THE CHEMAWA AMERICAN
PAGE 4
A REMARKABLE STORY
(Continued from page 1)
violin types of composition which resulted.
“To begin with,” says “Nacoomee,” or Miss Griffs,
as she is known in private life, “one must understand
that the Indian dramatized everything”—the sun was
the “incarnation” or “dramatization” or “He-Who-
Makes” creating all things; the religious dances were
dramatizations of beliefs about the universe, which he
was always striving to understand. In the same way,
he dramatized his own actions, his intentions, his
emotions, and it was in song that he expressed every
thing that came to him. When he went out to hunt,
he sang—a song of his need, an appeal to the ‘ Great
Mysterious One” for power, a call to the animals for
generosity. When he courted his sweetheart in the
night shade under the trees, he sang or played on his
flute to bring her to his side. When he recounted his
deeds, he made up a song about them, often beating
with a stick to establish the rhythm. The songs which
he made up were uniquely his own, no one could sing
them without his permission even after he ha^ passed
to “the Other Side of Darkness,” though a man could
give away a song, as he might give away his name.
The Indian women not only sang “sleep-songs” to
their children, but they sang songs of “heart-cheer”
to absent loved ones, believing that the one to whom
the song was addressed would feel their heart-thoughts
and be cheered and comforted.
The musical instruments were primitive. On the
flageolet, a reedpipe or flute, the plaintive “love-call”
was sounded. It was used principally for serenading.
But in the drums, the Indian found endless variety.
It was the drum that kept tap for the social dances,
that furnished the rhythm at the religious festivals;
the drum with its slow insistence, the drum with its
measured vibration, the drum with its possible incite
ment, expressive of all states and stages of feeling—
and the deep boom of the water-drum could be heard
for miles; it was.
Chief Tahan and his daughter have recently com
pleted a tour through Vermont. This winter they plan
to appear again in some of the larger cities—Boston,
Washington, Cleveland and many other cities have
known them in the past. They wish to present again
to the chrildren the good in the Indian world, that
strange world of phantasy and music, of idealism ard
odd superstition, of dreams in which the dreamer was
often puzzled to decide what was dream and what was
waking, a world of beliefs, confused standards, great
darkness perhaps—but a darkness shot through with
dazzling shafts of light unmistakably divine.
A NEW RESOLUTION WORTH TRYING
One of the simplest and most effective methods oj
bettering one’s health is by maintaining an erect pos
ture. Posture is an expression of the mental and
physical state; also posture may modify and control
mental states. The cultivation of a happy, cheerful,
optimistic nature more readily achieves results when
efforts are also made to walk with an elastic, springy
step, to hold the head erect, and the abdomen flat.
In an erect posture body muscles tend to remain taut,
and afford a proper support or pressure to the body in
cluding the circulation of large blood vessels. In a
habitual slouching posture the blood of the abdomen
tends to stagnate in the liver and the splanchnic cir
culation, causing a feeling of despondency and mental
confusion, headache, coldness of hands and feet, and
chronic fatigue or neurasthenia, and often constipation.
One of the most important of all health habits is the
habit of keeping good posture. When the head droops
a strain is placed on the back of the neck and shoulders.
When the shoulders stoop the chest becomes flattened
and the lungs are cramped for room. When the body
slumps forward at the hips the organs in the abdominal
cavity are not held in natural position. At the same
time the muscles are working a little harder then if the
body were erect, for they are making an effort to hold
the body from falling forward.
A good posture can not be maintained unless the
muscles are kept strong by exercising. If the shoulder
muscles are too weak to hold in their normal position
the chest tends to drop in. If the muscles of the
back and abdomen are not strong the body slouches
forward.
It is not enough to have an erect carriage and a
well-poised head. We must also have well directed
feet. The foot in action should be placed on the
ground with the line of direction parallel to the line of
movement. The toes should point forward and
neither be turned outward or inward.
Games, outdoor sports, such as walking, swimming,
basketball, handball, tennis and golf are excellent
remedies for poor posture. The sitting up exercises
of the U. S. Army if practiced daily, will help the
muscles do the work of holding the body in a health
ful position.
Good posture pays because it improves the health,
increases your economic value, gives you social stand
ing, and inspires you with the spirit that wins.
Therefore, be it resolved that in 1927 I will establish
the habit of maintaining a good posture.
When Mr. “Old-Timer” comes to Chemawa again
he w’ill hardly know “Our Happy Home.” Every
where things are humming and changes are being
made for the betterment of conditions generally. Supt.
McGregor believes in progress and in being up-to-date
in things worth while. There is always an eye to
necessity and permanence.