"The practical necessity of being preserved and handed on by word of mouth only, must be constantly borne in mind in considering the development of Indian verse forms. It operated to keep poetry tied to its twin-born melody, which assisted in memory, and was constantly at work modifying the native tendency to adjust the rhythm to every changing movement of the story." Bringing together the chants, songs and oral legends of Native American tribes from...

An anthology of traditional chants and oratory from many American Indian tribes.