Songs of Power and Prayer in the Columbia Plateau: The Jesuit, the Medicine Man, and the Indian Hymn Singer

3. The Old Indian Hymns

39 3 The Old Indian Hymns Like the Jesuits in Paraguay, the first Blackrobes in the Columbia Plateau viewed hymns translated into Salish as lures to draw in converts who, through the pedagogy and protocols of their reductions, might be plucked from the dark recesses of their own “savage” souls. Upon entering Salish country for the first time in July 1840, DeSmet was surprised to learn they had “hymns” of their own: I made known to them my conversation with their chiefs, the plan which I meant to follow for their instruction, and the necessary frame of mind that the Great Spirit required of them to comprehend and practice the holy law of Jesus Christ, who alone could save them from the torment of hell, make them happy on earth and procure them after this life eternal happiness with God in heaven. After that I said the evening prayers, and finally they sang together, in a harmony which surprised me very much, and which I thought admirable for savages, several songs of their own composition, on the praise of God.1 It would be impossible to describe to you the emotions that I felt at this moment. How touching it is for a missionary to hear the benefactions of the Most High proclaimed by poor children of the forests, who have not yet had the happiness of receiving the light of the gospel! (DeSmet 1905:224–25) It is safe to assume that DeSmet’s delight at hearing the Salish songs was attributable, in large measure, to what he viewed as the Salish people’s predisposition toward singing. In addition to displaying an “admirable” level of musical acuity, DeSmet observed their use of song as a primary vehicle for spiritual expression. The Jesuits would ask them SONGS OF POWER AND PRAYER IN THE COLUMBIA PLATEAU 40 to use Catholic hymns the same way; and if all went as planned, songs written in “the light of the gospel” would drown out the pre-Christian songs of their Plateau congregations, rendering them at once invisible and obsolete. Even while struggling to grasp the basics of a complex language, Frs. Point, Mengarini, and DeSmet set about translating liturgical songs into Salish. In addition to their pedagogical role alongside reading, writing, and arithmetic at St. Mary’s (Olsen and Connolly 2001:13), hymns were employed by the Jesuits of the first Rocky Mountain mission to imbue the Salish with a sense of Catholicism the missionaries hoped would inhabit their souls. Inspired by the “method employed by our Fathers of Paraguay to improve the minds and hearts of their neophytes,” DeSmet established rules that would guide the missions, including prescribed methods for the administration of “the sacraments, singing, music, etc” (DeSmet 1905:330). As a trained musician, Mengarini was well equipped to administer the Paraguayan prescription, exploring music’s potential as an agent of Catholic conversion in a way his Jesuit colleagues could not. Soon after his arrival at St. Mary’s, he taught his new music students several canticles in Salish, two of which he composed himself (Mengarini 1977:101). From there he branched out into instrumental music, forming “a military band consisting of two clarinets, two accordions, three ottoviani and three flutes” (1977:102). He could not have been more pleased with the students he had to work with, stating that the “Indians have excellent eyes and ears for music” (Partoll in Mengarini 1977:200). The eyes, of course, were critical to deciphering the written music Mengarini imported from Europe. In an early annual report to his Father General, Mengarini implored his superior to send a variety of military instruments (including tympanis and trombones) along with new pieces of music with orchestrations. His appeal was in response to his students’ interest, which he described as nothing short of “incredible” (1977:102). Salish enthusiasm for melody was nothing new. For millennia, tribes throughout the Plateau had continually offered melodies in the form of prayers to pierce the veil that separated them from the realm of The Old Indian Hymns 41 their ancestors and their spirit guides. Reaching the spirits required a good heart and strong voice resounding with resolve and conviction, an approach that often offended the delicate European sensibilities of the Jesuits in the Rocky Mountain missions. Referring to hymns sung in Latin by the Salish congregation at St. Ignatius Mission in 1894 (established upon the closing of St. Mary’s...