The Legends and Songs of the Pawnee Indians
                                         by Joshua M. Thompson
Hey, I'm Josh Thompson. I am a 22 year old undergrad student at East Tennessee State University, majoring in computer animation with my wonderful 11 month old daughter .  I am a person looking for the adrenaline of a life time and a person of the outdoors.   I became interested in indian history after my mother searched for her Cherokee ancestors about 8 years ago.  If you have any questions concerning the information that I have provided, please e-mail me.
 
 

    Introduction

                 The songs and legends that the Pawnee Indians passed down from one family member to
                another were recorded by Natalie Curtis Burlin.  Natalie Curtis Burlin, a Musicologist,
                researched Indian tribes during the last half of the 1800s.  The people of that time did not
                recognize her work because of the relationship between the Indians and the Whites.
                Singing Indian songs was forbidden in governmental schools.  The Indians were reluctant
                to sing to Burlin for fear of disfavor among the government officials. Without Burlin's
                persistence, many Indian songs and the legends associated with them would have been
                lost.  Having this reference gives society today a look at the everyday life of the Pawnee
                Indians.

    Authorship

                    Natalie Curtis Burlin gave full credit for the works she recorded to the Indians stating
                "The Indians are the authors of this volume.  The songs and stories are theirs; the
                drawings, cover design, and title pages were made by them.  The work of the recorder has
                been but the collecting, editing, and arranging of the Indians' contributions" (88).
                While the origin of some songs have been lost, other came directly
                from composers and lore-keepers (the elders).

    Natalie Curtis Burlin

                 Natalie Curtis Burlin studied music in New York and in Europe in the 1890s.  She became
                interested in Indian lore and life while visiting her brother in Arizona in 1903.  She began
                recording and assembling Indian songs, myths, and music while traveling extensively over
                the plains and deserts of the United States.  She became known to the Indians as Tawa
                Mana , the Song Maid, and was received warmly by them. Opposition from
                missionaries and government officials forced Burlin to seek help in publishing her book
                from the President.  In a letter from the White House dated May 17, 1906, President
                Theodore Roosevelt stated "These songs cast a wholly new light on the depths and dignity
                of Indian thought, the simple beauty and strange charm- the charm of a vanished elder
                world- of Indian poetry" (Burlin 89).  Burlin planned a revision of her
                first book to include newly gathered material; however, her untimely death prevented this
                publication.  Natalie Curtis Burlin died in Paris in October, 1921.

    The Pawnee Indians

                 The Pawnee Indians are the most popular Indians that inhabited the western part of the
                United States (Nebraska).  Pawnee's are known as the plain Indians along with the
                Wichitas, Caddos, Arikarees, Waces, Deechis, and Tawacumers. In this allied group, the
                Pawnee had there own unique language, that was totally separate from the other Indian
                tripes languages.  Pawnee's were given their name because of their "method of warfare,
                their skill as scouts, their custom of simulating wolves while on the war-path, and their
                tireless endurance" (Burlin 93). The word Pawnee stands for "wolf".
                However, the Pawnee's "have their own legend regarding the origin of their name" (
                Burlin 93).

                The religion of the Pawnee Indians was that of the atmospheric nature.  Tirawa is the
                supreme god of the Pawnee's. He is the creator of the Morning Star and the Evening Star.
                According to legend, the Morning Star and the Evening Star joined to form the earth, the
                sun and the moon.  They also had a daughter.  The Sun and the Moon together had a son.
                The daughter was sent to the earth to plant the corn. On earth, she and the son joined to
                produce all mankind.  Tirawa communicated with the Indians through Animals. The
                Pawnee's religious rituals consisted of visions (forseeing something, webster dic.) and
                ceremonial events.  Corn was usually the center of the ceremonies along with a buffalo
                hunt or war.  The Pawnee's ceremonies also "included the sacrifice of a young woman
                each year to the morning-star deity" (Woody,11-27-98). The songs of the Pawnee
                Indians were legends of their religion.  Their songs were sung to their god Tirawa.

                SONG OF THE SPIRIT-DANCE
 

                 Star of Evening, Star of Evening,
                    Look, where yonder she cometh,
                    Look, where yonder she cometh.

                Stars of heaven, stars of heaven,
                    Lo, the many are coming,
                    Lo, the many are coming.

                Mother-Moon, Mother-Moon,
                    Look, where yonder she cometh,
                    Look, where yonder she cometh.

                Star of Morning, Star of Morning,
                    Look, where yonder he cometh,
                    Look, where yonder he cometh.

                Father-Sun, Father-Sun,
                    Look, where yonder he cometh,
                    Look, where yonder he cometh.
 
 

             KEHARE KATZARU

                 Ruwerera, ruwerera,
                    Operit  ruwerera,
                    Operit  ruwerera.

                Rerawha-a,  rerawha-a
                    Operit rerawha-a,
                    Operit rerawha-a.

                Ruwerera,  ruwerera,
                    Atira ruwerea,
                    Atira ruwerea.

                Ruwerera,  Ruwerera,
                    Operit ruwerera,
                    Operit ruwerera.
 

                Ruwerera,  Ruwerera,
                    Atira ruwerea.
                    Atira ruwerea.

            My Views on the "Song of the Spirt Dance"

                 The "Song of the Spirit Dance" is sung from sun down to sun up during ceremonial
                events.  This particular song is devoted to the creation of the earth and the creation of
                mankind.  On first reading this poem, I thought it was about a mother and a father looking
                for their son.  After learning of the legend of creation according to the Pawnees, I realized
                that this poem is sung to honor their supreme god and creation.  When questioned for a
                deeper meaning of the myths and legends, some Indians reply "That is for each to think
                out for himself" (Burlin 99).

Bibliography

 Curtis B. Natalie. ed. and Recorder. The Indians' Book Songs and Legends of
 the American Indians. New York: Dover Publications, Inc. 1968.  Contains a vast quantity of indian songs and legends, that are translated for your needs and research.

Helen A.Howard.  American Indian Poetry. Boston: Twain Publications.1979.  Contains essays on several indian tribes songs and legends, which lead me to Natalie Cutris.
 

 WWW.pawnee.com/indian/reports.htm. Woody, Jesse . 3/29/2000.  A sort essay on the pawnee indians.

WWW.pawneenation.org/history.html. 04/07/2000.  A great site that contains a vast quantity of information on the pawnee indians.
WWW.plgrm.com/history/b/natalie_curtis_burlin.htm. 03/29/2000.  Contains brief information on Natalie Curtis.