OCR Text |
Show Preserving Music of Pacific Coast Indians Every day the halls of the anthropology anthro-pology department of the University of California ring cut with the low, plaintive music of the Indian tribes of the Pacific coast. One unacquainted with the proceedings might be led to think that a war dance was in prog-gress, prog-gress, but the fact is that for many years the university management has been engaged In collecting phonographic phono-graphic records on which are preserved pre-served the old-time songs and dance music and dances of the Indians of th$ Pacific slope. They have succeeded succeed-ed in recording some gems. For Instance, In-stance, it has heretofore been impossible impos-sible to get the Indians to render the "Cry Dance" song, which is one sung by professional mrurners at funerals, and those who are familiar with It regard re-gard it as unlucky to sing a death song when there is no death. The Lost Bear Club's Lament is a bad ballad in a minor key which tells the tale of a bewildered little bear stumbling stum-bling through the woods searching for its mother. These records are gone over daily by one of the faculty who Is endeavoring to fathom the system which was made use of in the composition. |