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Songs Of The Papago Side A

Recorded and Edited by Frances Densmore
Folk Music Of The United States Issued from the Collections of the Archive of American Folk Song L31

The culture of the Papago is entirely different form that of the plains and north woodland tribes whose songs have already been presented. The Papago are a desert people who early home was chiefly south of Tucson, Arizona, extending into Sonora, Mexico. They are an agricultural tribe and formerly cultivated beans, cotton and other crops by irrigation. At present their principal crops are wheat and barley, and they raise cattle to a considerable extent. By nature an industrious people, they are now finding employment in various activities incident to the coming of the white race. They were not lacking in bravery in the old days, as shown by their expeditions against the Apache. The women are expert basket-weavers, and both their baskets and pottery resemble those of the Pima rather than those of the Pueblo.

The study of Papago music forms part of the writer's research on Indian music for the Bureau of American Ethnology* and was begun at San Xavier village, near Tucson, Arizona, in February, 1920. It was continued in November and December of the same year at Sells, more than 60 miles west of Tucson, where the U. S. Indian Agency is located, songs were also recorded at Vomari village about 7 miles from Mexican border and a trip was made to Santa Rosa village in the extreme northern part of the reservation where information was obtained and photographs taken.

As in other tribes, the principal subjects of study were those in which the people were most interested, among the Papago these being legends, ceremonies and the treatment of the sick. The number of songs recorded and transcribed was 167, from which the present series was selected. Fifteen men and women recorded songs, nine being represented in the present series. The principal interpreters were Harry Encinas at San Xavier and Hugh Norris in the other localities. Both were familiar with the old way and were of great assistance.

The musical instruments used by the Papago are the gourd rattle, scraping (or rasping) sticks, basket-drum and flute. The gourd rattle is used with songs to bring rain and songs with treatment of the sick. The instruments resembles that used in other tribes but the manner of shaking it is more varied. The scraping sticks resemble the morache of the Northern Ute, a short stick being drawn upward and downward across notches cut in a long stick which is held in the hand or placed on a basket-drum as a resonator. Any basket of medium size may be used as a drum by inverting it on the ground and striking it with the hands. Three or four men may play this at once, kneeling beside it and striking it with their hands. As an accompaniment to certain songs the basket is stroked with a short stick, producing a soft, pleasant sound. The flute is made of cane and its construction is no of present interests.

*Pagago Music, Bulletin 90, Bureau of American Ethnology, 1929.

Play song

Name

Performed by

Description

Native Words

Translation

Notes
Song Of Earth Magician When Disappearing In The Ground Jose Hendricks SONGS CONNECTED WITH LEGENDS

The Papago watch the stars and when they see the Pleiades cross the sky in one night they say that the proper time for story telling has come. On these nights the Pleiades rise in the east at evening, cross the zenith and set in the west just before sunrise, their setting being considered the end of the night. Few men are able to tell the old stories and two men go together, one telling the story and the other assisting him. These men tell stories four nights and in that time they relate the entire series, beginning with the creation.


Story of the Ashes People

One of the principal stories is concerning a flood that covered the whole earth. This story was related and the songs recorded at Vomari. A mythical character known as Elder Brother gathered gum from a certain bush and made a huge olla. He got into the Olla, taking with him every sort of animal, with him also were Earth Magician and Coyote. The flood came while he was doing this and soon everything was afloat. After the water subsided they came out of the Olla and the work of creation was begun, Elder Brother creating the spirits of men. (These songs are omitted.) Earth Magician had a bad temper and when the things he made were criticized by the others he became very angry. Then be began to sink into the earth. Elder Brother caught at him as he disappeared and became infected with a "cause of sickness." Trying to shake this from his hands he spread sickness among men. This does not seem to have been a definite ailment but a general disposition toward illness which became present in the air.		 Here I sink and I know all sorts of things Papago
Song Of Brown Buzzard After Killing Elder Brother Mattias Hendricks Elder Brother had a rival named Brown Buzzard. After four attempts he succeeded in killing Elder Brother and said he would destroy everything that Elder Brother had made except the wind and clouds which were spared for the benefit of the people. I have done the worst thing now in killing you, my brother, but I am going to leave your wind and clouds. Papago
Song Before Emerging From Ashes Hill Mattias Hendricks After a long time Elder Brother came to life and some children saw him fixing a clay canteen. As he worked, he sang a song with words, "There is an old man sitting down fixing his canteen."

Elder Brother traveled four days until he reached the sun, then he went across the sky with the sun and entered into Ashes Hill. There he found Earth Magician who was willing to go with him. Earth Magician directed his servants to make very strong bows and arrows and to prepare plenty of food for their journey. The servants went with them and when they reached the place where they would emerge from Ashes Hill they sang this song.

The story goes on through many interesting adventures, with many songs, and after a long journey the Papago settled in the Sacaton Valley near Crooked Mountain.		 Now we are going to look over the world and see what is going on. Papago
Song To Put The Eagle To Sleep Sivariano Garcia
Story of the Gambler

This story was related and its songs recorded by Sivariano Garcia of San Xavier village. In this story the Papago are living in the Sacaton Valley and Elder Brother is still the leading character. Eight songs of the story were recorded but only two are presented. After many adventures the gambler accepted some pinole that was offered by a girl. He drank this three times, and feathers began to appear on his body. He turned into an eagle, and when Elder Brother heard of this he new that something bad would happen. The events that followed are too many for present consideration, but Elder Brother went to the house of the eagle where he asked the wife of the eagle to protect him. After the eagle returned she sang a song which put him to sleep.		 Papago
Song Of The Old Woman Who Attended Elder Brother Sivariano Garcia At a later time Elder Brother met the eagle and killed him. An old woman found him exhausted after this encounter and brought him food and water. This was her song. You have done it right, you little bit of an Elder Brother,
Henceforth the village will be safe and I am on the ground,
I will get along better.		 Papago
Four Fires On The Ground
Story of the Origin of the Flute

The scene of this story, like the preceding, is in the large village in the Sacaton Valley. Fifteen of its songs were recorded at San Xavier by Sivariano Garcia, three being presented. Papago stories are so long that they are interrupted by periods of rest, or "pauses." After the first pause, this story is about two boys who saw a bamboo in a lake with a rattlesnake coiled around it. The rattlesnake cut down the bamboo and they took it to their mother who cut it two lengths of two joints each. She made a flute from each piece of bamboo and gave them to the children who blew into them but could not play them. One day she played a melody on the flute and taught each boy to imitate her. Next is the melody that she played, and if no flute is available when the story is told the melody is sung with these words.		 One in the corner, in the square on the ground,
A fire in each corner, four fires on the ground.		 Papago
The Girls Are Approaching Sivariano Garcia The two daughters of Brown Buzzard now enter the story, dressed in their best. The boys could feel that the girls were approaching so they played the following tune on the flutes. The words are sung if no flute is available when the story is told. From the east the girls are approaching
They came to the place of the singing
The are here.		 Papago
Song To Make The Boy Invisible Sivariano Garcia The story proceeds through many incidents and the sections of bamboo next appear as game implements. A certain boy had such "medicine power" that he could make them fly through the air. He intended to use one of them in killing his grandfather, who had deeply offending him. Before he started on the journey to find grandfather he showed this power to his grandmother who sang a song to make him invisible, so he could reach his destination safely. She put her hands on his shoulders as she sang this song. My poor grandchild, my poor grandchild,
It is the head gaming stick that always wins,
Throw it forward.		 Papago
The Dwelling Place Of The Sun Leonardo Rios SONGS CONNECTED WITH CEREMONIES

Dance in Supplication to the Sun

The origin of this dance was unknown but the dance had referenced to the fertility of the field. The dancers moved in a circle and in the middle of the circle was representation of the sun toward which the dancers extended their hands during the next song.		 In the east is the dwelling place of the sun,
On top of this dwelling place the sun comes up and travels over our heads.
Below we travel,
I raise my right hand to the sun and then stroke my body in the ceremonial manner.		 Papago
Each Singer Wears A White Feather Jose Manuel The ceremony closed with a song freely translated, "We have danced and been happy. We have seen our friends. Now we go to our distant homes wondery when we will come together again."

The Viikita

The purpose of this ceremony was the securing of rain and good crops. The observance was marked by processions, the first taking place just before sunrise. The leaders were followed by men carrying a representation of the sun and by the dancers who carried images of things that were desired in abundance. Six of the songs were recorded but only one is presented. This was sung during the dancing.		 Each singer wears a white feather on his head,
Now it is nightfall,
We will sing through the night and perhaps we may do some good.		 Papago
Song Of The Watchers Jose Hendricks
The Rain Ceremony

In the early part of August the Papago held a festival at which the medicine men made divinations for rain. This was in accordance with an ancient custom and was accompanied by the drinking of a wine made from the fruit of the saguaro cactus and commonly called "tiswin." The lodge for the making of tiswin was photographed at Santa Rosa, in the northern part of the reservation. Four men watched the fermentation of the wine, two during the day and two during the night. They sang most of the time, two of their songs being presented. It is characterized by a gliding and slurring of the voice.		 The sun doctor with his body painted in spots
At the edge of the earth I (the sun doctor) stand and see the ocean with its beautiful rolling waves,
I call up the beautiful white clouds,
I am glad to see them rise.		 Papago
Song During Rain Divination Jose Hendricks While the wine was fermenting the medicine men were at work. It was said they did not cause the rain but "located and predicted it." The eagle wing, under that I sat with the tiswin,
I drank that I am well drunk.
The water that gathered on the blue hawk feathers at the end of the vasi (a short stick with feathers at the end),
I drank of that and was staggered.		 Papago
A Blue Wind Rafael Mendez The effect of the wine was said to be a general "good feeling" which lasted a night and a day. Rafael Mendez, who recorded the next song, said that a man who had drunk the wine once saw Coyote approaching. As the man began to "come to his senses" he heard Coyote singing, and Coyote taught him about a hundred songs. The first of these was the following. A blue wind.
I saw the tracks on the blue mountain.
Inside the mountain I found a bamboo plant growing,
From there I saw a seven-headed mountain running low from east to west.		 Papago
The Wind Blows From The Sea Jose Hendricks SONGS CONNECTED WITH EXPEDITIONS TO OBTAIN SALT

The Papago visited the salt deposits near the Gulf of California for two reasons, first, to obtain salt for commercial use and second, to obtain "medicine power" from the ocean. Songs were connected with both sorts of expeditions, a song with the second sort being presented. This song was said to be very old and to have come down from some forgotten medicine man "who lived when the people first found out about medicine." Concerning this song the informants said that in their opinion the sea holds everything -- the clouds and the wind. The storms come from the sea and spread over the world and the clouds follow after.		 By the sandy water I breathe in the odor of the sea,
From there the wind comes and blows over the world,
By the sandy water I breathe in the odor of the sea,
From there the clouds come and rain falls over the world.
 Papago