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1362 SMITHSONIAN CONTRIBUTIONS TO ANTHROPOLOGY VOLUME 7
There is no spoken introduction. The song, with
refrain and two stanzas (sung twice), lasts 1:45 minutes.
The text was later corrected and translated by Helen
Bremner, although (as usual) the extra vocables and
the refrain were not dictated. The words as sung are
(extra syllables are in parentheses):
A
B
C
D
E
X
S
T
U
V
D
X
A'
Refrain
'e ya 'e ya-e 'e ye
ya-e ya 'e ya-e 'i ye
ya 'e 'a 'e ya 'a 'i ye 'a 'e 'i ye,
'a ha 'i ye ya,
, 'e 'e 'a 'e 'a 'e 'a, 'a
Stanza I (sung twice)
'a tcA gudesa—Where
-we yanigude,—Are you going?
di gutci yiwi ye 'a,—You Wolf
t6a hagu we hakanqa'a—Come back! Let's get
-cu ha 'e 'i ye 'a 'e 'i ye—Drunk.
ya ha 'e 'e ya 'e ya.
Stanza II (repeated)
'a
tcA wasa xayaqa 'a—What is he talking about
B'
C
D'
E
di yela 'e ya 'e 'i ya—The Raven?
tsa nau dade 'igax—Just for whiskey you cry,
di yela—You Raven
'i ye ya 'a 'a 'i ye ya,
'e ya 'on 'on 'e ya, 'a 'e, 'a
hutc!—That's all!
McAllester comments on the fact that this melody
is "heavily syncopated, with double syncope as in the
X phrase of Stanza I." It is also "surprising for the
departure in Stanza I from the melodic pattern set up
in the Refrain—all the more so since that pattern is
strong in Stanza II. Hence my use of bizarre letters
in Stanza I. Note that phrase E is missing in Stanza 1.
It is altogether a funny stanza. Note rise in pitch [of
a half-tone on repeat]. The song seems to show great
freedom in manipulation of the melody to accommodate
the words."
I would suggest that the pecuhar character of this
song is due to the fact that the melody is Athabaskan,
and that Tlingit words, in the typical pattern of
Refrain, Stanza I (repeated). Stanza II (repeated),
have been forced into this alien mold.
Southern Tutchone Drinking Song
1954, 2-1-K; recorded by Mrs.
June 10.
Chester Johnson on
Like the preceding song, this had been given to the
CAnkuqedi of Dry B ay by their Athab askan trade partners
at Klukshu. Since the words were said to be in Southern
Tutchone, no attempt was made at the time to secure
the text. The singer said, however, that they refer to
"John lAgAna—'hungry-for-whiskey John' " and that
'liquor' in Athabaskan is xA-n. It should be noted,
however, that the Tlingit word (nau) is used in the
song. I am not able to suggest a translation for the
text, even though I suspect that it is in Tlingit.
There is no spoken introduction. The song consists
of a refrain and a single stanza (sung twice), and lasts
50 seconds. The tune is lively. As transcribed from the
tape, the words are:
Refrain
A
B
A
B
'a na 'i 'a na 'i ya na ya ti ya 'i
'i ya 'i ya 'e na ti ya he, 'a 'e ya ha
Stanza (sung twice)
'a-ka-sa-ti nau lAkAnadi John 'ut6An 'a yi
'i ya 'e ya 'e na ti ya hi, 'a 'e ya ha,
[at end]: 'e, 'a(n) qa!
To the People of Yakutat: Song for Ginexqwan-Children and Tl'uknaxAdi-Children
1954, 4-2-B; composed and recorded by Frederica de
Laguna, May, 1954.
Yaci kdx'^lici yici 'aya. LdakAt K'^ackqwan-yAtii qa
Tl'uknaxAdi-yAtxi qa Tluk'^axAdi-yAtxi dadAx 'aya,
kax^lici 'aya. Kuxanguwutan -^i ciyi.
This song is for all K'^acliqwan-children and Tl'uknaxAdi-children
and Tluk'^axAdi-children. It is Kuxanguwutan's
song.
Whereas Yakutat birds are supposed to have learned
their songs from those of human beings, I have based
my melody upon the song of the golden-crowned
sparrow. I wish to acknowledge my indebtedness to
John Ellis for his assistance with the words.
A
B
C
D
E
Refrain
ha ya ha ya ya ya ha-ni ha-ya,
ha ya ha ha ya ha ya,
ye ya he, ha ya ha,
he ya ha ya ha ya,
ha ya ha ya ha ha ya ha.