North American Indian Folklore Music

New York: The American Indian League, 1911. 8pp. Original printed wrappers, stapled. Minor edge wear, short closed edge tear, some sunning to edges. Internally clean. Very good. A stated second edition of this rare work collecting eight Native American songs emanating from a variety of tribes. The lyrics have been translated into English from original songs from the Chippewa, Omaha, Arapaho, Navajo, and Ojibway. The work was prepared by Reverend William Brewster Humphrey, who provides an introduction which opens, "The discovery that the North American Indians had anything that could be classed as music is of very recent date, hardly more than thirty years ago. Only within the last two or three years have these songs attracted public attention, but now the demand for them is rapidly increasing. He provides additional background on the music and credits some notable musicologists for their work in collecting Native American songs. Humphrey also mentions that another pamphlet published by the American Indian League prints an address entitled Indians Use of Song, which "tells the stories of the songs and with them makes an interesting one hour program." Some titles of the present songs include "Manitou Listens to Me," "Song of the Leader," "The Canoeist's Love Song," and "Death Song." A rare work, though an exact institutional count of copies held is difficult given the only record in OCLC reports digital copies.