Western Scenes and Reminiscences Part 50

5. Thou hast made the sun and moon, and the stars.

6. Thou makest the rain, the thunder, the hail, and the snows.

7. Thou didst make man to stand upright, and has placed him over all that is on the earth.

8. Thou hast given us souls, that will never die. Thou hast sent thy son Jesus Christ to die for us.

9. Continually are our thoughts evil, and truly, our words are evil continually.

10. Verily, we deserve punishment with the Spirit of Evil.

11. Show pity on us, Gezha Monedo.

12. Show pity on us, Jesus Christ.

13. Reform our wicked hearts.

14. Give us new hearts.

15. May we love thee with all our hearts, and by our acts obey thy precepts, (or sayings.)

16. Give us hearts to delight in prayer.

17. Show mercy to all our kindred, unishenaubaig, or common people, (means exclusively the Red Men.)

18. Show mercy to all who live on the earth.

19. Pity us, and befriend us, living and dying.

20. And receive our souls to thyself.

21. Ever to dwell in thine abiding place of happiness.

22. Not in our own frail strength of life, do we ask this; but alone in the name of Jesus Christ.

23. Grant us thy mercy, in the name of thy Son. So be it ever.

Those who take an interest in the structure of the Indian languages, may regard the above, as an _improvised_ specimen of the capacity of this particular dialect for the expression of scripture truth. The writer, who from early years was a member of the church, had made a translation of the Lords prayer, and, occasionally, as delicate and declining health permitted, some other select pieces from the sacred writings, and hymns, of which, one or two selections may, perhaps, hereafter be made.

The distinction between the active and pa.s.sive voice, in the Odjibwa language, is formed by the inflection ego.

Ne sageau, I love.

Ne sageau-ego, I am loved.

TRADITIONARY WAR SONGS

OF THE

ODJIBWA ALGONQUINS.

Whoever has heard an Indian war song, and witnessed an Indian war dance, must be satisfied that the occasion wakes up all the fire and energy of the Indian's soul. His flas.h.i.+ng eye--his muscular energy, as he begins the dance--his violent gesticulation as he raises his war-cry--the whole frame and expression of the man, demonstrate this. And long before it comes to his turn to utter his stave, or portion of the chant, his mind has been worked up to the most intense point of excitement: his imagination has pictured the enemy--the ambush and the onset--the victory and the bleeding victim, writhing under his prowess: in imagination he has already stamped him under foot, and torn off his reeking scalp: he has seen the eagles hovering in the air, ready to pounce on the dead carca.s.s, as soon as the combatants quit the field.

It would require strong and graphic language to give descriptive utterance, in the shape of song, to all he has fancied, and seen and feels on the subject. He, himself, makes no such effort. Physical excitement has absorbed his energies. He is in no mood for calm and connected descriptions of battle scenes. He has no stores of measured rhymes to fall back on. All he can do is to utter brief, and often highly symbolic expressions of courage--of defiance--of indomitable rage. His feet stamp the ground, as if he would shake it to its centre.

The inspiring drum and mystic rattle communicate new energy to every step, while they serve, by the observance of the most exact time, to concentrate his energy. His very looks depict the spirit of rage, and his yells, uttered quick, sharp, and cut off by the application of the hand to the mouth, are startling and horrific.

Under such circ.u.mstances, a few short and broken sentences are enough to keep alive the theme in his mind; and he is not probably conscious of the fact, that, to an unimpa.s.sioned and calm listener, with note book in hand, there is not sufficient said to give coherence to the song. And that such a song, indeed, under the best auspices, is a mere wild rhapsody of martial thought, poured out from time to time, in detached sentences, which are, so to say, cemented into lines by a flexible chorus and known tune. The song and the music are all of a piece. Vivid and glowing, and poetic pictures will float in such a train, and often strike the imagination by their graphic truth and boldness; but the poet must look elsewhere for finished melody, and refined and elaborate composition.

The Indian is to be viewed here, as elsewhere, as being in the highest state of his _physical_, not of his _mental_ phasis. Such glimmerings may however be picked out of these warlike rhapsodies, as denote that he is of a n.o.ble and independent tone of thinking. We shall at least enable the reader to judge. The following specimens, which have been derived from actors in the depths of the forest, consist of independent songs, or stanzas, each of which is sung by a different or by the same warrior, while the dance is in progress. The words have been taken down from a young Chippewa warrior of lake Superior, of the name of Che che-gwy-ung.

It will be perceived that there is a unity in the _theme_, while each warrior exercises the freest scope of expression. This unity I have favoured by throwing out such stanzas as mar it, and afterwards arranging them together.

WAR SONG.

_a._ In beginning this song the warrior has turned his eyes to the clouds.

O sha wan ong (From the place of the south) Un dos' e wug, (They come,) _repeat_.

Pe na' se wug, (The birds, _i.e._ the warlike birds.) Ka baim wai wa dung-ig. (Hear the sound of their pa.s.sing screams on the air.)

_b._ The idea of ravenous birds hovering in the sky, still prevails--

Tod ot' to be (I wish to change myself to be) Pe na' se. (A bird.) Ka dow' we a we yun'. (His swift body--to be like him.)

_c._ The warrior now rises above all thoughts of fear.

Ne wa be na, (I cast it away.) Ne ow a. (My body.) Ne wa be na, (_Repeats._) This is a high symbolical boast of personal bravery.

Ne ow a.

_d._ He appeals to the Great Spirit for extraordinary power.

Na bun a k.u.m ig, (On the front part of the earth,) Tshe ba be wish' em ug. (First s.h.i.+nes [strikes] the light.) In do main' em ik, (Such power to me,) Mon' e do, (My G.o.d,) Sha wa nem id. (In thy mercy give!)

By the boldness of this figure he claims the omnipotent power of the sun to see and discover his enemies.

_e._ He upbraids such of his people as hold back, and do not join in the dance--that is to say, enlist in the war.

Wa go nain', e win? (Why do ye, warriors,) A be yun ah, (Stand back?) Wa wos is se, we yun. (Ye who bear the mark of the Awasees.)

The Awasee is a kind of fish, which is the _totem_ of a clan.

_f._ He declares his full purpose to enter into the war.

Ne ma je, e yeh! (I go to the spot--the war path!) Ne ma je, e yeh! (_Repeats_.) Ne me kun ah, e yeh! (My war path!) Ge zhig neen wa tin, (My sky is fair and clear.) The common phrase to denote good fortune.

Hoh! Ne monedo netaibuatum (Let others linger. Onward! my o win. G.o.d!--my right!)