The study of Indian music was continued by a trip to Kilbourn, Wis., during August and September. Two pageants are given simultaneously at the Dalles of the Wisconsin River, near Kilbourn, each employing about 100 Indians. In the pageants the swan and hoop dance, as well as war and social dances of the Winnebago, were seen. The dances of other tribes presented in the pageants included the eagle dance and other pueblo dances. Songs of the swan, hoop, and frog dances were later recorded by leading pageant singers.
At Kilbourn Miss Densmore recorded numerous songs of Pueblo Indians from Isleta and Cochiti, these consisting chiefly of corn-grinding and war songs. The words of these songs are highly poetic and many of the melodies resemble Acoma songs in structure.
As John Bearskin and his family were traveling from Kilbourn to their home in Nebraska they passed through Red Wing, Minn., and songs were recorded at Miss Densmore’s home. Bearskin recorded three complete sets of the Winnebago medicine lodge songs and a set of Buffalo feast songs.
In January, 1931, Miss Densmore went to Washington, where she worked on the preparation of material for publication, and proceeded thence to Miami, Fla., where she began a study of Seminole music, recording songs of the corn dance from the man who leads the singing in that ceremony; also the songs that precede a hunting expedition. The customs of the Seminole were studied and a collection of specimens was obtained. This collection includes two complete costumes and is now the property of the United States National Museum.
The second phase of the research is represented by eight manuscripts which include the transcriptions and analyses of 77 songs and two flute melodies recorded by Winnebago, Isleta, Cochiti, and Seminole Indians. The cumulative analyses of Indian songs has been continued and now comprises 1,553 songs. The 14 tables submitted during this year constitute a comparison between a large series of Nootka and Quileute songs and the songs previously analyzed by the same method.
The third phase of work comprised the preparation for publication of “Menominee Music” and “Acoma Music.”
Frank M. Setzler, assistant curator, division of archeology, United States National Museum, was detailed to the bureau for the purpose of conducting an archeological investigation in Texas. After briefly examining several sites at Victoria and Brownsville along the Gulf coast, he excavated four caves and one rock shelter on the Mollie B. Knight ranch, in Presidio County, and visited several other caverns in the vicinity.