32 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY

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PUEBLO MUSIC 33

geststhekeyof B-flatminorbutthesongisclassifiedas irregularintonality. The opening measuresof period

B

introduce a

new rhythm

with atriplet ofeighthnotes on the unaccentedportion ofthe measure. In thelastseven measuresthe count divisionsare reversed, the tripletof eighth notes appearing ontheaccented beat ofthemeasure.

(CatalogNo. 1912) No. 25.

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34 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY

^{[Boll. 165}

FLOWER DANCE SONGS

In February

or

March

of

each year

the

Acoma hold a dance

"as

an

invitationtothe flowersto

bloom

again."

This dance

is

not

related to the

ceremonies intended

to bring rain or secure

good

crops

but

is

a

simple gathering of the people,

beginning

at sunrise

and ending

at sunset. Visitorsoften

come from

other

pueblos

to seethe

dance which

is held in the plaza.

The Acoma name

^{for this}

dance

is "gdspirdih,"

a word not used

in

any

other connection.

The most prominent person

in this

dance

is

an unmarried

girl

who may be

selected

from any family

in the village

and

is usually

a

^girl

known

to

be

proficient inthe

songs and

useofthe

drum. The ^dancers

are

20 unmarried

boys, the leader

being

the

boy who

first "started to get

up

the

dance," and

the

next

in leadership

being

the first

boy he asked

tohelp

make

the

arrangements.

The

^girl

^wears

^a

ceremonial blanket

as a

robe

(pi. 4, 6),

and her

hair

is

arranged

in

"squash

blossoms."

The boys wear

leggings

and

moccasins,

and

their bodies are

painted pink without

decorative designs.

Beads and

shells are

around

their

necks and

wrists.

The

sash

commonly worn by Acoma women

is

worn by

the

boys

at this time,

being worn over

the right shoulder (pi.4,b).

Their

headdresses are

made

ofartificial flowers

and

eagle

down. The women make

the flowers of cloth in all colors

and ^arrange them

in

a

fillet

with

three

talltufts ofeagle

down, one above each

ear

and one

in the

middle

of the front.

A

^replica of this

headdress was made by Wilbert Hunt

(pi. 5). If

a boy has long

hair, it is tied in

a bunch

at the

nape

of his neck.

The Flower dance

is old

but only one

old

song

is used, this

being

the

song with which

the girl

opens

the dance.

Generally

the other

songs have been composed

since the previous dance,

though

a

song

5 or 6 years old is occasionally used, the

words being changed and

"the song

fixed

up a

little."

There

is

no formal

preparation for the dance,

but

the

boys gather

to select

and

rehearse the songs.

They have a meeting

place

where they gather

beforethe

dance and

^to

which they withdraw

for the feast at

noon, coming and going

often to this

room during

thedance.

When

all is

ready

for the dance,

a ceremonial blanket

is

spread

for thegirltokneel

upon. She

kneels

on one knee and

beats

a vase drum,

using

a

stick

with a wide hoop

at the

end

(pi. 3,6).

The under

surface of the

hoop

strikes the

drumhead,

the

hoop ^being

at right angles to thatsurface.

This vase drum and

stickare

not used

at

any

other time.

The dancers stand

in

a

linein front ofthe

drum, with

their faces

toward one end

ofthefine.

Each boy has a

turtle-shellrattle (pi. 4, b) fastened

below

hisrightknee,its

soimd marking

the

time

as

he

dances.

Densmosb]

PUEBLO MUSIC 35 In

hisright

hand he

carries

a gourd

rattle

and

in hisleft

hand he has

a

cane

flute.

The

^girl

then

sings her

song

alone. It is short

and has no

words.

At

first the

drumbeat

is slow,

then

it

grows

faster

and comes

to a

sudden

stop,

which

is the signal for the

boys

to join in the singing

and

begin to dance.

The

action of the

dance

consists in

a motion

of the rightfoot,

upward and downward, and a

turning

around

so that the

dancers

facein theoppositedirection,

having

the

drum

alternately attheirright

and

left

hand.

(CatalogNo, 1913)

ik

No. 26. OpeningsongofFlower dance Voice J z 126

Drum J

⁼

126

Drum- ^beats

^as

indicated A

JMl ^J

^I

J^trt ZzzM ±±:± ^s

Drum

J

M

^J

M

^J

M

^J

^M

^{J i}

^{h^}

^m _^j

ⁱ

^{ri;jjji^j} _^^

J

i

.UH

^{J ir J J}

iJ

J

Al s

J ^<-. _I

— J

i J

u

^{i i I J J |J J}

Analysis.

—

^{This delightful} melody begins with a monotonous introduction.

Thisisfollowedby twoperiodsofalmost equallength,thefirsthaving a descent of nine and the second a descent of eight tones.

The

prolonged tones give an

effective swingtothe melody, especially

when

approached by an ascending pro- gression. Attention is directed tothedouble rhythm of the drum, continuing through the triplemeasures.

The

repetitions of the melodyare alike in every respect.

Immediately

after this

song

the

boys

begin

a song which they have

previously selected

and

the girl,

without

singing, beats the

drum

throughout

the rest ofthe dance.

The song

of the

boys may be one

which has been composed

since the previous dance,

such

as the

song

next

following.

The

first threelines ofthe

words were

repeated.

36 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY

^[Bull. 165 (Catalog No. 1914) No. 27. Butterfly song

Voice

Jz

108 i

Drum and

^rattle

J

z 108

Rhythm

^{similarto No. 21}

A

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h>

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(1)

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^{^^f fff **}

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^«1

rJflllMlLi

'j:^f tJlU

|

M^f _tr

i fj

r r r r ^

(2)

p>g ^f tf ^f

|

f t-fr

i Fi

T r r P

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1^

(2)

S ^{t rr t- Trrg #-#}

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(2)

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|i^,

frrr _,^^ ^ ^{# o} a

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