcadja—Just towards dawn
'aga[?] tsa 'axkA—(Because of it?)
wahucxEntc—I look around,
'a^c tuwu qu—1 feel so sad.
The music for this song was not recorded.
Mrs. Chester Johnson's Lament for Her Husband
1954, 5-1-H; recorded by Mrs.
AprU 29.
Chester Jolmson on
The composer, Esther, the daughter of Lituya Bay
George and his wKe Mary, CAnkuqedi, was bom in
1900. She was formerly married to Clarence Peterson
(1890-1942), Skinya, a Tl'uknaxAdi man, and son of
a CAnkuqedi father. She is now married to Chester
Johnson, Norwegian.
The song was composed when Clarence Peterson
died (see Stanza I). I do not know the identity of the
Teqwedi-chUd to whom reference is made in the second
stanza. The introduction, in Tlingit, and the song
(refrain, and two stanzas sung twice) last 2:26 minutes.
The words were dictated by the composer; my transcription
and translation were checked with John Ellis,
and again with the tape. However, the words as sung
(in parentheses), do not agree with those dictated. As
usual, the vocables of the refrain and in the stanzas
were omitted.
The words as sung are:
A
B
C
Refrain
ha 'e 'a- 'uweyeha 'e 'a(u)we,
ha 'eya 'eyu he-ha 'eya, 'uweyeha 'e,
'aweya 'eyeha 'e 'a(u)we (ya) 'aya hani 'aweya,
Stanza I (sung twice)
A det^A tuwu lAtsin—Indeed with a brave feeling
('akat ya jcakatuxlAtin-a)—I am looking at
Bg CAnkuqedi-yAtxi—CAnkuqedi-children [the dead
husband]
('ida yututan XAWES 'axka)—Thinking about
you, thus, 1
Cs (ya 'uc xEntc-a, 'a he 'a-(u)he ya,)—Feel upset.
('aya hani 'aya)
For the last line the composer dictated what was
obviously a hne from the third stanza of another of
her own songs (1954, 5-1-1):
'i gutci yis 'itulitsin—You refused ("were mean to")
your WoK.