Chapter IX: Section 8: Conclusion

Thus do I answer the questions which I proposed at the outset of my thesis. If I have failed to justify the expectations which I may have raised, at least I have thrown into strong relief the cause of my failure, to wit, the utter and incredible neglect which, up to this hour, has prevailed with regard to the preservation of what relics of native literature which we know have existed,--which do still exist.

Time and money are spent in collecting remains in wood and stone, in pottery and tissue and bone, in laboriously collating isolated words, and in measuring ancient constructions. This is well, for all these things teach us what manner of men made up the indigenous race, what were their powers, their aspirations, their mental grasp. But closer to very self, to thought and being, are the connected expressions of men in their own tongues. The monuments of a nation's literature are more correct mirrors of its mind than any merely material objects. I have at least shown that there are some such, which have been the work of native American authors. My object is to engage in their preservation and publication the interest of scholarly men, of learned societies, of enlightened governments, of liberal institutions and individuals, not only in my own country, but throughout the world. Science is cosmopolitan, and the study of man is confined by no geographical boundaries. The languages of America and the literary productions in those languages have every whit as high a claim on the attention of European scholars as have the venerable documents of Chinese lore, the mysterious cylinders of Assyria, or the painted and figured papyri of the Nilotic tombs.

* * * * *

FOOTNOTES:

[Footnote 1: What Dr. Washington Matthews says of one of the Sioux tribes is, in substance, true of all on the Continent:--

"Long winter evenings are often passed in reciting and listening to stories of various kinds. Some of these are simply the accounts given by the men, of their own deeds of valor, their hunts and journeys; some are narrations of the wonderful adventures of departed heroes; while many are fictions, full of impossible incidents, of witchcraft and magic. The latter class of stories are very numerous. Some of them have been handed down through many generations; some are of recent origin; while a few are borrowed from other tribes. Some old men acquire great reputation as story tellers, and are invited to houses, and feasted, by those who are desirous of listening to them. Good story tellers often originate tales, and do not disclaim the authorship. When people of different tribes meet they often exchange tales with one another. An old Indian will occupy several hours in telling a tale, with much elegant and minute description."--_Ethnography and Philology of the Hidatsa Indians_, pp. 62-3. (Washington, 1877.)]

[Footnote 2: That these assertions are not merely my own, but those of the most profound students of these tongues, will be seen from the following extracts, which could easily be added to:--

"This language [the Cree] will be found to be adequate, not only to the mere expression of their wants, but to that of every circumstance or sentiment that can, in any way, interest or affect uncultivated minds."--Joseph Howse, _A Grammar of the Cree Language_, p. 12. (London, 1865.)

"J'ai affirme que nos deux grandes langues du Nouveau Monde [the Iroquois and the Algonkin] etaient tres claires, tres precises, exprimant avec facilite non seulement les relations exterieures des idees, mais encore leur relations metaphysiques. C'est ce qu' out commence de demontrer mes premiers chapitres de grammaire, et ce qu'achevera de faire voir ce que je vais dire sur les verbes."--Rev. M. Cuoq, _Jugement Errone de M. Ernest Renan sur les Langues Sauvages._ p. 32 (2d Ed. Montreal, 1869.)

"Affermo che non e facile di trovare una lingua piu atta della Messicana a trattar le materie metafisiche; poiche e difficile di trovarne un' altra, che tanto abbondi, quanto quella, di nomi astratte."--Clavigero, _Storia Antica del Messico_, Tomo IV, p. 244. (Cesena, 1781.)

"Todos los bellisimos sentimientos que se albergan en los nobles corazones en ninguna otra de aquellas lenguas (Europeas) pueden encontrar una expresion tan viva tan patetica y energica como la que tienen en Mexicano. ?En cual otra se habla con tanto acatamiento, con veneracion tan profunda, de los altisimos mysterios de ineffable amor que nos muestra el Cristianismo?"--Fr. Agustin de la Rosa, in the _Eco de la Fe_. (Merida, 1870.)

Alcide d'Orbigny argues forcibly to the same effect, of the South American languages:--"Les Quichuas et les Aymaras civilises ont une langue etendue, pleine de figures elegantes, de comparaisons naives, de poesie, surtout lorsqu'il s'agit d'amour; et il ne faut pas croire qu'isoles au sein des forets sauvages ou jetes au milieu des plaines sans bornes, les peuples chasseurs, agriculteurs et guerriers, soient prives de formes elegantes, de figures riches et variees."--_L'Homme Americain_, Tome I, p. 154.

For other evidence see Brinton, _American Hero Myths_, p. 25. (Philadelphia, 1882.). Horatio Hale, _The Iroquois Book of Rites_, p. 107. (Philadelphia, 1883.)]

[Footnote 3: _Ethnography and Philology of the Hidatsa Indians_, p. 18.]

[Footnote 4: _The Tribes of California_, p. 73. (Washington, 1877.)]

[Footnote 5: "Il n'est pas rare de trouver des individus parlant jusqu'a trois ou quatre langues, aussi distinctes entr'elles que le francais et l'allemand."--Alcide D'Orbigny, _L'Homme Americain_, Tome I, p. 170. The generality of this fact in South America was noted by Humboldt, _Voyage aux Regions Tropicales_, T. III, p. 308.]

[Footnote 6: "Hay muchos de ellos buenos gramaticos, y componen oraciones largas y bien autorizadas, y versos exametros y pentametros."--Toribio de Motilinia, _Historia de los Indios de la Nueva Espana_, Tratado III, cap. XII.]

[Footnote 7: _Menologio Franciscano de los Varones mas Senalados de la Provincia de Mexico_, Tomo IV, pp. 447-9. (Mexico, 1871.)

In the Prologue to the _Sermonario Mexicano_ of F. Juan de Bautista (Mexico, 1606), is a well-written letter, in Latin, by Don Antonio Valeriano, a native of Atzcaputzalco, who was professor of grammar and rhetoric in the College of Tlatilulco. Bautista says of him that he spoke extempore in Latin with the eloquence of a Cicero or a Quintilian; and his contemporary, the academician Francisco Cervantes Salazar, writes: "Magistrum habent [Indi] ejusdem nationis, Antonium Valerianum, nostris grammaticis nequaquam inferiorem, in legis christianae observatione satis doctum et ad eloquentiam avidissimum."--_Tres Dialogos Latinos de Francisco Cervantes Salazar_, p. 150 (Ed. Icazbalceta, Mexico, 1875).]

[Footnote 8: Francisco de Paula Garcia Pelaez, _Memorias para la Historia del Antiguo Reyno de Guatemala_, Tomo III, pp. 201 and 221 (Guatemala, 1852).]

[Footnote 9: _Ritos Antiguos, Sacrificios e Idolatrias de los Indios de la Nueva Espana_, in the _Coleccion de Documentos Ineditos para la Historia de Espana_, Tom. 53, p. 300.]

[Footnote 10: _A Study of the Manuscript Troano_. By Cyrus Thomas, Ph.D., with an Introduction by D.G. Brinton, M.D., p. xxvii. (Washington, 1883.)]

[Footnote 11: "Tenian libros de pergaminos que hacian de los cueros de venados, tan anchos como una mano o mas, e tan luengos como diez o doce passos, e mas e menos, que se encogian e doblaban e resumian en el tamano e grandeza de una mano por sus dobleces uno contra otro (a manera de reclamo); y en aquestos tenian pintados sus caracteres o figuras de tinta roxa o negra, de tal manera que aunque no eran letura ni escritura, significaban y se entendian por ellas todo lo que querian muy claramente."--Oviedo, _Historia General y Natural de Indias_, Lib. XLII, cap. I.]

[Footnote 12: "Une ecriture consistant en raies tracees sur de petites planchettes."--Alcide D'Orbigny, _L'Homme Americain_, Tomo L, p. 170, on the authority of Viedma, _Informe general de la Provincia de Santa Cruz, MS_.]

[Footnote 13: _Legends and Tales of the Eskimo_. (Edinburgh and London, 1875.)]

[Footnote 14: _Pok, Kalalek avalangnek, etc._, Nongme, 1857; or, _Pok, en Groenlaender, som har reist og ved sin Hjemkomst, etc. Efter gamle Handskrifter fundne hos Groenlaendere ved Godthaab._ Godthaab, 1857.]

[Footnote 15: _Kaladlit Assilialit, etc._ See Thomas W. Field, _Indian Bibliography_, p. 199. (New York, 1873.)]

[Footnote 16: First printed in _The American Whig Review_, New York, Feb. 1849; reprinted in _The Indian Miscellany_, edited by W.W. Beach, Albany, 1877. I have not been able to find the original.]

[Footnote 17: Horatio Hale, _The Iroquois Book of Rites_. (Philadelphia, 1883.) It is No. II of my "Library of Aboriginal American Literature."

The introductory essay, in ten chapters, treats at considerable length of the ethnology and history of the Huron-Iroquois nations, the Iroquois League and its founders (Hiawatha, Dekanawidah, and their associates), the origin of the Book of Rites, the composition of the Federal Council, the clan system, the laws of the League, and the historical traditions relating to it, the Iroquois character and public policy, and the Iroquois language. A map prefixed to the work shows the location of the United Nations and of the surrounding tribes.]

[Footnote 18: _Recit de Francois Kaondinoketc, Chef des Nipissingues (tribu de race Algonquine) ecrit par lui-meme en 1848.--Traduit en Francais et accompagne de notes par_ M.N.O., 8vo. pp. 8. (Paris, 1877.)]

[Footnote 19: _The National Legend of the Chata-Muskokee Tribes_. By Daniel G. Brinton, M.D. Morrisania, N.Y., 1870. 4to. pp. 13. Reprinted from _The Historical Magazine_, February, 1870.]

[Footnote 20: "Les chefs des vieillards m'avoient souvent parle de leurs ancetres, des courses qu'ils avoient faites, et des combats qu'ils avoient eu a soutenir, avant que la nation put se fixer ou elle est aujourd'hui. L'histoire de ces premiers Creeks, qui portoient alors le nom de Moskoquis, etoit conservee par des banderoles ou chapelets," etc.--_Memoire ou Coup-d'Oeil Rapide sur mes different Voyages et mon Sejour dans la Nation Creck,_ Par le Gen. Milfort, pp. 48, 229. (Paris, An. XI, 1802).]

[Footnote 21: "We burned all we could find of them," writes Bishop Landa, "which pained the natives to an extraordinary degree."--_Relacion de las Cosas de Yucatan_, p. 316. For a discussion of what was destroyed at Mani see Cogolludo, _Historia de Yucatan_, 3d Ed., Vol. I, p. 604, note by the Editor. The efforts which have of late been made by Senor Icazbalceta and the Reverend Canon Carrillo to modify the general opinion of these acts of vandalism cannot possibly be successful. The ruthless hostility of the Church to the ancient civilization, an hostility founded on religious intolerance, could be proved by hundreds of extracts from the early writers.]

[Footnote 22: Boturini's work is entitled _Idea de una Nueva Historia General de la America Septentrional fundada sobre material copioso defiguras, Symbolos, Caracteres, y Geroglificos, Cantares y Manuscritos de Autores Indios_. Madrid, 1746. The fate of his collection is sketched by Brasseur de Bourbourg, in the introduction to his _Histoire des Nations civilisees de Mexique et de l'Amerique Centrale_, Vol I.]

[Footnote 23: The following extract from Ixtlilxochitl sums up the native authorities on which he relied for the particulars of the life of the last prince of Tezcuco, and merits quotation as a bit of literary history:--

"Autores son de todo lo referido, y de los demas de su vida y hechos los infantes de Mexico Ytzcoatzin y Xiuhcozcatzin, y otros Poetas y Historicos en los anales de las tres cabezas de esta Nueva Espana, y en particular en los anales que hizo el infante Quauhtlazaciulotzin, primer Senor del pueblo de Chiauhtla; y asimismo se halla en las relaciones que escribieron los infantes de la ciudad de Tezcuco, Don Pablo, Don Toribio, Don Hernando Pimentel y Juan de Pomar hijos y nietos del Rey Nezalhualpiltzintli de Tezcuco, y asimismo el infante Don Alonso Axiaicatzin Senor de Itztapalapan, hijo del rey de Cuitlahuac, y sobrino del rey Motecutzomatzin."--Ixtlilxochitl, _Historia Chichimeca_, cap. XLIX.]

[Footnote 24: In the celebrated library of J.F. Ramirez, were two folio volumes, containing 1022 pages, entitled _Anales Antiguos de Mexico y sus Contornos_. They included, besides various Spanish accounts, 27 fragments in the Nahuatl language, some translated and some not. The titles of all are given by Don Joaquin Garcia Icazbalceta, in his valuable and rare _Apuntes para un Catalogo de Escritores en Lenguas Indigenas de America_, pp. 140-142. (Mexico, 1866.)]

[Footnote 25: _Memorial del Pueblo de Teptlaustuque, en la Nueva Espana; en que se refiere su Origen i Poblacion, i de los Tributos i Servicios, antes i despues de la Conquista; todo pintado, i M.S._ En la Libreria del Rei. Antonio de Leon i Pinelo, _Bibliotheca Occidental_. The district of Tepetlaoztoc belonged to Tezcuco.]

[Footnote 26: "Don Gabriel Castaneda, Indio principal, natural de Michuacan Colomocho en la Provincia de Mejico. Escribio en Lengua Megicana, _Relacion_ de la Jornada que hizo Sandoval Acaxitli, Cacique y Senor de Tlalmanalco, con el Sr. Visorey Don Antonio de Mendoza en la Conquista de los Chichimecas de Xuchipila, 1541."--Beristain y Souza, _Biblioteca Hispano-Americana Septentrional_, s.v.]

[Footnote 27: For testimony to this interesting fact see _The Maya Chronicles_, Introduction, p. 28, note.]

[Footnote 28: _The Books of Chilan Balam, The Prophetic and Historic Records of the Mayas of Yucatan_. By Daniel G. Brinton, M.D., Philadelphia, 1882. Reprint from the _Penn Monthly_, March, 1882.]

[Footnote 29: _Library of Aboriginal American Literature_, Vol. I, p. 189. (Philadelphia, 1882.)]

[Footnote 30: An intelligent appreciation of the linguistic labors of Pio Perez was written by Dr. Berendt, in 1871, and printed in Mexico.--_Los Trabajos Linguisticos de Don Juan Pio Perez_. 8vo. pp. 6.]

[Footnote 31: _Disertacion sobre la Historia de la Lengua Maya o Yucateca_. Por Crescencio Carrillo. Published in the _Revista de Merida_, 1870.]

[Footnote 32: A fine manuscript of Vico's work, as well as a number of other productions in Cakchiquel, by the missionaries, are in the library of the American Philosophical Society, at Philadelphia.]

[Footnote 33: Tecpan Atitlan is a village on the shore of Lake Atitlan, in the province of Solola, Guatemala.]

[Footnote 34: Don Domingo Juarros, _Compendio de la Historia de la Ciudad de Guatemala_, Tomo, II pp. 6, 7, 12, 16, et al. (Ed. Guatemala, 1857). A copy of Tzumpan's writings is said to be in a private library in the United States.

The native Cakchiquel writers were also the authorities on which Father Vazquez depended, in part, in composing his history of Guatemala. He gives a partial translation of one, beginning the passage: "Los Indios de Zolola dizen en sus escritos," etc.--Fray Francisco Vazquez, _Cronica de la Provincia de Guatemala_, Lib. III, Cap. XXXVI. (Guatemala, 1714, 1716.)]

[Footnote 35: Brasseur de Bourbourg, _Bibliotheque Mexico-Guatemalienne_, p. 142. (Paris, 1871.)]

[Footnote 36: _Titulos de la Casa de Ixcuin-Nehaib, Senora del Territorio de Otzoya_. Guatemala, 1876. 8vo. pp. 15. Reprint from the _Boletin de la Sociedad Economica de Guatemala_.]

[Footnote 37: _Las Historias del Origen de los Indios de esta Provincia de Guatemala, traducidas de la lengua Quiche al Castellano_. Por el R.P.F. Francisco Ximenez. 8vo. Vienna, 1857.]

[Footnote 38: _Popol Vuh. Le Livre Sacre et les Mythes de l'Antiquite Americaine, avec les livres heroiques et historiques des Quiches_. Par l'Abbe Brasseur de Bourbourg. (Paris, 1861.)]

[Footnote 39: _The Names of the Gods in the Kiche Myths of Central America_. By Daniel G. Brinton, M.D. 8vo. pp. 37. (Philadelphia, 1881.) Reprint from the _Proceedings_ of the American Philosophical Society, 1881.]

[Footnote 40: Boturini, _Idea de una Nueva Historia de la America Septentrional_, p. 115.]

[Footnote 41: Cabrera, _Teatro Critico Americano_, p 33.]

[Footnote 42: _American Hero-Myths_, pp. 213-217. (Philadelphia, 1882.)]

[Footnote 43: On this Qquichua MS. see Marcos Jimenez de la Espada, _Tres Relaciones de Antiguedades Peruanas_. Introd. p. 34.]

[Footnote 44: _Relacion de las Costumbres Antiguas de los Naturales del Piru_, printed in the work last quoted, p. 142, note.]

[Footnote 45: "En cabildo de 29 de Julio de 1692, el capitan Don Antonio de Fuentes y Guzman trajo a esta sala siete peticiones escritas en cortezas de arboles."--Francisco de Paula Garcia Pelaez, _Memorias para la Historia del Antiguo Reyno de Guatemala_, Tom. II, p. 267. (Guatemala, 1852.)]

[Footnote 46: _O Selvagem. Trabalho Preparatorio para aproveitamento de Selvagem e de solo por elle occupado no Brazil_. Rio de Janeiro, 1876.]

[Footnote 47: _Notes on the Lingoa Geral, or Modern Tupi of the Amazonas_, in the _Transactions_ of the American Philological Association, for 1872.]

[Footnote 48: Boturini, _Idea de una Nueva Historia_, etc., App. pp. 57 et seq.; Didacus Valades, _Rhetorica Christiana_, Pars Secunda (Perusia, 1579); Gemelli Carreri, _Giro del Mundo_.]

[Footnote 49: Stephens, _Travels in Yucatan_, Vol. I, p. 449 (London, 1843).]

[Footnote 50: _Relacion de las Ceremonias y Ritos de Mechoacan_. The MS. of this work, in the Library of Congress, does not contain the Calendar which the author, in the body of the work, promises to append; nor apparently does the copy in Madrid, from which the work was printed, in Vol. 53 of the _Coleccion de Documentos Ineditos para la Historia de Espana_.]

[Footnote 51: _Pintura del Gobernador, Alcaldes y Regidores de Mexico. Codex en Geroglificos Mexicanos y en lengua Castellana y Azteca._ First published at Madrid, 1878. A specimen of the map, "Carte Geographique Azteque," is given by Professor Leon de Rosny, in _Les Documents Ecrit de l'Antiquite Americaine_, p. 70 (Paris, 1882).]

[Footnote 52: Stephens, _Travels in Yucatan_, Vol. II, p. 265, gives a Maya map of Mani. A more complete study of the subject is that of Carrillo, _Geografia Maya_, in the _Anales del Museo Nacional de Mexico_, Tom. II, p. 435.]

[Footnote 53: _Silabario de Idioma Mexicano, dispuesto por el_ Lic. Faustino Chimalpopocatl Galicia, Mexico, 1849, 8vo. pp. 16. Second edition, Mexico, 1859, 8vo. pp. 32. Also _Epitome o Modo Facil de Aprender el Idioma Nahuatl_, 12mo. pp. 124, Mexico, 1869.]

[Footnote 54: _Elementos de la Gramatica Megicana_, por Don Antonio Tobar Cano y Moctezuma. Written about 1642.]

[Footnote 55: _Confessionario Mayor y Menor en Lengua Mexicana, y Platicas contra las Supersticiones de Idolatria, que el dia de oy an quedado a los Naturales desta Nueva Espana_. Ano de 1634. Mexico. A copy of this scarce volume is in my library.]

[Footnote 56: Dr. Couto de Magalhaes remarks: "Como o nome indica, este missionario devia ser algum mestico que, com o leite materno, beben os primeiros rudimentos da grande lingua Sul-Americana."--_Origens, Costumes e Regias Selvagem_, p. 62 (Rio de Janeiro, 1876). In 1876 M. Varuhagen published, at Vienna, a _Historia da paixao de Christo e taboa dos parentescos em lingua Tupi_, written by Yapuguay, an extract, apparently, from the volume mentioned in the text. The edition was only 100 copies.]

[Footnote 57: C.F. Hartt, _On the Lingoa Geral of the Amazonas_, p. 3, in the _Transactions_ of the American Philological Association, 1872.]

[Footnote 58: _Tah-gah-jute; or, Logan and Cresap. An Historical Essay._ By Brantz Mayer. (Albany, 1867.)]

[Footnote 59: _History of the American Indians_, pp. 52, 63. (London, 1775.)]

[Footnote 60: James Howse, A Grammar of the Cree Language, p. 11. (London, 1865.)]

[Footnote 61: "Piensan que un hombre que habla sin cortarse y con soltura debe ser de una naturaleza superior y privilegiada. Por solo esta circumstancia ascienden el grado de Ghulmenes o caciques, u hombres notables." Federico Barbara, _Manual o Vocabulario de la Lengua Pampa_, p. 164. (Buenos Aires, 1879.)]

[Footnote 62: Rev. Cyrus Byington, _Grammar of the Choctaw Language_, p. 20 (Philadelphia, 1870.)]

[Footnote 63: _Huehue_, ancient; _tlatolli_, words, speeches. A special variety were the _calmecatlatolli_, the declamations which the youths of noble families were taught to deliver in the spacious halls of the _calmecac_, or public schools. "Calmeca tlatolli, palabras dichas en corredores largos. E tomase por los dichos y fictiones de los viejos antiguos." Molina, _Vocabulario de la Lengua Mexicana, sub voce_. The word _calmecac_ is a compound of _calli_, house, and _mecana_, to give, it being the building furnished by the State for purposes of public instruction.]

[Footnote 64: Fr. Juan Baptista (or Bautista), _Platicas Morales en Lengua Mexicana, intitulados Huehuetlatolli_, 8vo. Mexico (1599? or 1601?). This work is not mentioned by Icazbalceta, but is described in Berendt's notes, and a copy was sold in Paris in 1869. It is enumerated by Vetancurt, _Menologio Franciscano_, p. 446 (2d ed.).]

[Footnote 65: Olmos, _Grammaire de la Langue Nahuatl_, pp. 231 sqq. (Paris 1875.)]

[Footnote 66: _Narratives of the Rites and Laws of the Incas._ Translated by C. R. Markham. Printed for the Hackluyt Society (London, 1873).]

[Footnote 67: _Chrestomathie de la Langue Maya_, in _Etude sur le Systeme Graphique et la Langue des Mayas._ (Paris, 1870.)]

[Footnote 68: Bernal Diaz gives an interesting account of this "black sermon," as he calls it. The incident is significant, as it shows that the natives were accustomed to gather around their places of worship, to listen to addresses by the priests. See the _Historia Verdadera de la Conquista de la Nueva Espana_, Cap. XXVII. (Madrid, 1632.)]

[Footnote 69: Some judicious remarks on the origin and development of aboriginal poetry are offered by Theodore Baker, in his excellent monograph on the music of the North American Indians, but his field of view was somewhat too restricted to do the subject full justice, as, indeed, he acknowledges. _Über die Musik der Nord-Americanischen Wilden_, von Theodor Baker, pp. 6-14. (Leipzig, 1882.)]

[Footnote 70: Schoolcraft, _History, Condition and Prospects of the Indian Tribes of the United States_, vol. V, p. 559.]

[Footnote 71: _Grammaire et Vocabulaire de la Langue Taensa, avec Textes traduits et commentes_. Par J.D. Haumonte, Parisot, et L. Adam. Paris, 1882.]

[Footnote 72: "Or, i'ay assez de commerce avec la poesie pour juger cecy, que non seulement il n'y a rien de barbaric en cette imagination, mais qu'elle est tout a faict anacreontique."--_Essais de Michel de Montaigne_, Liv. I, cap. XXX, and comp. cap. XXXVI.]

[Footnote 73: "Chez les Guarayos, ces hymnes religieux et allegoriques, si riches en figures.--Il est impossible de trouver rien de plus gracieux."

"Quant a leurs poetes, le charme avec lequel ils peignent l'amour, annonce, certainement en eux, une intelligence developpee et autant d'esprit que de sensibilite."--Alcide D'Orbigny, _L'Homme Americain_, Tome I, pp. 155, 170.]

[Footnote 74: "Negli avanci, che si restano della lor Poesia, vi sono alcuni versi, ne'quali tra le parole significative si vedono frapposte certe interjezioni, o sillabe prive d'ogni significazione, e soltanto adoperate, per quel ch'appare, per aggiustarsi al metro. Il linguaggio della lor Poesia era puro, ameno, brilliante, figurato, e fregiato di frequenti comparazioni fatte colle cose piu piacevoli della natura, siccome fiori, alberi, ruscelli, &c."--_Clavigero, Storia di Messico_. Tom. II, p. 175.]

[Footnote 75: The originals of some of these poems were in the hands of Ixtlilxochitl, as is evident from his _Historia Chichimeca_, cap. XLVII.]

[Footnote 76: Sahagun, _Psalmodia Xpiana_. (Mexico, 1583?) An extremely rare book, which I have never seen. Clavigero saw a copy, and thinks it was printed about 1540. _Storia di Messico_, Tom. II, p, 178, Note.]

[Footnote 77: It is mentioned by Icazbalceta, _Apuntes para un Catalogo de Escritores en Lenguas Indigenas de America_, p. 146. (Mexico, 1866.) There are, however, two copies of it extant, somewhere.]

[Footnote 78: See Mr. Clements R. Markham's Introductions to his edition of the _Ollanta_ drama (London, 1871); and to his _Qquichua Grammar and Dictionary_ (London, 1864).]

[Footnote 79: "I'en demeurai tout rauy; mais aussi toutes les fois qu'il m'en ressouuient, le coeur m'en tressaillant, il me semble que ie les aye encor aux oreilles."--Jean de Lery, _Histoire d'un voyage faict en la terre du Bresil, autrement dite Amerique_, pp. 258, 286. (Geneve, 1585.)]

[Footnote 80: See his _Origens, Costumes e Regiaeo Selvagem_, pp. 78-82, 140-147. (Rio de Janeiro, 1876.)]

[Footnote 81: Spix and Martius, _Reise in Brasilien, Brasilianische Volkslieder und Indianische Melodien, Musikbeilage_.]

[Footnote 82: _Une Fete Bresilienne celebree a Rouen en 1550 suivie d'un Fragment du XVI'e Siecle roulant sur la Theogonie des anciens Peuples du Bresil et des Poesies en Langue Tupique, de Christovam Valente_. Par Ferdinand Denis, pp. 36-51, 98, sqq. (Paris, 1850.)]

[Footnote 83: The Arawack language, which is now spoken in Guiana only, at the time of the discovery extended over the Greater and Lesser Antilles and the Bahama Islands, as I have shown in an essay on _The Arawack Language of Guiana in its Linguistic and Ethnological Relations_, in the _Transactions_ of the American Philosophical Society, 1870.]

[Footnote 84: _The Memoirs of Lieutenant Henry Timberlake_, p. 80 (London 1765).]

[Footnote 85: In the ancient Qquichua literature the tragic dramas were called _huancay_; those of a comic nature, _aranhuay_. Both were composed in assonant verses of six and eight syllables, which were not sung or chanted, but repeated with dramatic intonation.]

[Footnote 86: On the bibliography of the drama see Zegarra, _Ollantai, Drame en Vers Quechuas du temps des Incas_, Introd. p. CLXXIII. (Paris, 1878.) The English translation is by Clements R. Markham, _Ollanta, an Ancient Ynca Drama_ (London, 1871).]

[Footnote 87: The recent attempt of General Don Bartolome Mitre, of Buenos Ayres, to discredit the antiquity of the Ollanta drama (in the _Nueva Revista de Buenos Ayres_, 1881), has been most thoroughly and conclusively refuted by Mr. Clements R. Markham, in the volume of the Hackluyt Society's Publications for 1883.]

[Footnote 88: _Rabinal-Achi, ou le Drame Ballet du Tun_, published as an appendix to the _Grammaire de la Langue Quiche_ (Paris, 1862). The Abbe Brasseur asserts that he wrote down this drama from verbal information, at the village of Rabinal in Guatemala; but a note by Dr. Berendt in my possession characterizes this statement as incorrect, and adds: "Brasseur found the MS. all written, in the hands of an hacendado, on the road from Guatemala to Chiapas. The original exists still in the same place." It was a weakness with the Abbe to throw, designedly, considerable obscurity about his authorities and the sources of his knowledge.]

* * * * *

INDEX.

Names of native authors and productions are in _italics_.

Abolachi Adair, James Adam, L. Algonkins _Alva, B. de_ _Anales de Cuauhtitlan_ Anales del Museo Nacional _Apes, Rev. Wm._ Araucanians Arawacks Atitlan, Lake Aubin, M. Avila, F. de _Ayala, G, de_ Aymaras Aztecs

Baker, T. Barbara, Fed. Bautista, J. de Beach, W.W. Beaver Indians Berendt, C.H. Beristain y Souza _Book of the Jew_ _Book of Rites_ _Books of Chilan Balam_ Boturini, L. _Boudinot, Elias_ Brasseur de Bourbourg, Abbe Brinton, D.G. Byington, Rev. C.

Cabrera, P.F. Cakchiquels Californian Indians _Camargo, D.M._ Carochi, H. Carreri, G. Carrillo, Rev. C. _Cartas de Indias_ _Castaneda, G._ _Chac Xulub Chen_, Chronicle of Chahta-Muskokees Chapanec language _Chekilli_ _Cherokee Phoenix_ Cherokees Chiapas Chichimecs Chignavincelut _Chilan Balam, Books of_ Chili, Tribes of _Chimalpain, D. Munon_ _Chimalpopoca, F, Lic._ Chippeways Choctaws Chorotegan language _Clark, P. Dooyentate_ Clavigero, F.S. _Codex, Aztec_ _Codex, Chimalpopoca_ Cogolludo, D. _Copway, George_ Couto de Magalhaes, Dr. _Coy, Domingo_ Creeks Crees Cuoq, M. Cushing, F.H. _Cusick, David_

Dakotas Delawares Denis, F. Diaz, B. D'Orbigny, A. Dorsey, J.O.

Eskimo

Field, T.W. Franca, Dr. E.F. Fuentes y Guzman

Garcia, A. Gatschet, A.S. Gavarrete, Sr. _Gomez, F._ Guarani language Guarayos _Gueegueence, The_

Hale, H. Hartt, C.F. Hiawatha Hidatsa Indians Howse, J. Humboldt, A. Humboldt, W. von Huron-Iroquois

Icazbalceta, J.G. Iroquois Iroquois Book of Rites _Ixtlilxochitl, F. de A._ _Izquin, F._

_Japuguay, Nic._ _Jew, The Book of the_ Jimenez de la Espada _Johnson, Elias_ _Jones, Rev. Peter_ Juarros, Dom.

Kaladlit _Kaondinoketc, F._ Kekchi language Kiches Klamaths

Landa, Bishop Latinists, Indian _La Vega, Garcilasso de_ Leon i Pinelo, Ant. Lery, Jean de Lingoa Geral _Loaysa, F. de_ _Logan's Speech_ _Logas, The_ _Luis Inca_

_Macario, J._ _Macho-Raton, The_ Mangue language _Maps, Native_ Matthews, Dr. W. Mayer, Brantz Markham, C.R. Martius, C. von Mayas _Maya Chronicles, The_ Mendoza, Ant., de Mendoza, G. Mexicans Michoacan Milfort, Gen. Mitre, B. Molina, A. Montaigne, M. Motolinia, T. de Moxos Muskokees Muyscas

Nahuatl Language Nahuatl-Spanish Dialect _Nakuk Pech_ _Nehaib, Titles of_ _Nezahualcoyotl_ _Nezahualpilli_ Nicaraguans Nipissings Nunez de la Vega.

Ojibways _Ollanta, The_ _Ollita, The_ Olmos, Andre de Omahas Oviedo, F.

_Pachacuti, Don J._ Pampas, Tribes of _Pasiones, Las_ Pelaez, F.P. Garcia Pequods Perez, Juan Pio Peruvians _Pimentel, Ant._ _Pimentel, H._ Pipils Pocomans _Pok_ _Ponce, Pedro_ _Pomar, J. de_ _Popol Vuh, The_ Powers, S. _Prophecies of Mayas_

_Queh, F.T.G._ Quiches, see _Kiches_ Qquichuas Quipus

_Rabinal Achi_ Rafinesque, C.S. Ramirez, J.F. Rink, Dr. H. _Rosa, A. de la_ Rosny, Leon de

Sahagun, B. de Salazar, F.C. _San Antonio, J. de_ Sanchez Solis, F. Scherzer, C. Schoolcraft, H.R. _Sequoyah_ Simeon, Remi Sioux Six Nations Smith, B. Solola, Province Squier, E.G.

Taensas _Tanner, J._ Tarascos _Tecpan Atitlan_ Tezcuco _Tezozomoc, F. de A._ Theologia Indorum Thomas, C. Timberlake, H. Timucuana Tlatilulco, College of _Tlaxcallan, History of_ _Tobar, Ant_. _Tomar, J.B. de_ _Tonalamatl, The_ _Torres, J._ Tupis Tuscaroras _Tzolante, The_ Tzendals _Tzumpan, F.G.C._

Valades, D. _Valeriano, Antonio_ Varnhagen, M. Vazquez, F. Vetancurt, A. de Vico, Domingo de Viracocha _Votan_

_Walum Olum_ Ward, Dr. Wyandotts

_Xahila, F.E.A._ Ximenez, F.

_Zacicoxol, the_ _Zapata y Mendoza, J.V._ Zapotecs Zegarra, G.P. Zoque language Zunis

* * * * *

Library of Aboriginal American Literature.

General Editor and Publisher, DANIEL G. BRINTON, M.D.,

115 South Seventh St., Philadelphia, Pa., United States.

The European Market will be supplied by

NICHOLAS TRÜBNER & CO., 57 & 59 Ludgate Hill, London, England.

_The aim of this series is to put within the reach of scholars authentic materials for the study of the languages, history and culture of the native races of North and South America. Each of the works selected will be the production of a native author, and will be printed in the original tongue, with an English translation and notes. Most of them will be from unpublished manuscripts, and they will form a series indispensable to the future student of American archaeology, ethnology or linguistics. They will be printed FROM TYPE, AND IN LIMITED EDITIONS ONLY. The volumes will be sold SEPARATELY, at moderate prices, either in paper or bound in cloth. They will all be planted on heavy laid paper, of the best quality. The following have already appeared_:--

* * * * *

NO. I. THE MAYA CHRONICLES.

Edited by DANIEL G. BRINTON, M.D.

1 vol., 8vo, pp. 279. Price, paper, $3.00; cloth, $3.50.

This volume contains five brief chronicles in the Maya language of Yucatan, written shortly after the Conquest, and carrying the history of that people back many centuries. To these is added a history of the Conquest, written in his native tongue, by a Maya Chief, in 1562. The texts are preceded by an introduction on the history of the Mayas; their language, calendar, numeral system, etc.; and a vocabulary is added at the close.

NOTICES OF THE PRESS.

"We hope that Dr. Brinton will receive every encouragement in his labors to disclose to Americans these literary antiquities of the Continent. He eminently deserves it, both by the character of his undertaking and the quality of his work."--_The American_ (Phila.)

"It would be difficult to praise too highly the task Dr. Brinton has set before him. Prepared by long studies in the same field, he does not undertake the work as a novice. ... There should be no hesitation among those who wish well to American antiquarianism in subscribing to the series edited and published by Dr. Brinton."--_The Critic_.

"Dr. Brinton's work upon the history of the Mayas or Aborigines of Yucatan [the "Maya Chronicles"] is a most important contribution to the literature of American antiquities. ... Comparative linguists, as well as archaeologists, will find a new and very interesting subject of study in these remains."--_The Saturday Review_ (London).

"The efforts of Dr. Brinton will be welcomed by all antiquarian students, for they are not only original contributions, but are also presented in a readable and interesting manner."--_The American Antiquarian_.

* * * * *

No. II. The IROQUOIS BOOK OF RITES.

Edited by HORATIO HALE, Esq.

1 vol., 8vo. Price, paper, $3.00; cloth, $3.50.

The "BOOK OF RITES" is a native composition, which was preserved orally for centuries, and was written down about a century ago. It gives the speeches, songs and ceremonies which were rehearsed when a chief died and his successor was appointed. The fundamental laws of the League, a list of their ancient towns, and the names of the chiefs who composed their first council, are also comprised in the work. It may be said to carry the authentic history of Northern America back to a period fifty years earlier than the era of Columbus. The introductory essay treats of the ethnology and history of the Huron-Iroquois League and its founders, the origin of the Book of Rites, the composition of the Federal Council, the clan system, the laws of the League, and the Iroquois character, public policy, and language.

NOTICES OF THE PRESS AND OF EMINENT WRITERS.

"This work may be said to open a field of Indian research new to ethnologists. ... These precious relics of antiquity are concise in their wording, and full of meaning. ... The additions made by Mr. Hall are almost as valuable as the texts themselves."--_The Nation_ New York, September 13, 1883.

"The reputation of the author, added to this fascinating title, will insure its favorable reception, not only by ethnologists, but also, the reading public. ... A remarkable discovery, and indisputably of great ethnological value. ... A book which is as suggestive as this must bear good fruit."--_Science_, August 31,1883.

"The work contains much new material of permanent interest and value to the historical scholar and the scientist. ... "--_The Magazine of American History_, September, 1883.

"In this Book of Rites we have poetry, law, history, tradition and genealogy, interesting and valuable for many reasons...."--_Good Literature_, August 18, 1883.

"The Book of Rites is edited by the eminent philologist, Mr. Horatio Hale, who has done so much to elucidate the whole subject of Indian ethnography and migrations, with the argument derived from language in connection with established tradition; and especially to disentangle Iroquois history from its complications with the legends of their mythology."--_Auburn Daily Advertiser_, July 21, 1883.

"The book is one of great ethnological value, in the light it casts on the political and social life, as well as the character and capacity, of the people with whom it originated."--_Popular Science Monthly_, November 1883.

"It is a philosophical and masterly treatise on the Iroquois league and the cognate tribes, their relations, language, mental characteristics and polity, such as we have never had of any nation of this Continent...."--_Dr. J. Gilmary Shea_.

"It is full of instructive hints, particularly as bearing on the state of so-called savages before they are brought in contact with so-called civilized men. Such evidence is, from the nature of the case, very difficult to obtain, and therefore all the more valuable...."--_Prof. F. Max Mueller_.

"It gives us a much clearer insight into the formation and workings of the Iroquois league than we before possessed."--_Hon. George S. Conover_.

"It contains more that is authentic and new, of the Iroquois nations, than any other single work with which I am acquainted."--_Rev. Charles Hawley, D.D._

* * * * *

No. III. THE COMEDY-BALLET OF GÜEGÜENCE.

Edited by DANIEL G. BRINTON, M.D.

1 vol., 8vo. Paper, $2.00; Cloth, $2.50.

A curious and unique specimen of the native comic dances, with dialogues, called _bailes_, formerly common in Central America. It is in the mixed Nahuatl-Spanish jargon of Nicaragua, and shows distinctive features of native authorship. The Introduction treats of the ethnology of Nicaragua, and the local dialects, musical instruments, and dramatic representations of that section of our continent. A map and a number of illustrations are added.

Other important works, in various native languages, are in the course of preparation, under competent editorship.

Of these may be mentioned--

THE NATIONAL LEGEND OF THE CREEKS. Edited by A.S. GATSCHET.

The original account, written in 1735; an English translation, and a re-translation into the Creek language, in which it was originally delivered, by an educated native, and into the Hitchiti, a dialect cognate to the Creek.

THE ANNALS OF THE KAKCHIQUELS. By ERNANTEZ XAHILA.

These chronicles are the celebrated _Memorial de Tecpan Atitlan_ so often quoted by the late Abbe Brasseur de Bourbourg. They are invaluable for the ancient history and mythology of Gautemalan nations, and are of undoubted authenticity and antiquity.

THE ANNALS OF QUAUHTITLAN. Edited by A.F. BANDELIER.

The original Aztec text, with a new translation. This is also known as the _Codex Chimalpopoca_. It is one of the most curious and valuable documents in Mexican archaeology.

ABORIGINAL AMERICAN ANTHOLOGY. Edited by DANIEL G. BRINTON, M.D.

A collection of the songs, chants and metrical compositions of the Indians, designed to display the emotional and imaginative powers of the race and the prosody of their languages.

* * * * *

_The following two works are not portions of the series, but are related to it by their contents. They may be obtained from the same publishers_.

AMERICAN HERO-MYTHS.

A STUDY in the NATIVE RELIGIONS of the WESTERN CONTINENT.

By DANIEL G. BRINTON, A.M., M.D., etc.

1 vol., 8vo, pp. 251. (Philad'a, 1882.) Cloth, Price, $1.75.

NOTICES OF THE PRESS.

"Dr. Brinton writes from a minute and extended knowledge of the original sources. ... His work renders a signal service to the cause of comparative mythology in our country."--_The Literary World_ (Boston).

"This study of certain of the most remarkable stories of American mythology is exceedingly interesting."--_The Saturday Review_ (London).

"In his 'American Hero-Myths' Dr. Brinton gives us the clue to the religious thought of the aboriginal Races. ... It is a learned and careful book, clearly written, popular in style though scientific in method, and must be a good deal fresher than a novel to most readers."--_The American_ (Philadelphia).

"This volume is the first attempt at what is entitled to be regarded as a critically accurate presentation of the fundamental conceptions found in the native beliefs of the tribes of America."--_The New England Bibliopolist_.

"This is a thoughtful and original contribution to the science of comparative religion."--_The Boston Journal_.

"We regard the 'Hero Myths' as a valuable contribution to the history of religion and to comparative mythology."--_The Teacher_ (Philadelphia).

"...These few extracts give no idea of the mass of legends in this volume, and the queer, out-of-the-way information it supplies concerning the ideas and usages of races now extinct or hastening to extinction."--_The Dublin Evening Mail_.

"Dr. Brinton, in his 'American Hero-Myths,' has applied the comparative method soberly, and backed it by solid research in the original authors."--_The Critic_ (New York).

ABORIGINAL AMERICAN AUTHORS, AND THEIR PRODUCTIONS.

Especially those in the Native Languages. A Contribution to the History of Literature.

By DANIEL G. BRINTON, A.M., M.D., etc.

1 vol., 8vo, pp. 63. Boards. Price, $1.00.

An essay founded on an address presented to the Congress of Americanists, at Copenhagen, in 1883. It is an extended review of the literary efforts of the red race, in their own tongues, and in English, Latin and Spanish (both manuscript and printed). An entirely novel field of inquiry is opened to view, of equal interest to ethnologists, linguists and historians.

End of Project Gutenberg's Aboriginal American Authors, by Daniel G. Brinton