The Broncheau Brothers, c. 1940s, in "old time round bustle"

In the Past

This brief selection of songs is from the Sam Morris collection of sixty-nine Nez Perce songs, originally recorded on wax cylinders between 1897 and 1909. Sam Morris, a Nez Perce, was born in 1861 in Lapwai and died in 1944. The songs selected by Morris were deemed the most significant. Many of the songs have introductory comments, in Nez Perce.

Working with the Library of Congress and the Washington State University Library, Loran Olsen, project director, transferred sixty-one of these songs to tape and had them enhanced, completing the process in 1995. This set of 61 songs is available on CD through the Northwest Interpretive Association (Seattle, WA 98104; 206-220-4140). A portion of the sale from this CD goes to Nez Perce Tribal Scholarship Fund. The project was endorsed by the Nez Perce Cultural Program, and funded by Library of Congress, Idaho Humanities Council, Idaho Commission on the Arts, and the Fund for Folk Culture. Permission was obtained from the NIA to use these recordings on this web site. All materials are © Board of Regents of Washington State University. Use a FREE RealOne Player to access.

- - Honor Dance (1,2) - - Owl Dance or Round Dance (2,1) - - Prairie Chicken Dance (1,20) - - Victory Song (1,24) - - Women's Dance or Social Dance (1,31) - - Fast War Dance (1,22)

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Leroy Seth talks about the old time dance movements. (Interviewed by Josiah Pinkham and Nakia Williamson February 2002).

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