Part 3 (1/2)
CONTENTS.
Nomenclature of linguistic families 7 Literature relating to the cla.s.sification of Indian languages 12 Linguistic map 25 Indian tribes sedentary 30 Population 33 Tribal land 40 Village sites 40 Agricultural land 41 Hunting claims 42 Summary of deductions 44 Linguistic families 45 Adaizan family 45 Algonquian family 47 Algonquian area 47 Princ.i.p.al Algonquian tribes 48 Population 48 Athapascan family 51 Boundaries 52 Northern group 53 Pacific group 53 Southern group 54 Princ.i.p.al tribes 55 Population 55 Attacapan family 56 Beothuakan family 57 Geographic distribution 58 Caddoan family 58 Northern group 60 Middle group 60 Southern group 60 Princ.i.p.al tribes 61 Population 62 Chimakuan family 62 Princ.i.p.al tribes 63 Chimarikan family 63 Princ.i.p.al tribes 63 Chimmesyan family 63 Princ.i.p.al tribes or villages 64 Population 64 Chinookan family 65 Princ.i.p.al tribes 66 Population 66 Chitimachan family 66 Chumashan family 67 Population 68 Coahuiltecan family 68 Princ.i.p.al tribes 69 Copehan family 69 Geographic distribution 69 Princ.i.p.al tribes 70 Costanoan family 70 Geographic distribution 71 Population 71 Eskimauan family 71 Geographic distribution 72 Princ.i.p.al tribes and villages 74 Population 74 Esselenian family 75 Iroquoian family 76 Geographic distribution 77 Princ.i.p.al tribes 79 Population 79 Kalapooian family 81 Princ.i.p.al tribes 82 Population 82 Karankawan family 82 Keresan family 83 Villages 83 Population 83 Kiowan family 84 Population 84 Kitunahan family 85 Tribes 85 Population 85 Koluschan family 85 Tribes 87 Population 87 Kulanapan family 87 Geographic distribution 88 Tribes 88 Kusan family 89 Tribes 89 Population 89 Lutuamian family 89 Tribes 90 Population 90 Mariposan family 90 Geographic distribution 91 Tribes 91 Population 91 Moquelumnan family 92 Geographic distribution 93 Princ.i.p.al tribes 93 Population 93 Muskhogean family 94 Geographic distribution 94 Princ.i.p.al tribes 95 Population 95 Natchesan family 95 Princ.i.p.al tribes 97 Population 97 Palaihnihan family 97 Geographic distribution 98 Princ.i.p.al tribes 98 Piman family 98 Princ.i.p.al tribes 99 Population 99 Pujunan family 99 Geographic distribution 100 Princ.i.p.al tribes 100 Quoratean family 100 Geographic distribution 101 Tribes 101 Population 101 Salinan family 101 Population 102 Salishan family 102 Geographic distribution 104 Princ.i.p.al tribes 104 Population 105 Sastean family 105 Geographic distribution 106 Shahaptian family 106 Geographic distribution 107 Princ.i.p.al tribes and population 107 Shoshonean family 108 Geographic distribution 109 Princ.i.p.al tribes and population 110 Siouan family 111 Geographic distribution 112 Princ.i.p.al tribes 114 Population 116 Skittagetan family 118 Geographic distribution 120 Princ.i.p.al tribes 120 Population 121 Takilman family 121 Geographic distribution 121 Taoan family 121 Geographic distribution 122 Population 123 Timuquanan family 123 Geographic distribution 123 Princ.i.p.al tribes 124 Tonikan family 125 Geographic distribution 125 Tonkawan family 125 Geographic distribution 125 Uchean family 126 Geographic distribution 126 Population 127 Waiilatpuan family 127 Geographic distribution 127 Princ.i.p.al tribes 127 Population 128 Wakashan family 128 Geographic distribution 130 Princ.i.p.al Aht tribes 130 Population 130 Princ.i.p.al Haeltzuk tribes 131 Population 131 Washoan family 131 Weitspekan family 131 Geographic distribution 132 Tribes 132 Wishoskan family 132 Geographic distribution 133 Tribes 133 Yakonan family 133 Geographic distribution 134 Tribes 134 Population 135 Yanan family 135 Geographic distribution 135 Yukian family 135 Geographic distribution 136 Yuman family 136 Geographic distribution 137 Princ.i.p.al tribes 138 Population 138 Zuian family 138 Geographic distribution 139 Population 139 Concluding remarks 139
ILl.u.s.tRATION
Plate I. Map. Linguistic stocks of North America north of Mexico.
In pocket at end of volume
[Transcribers Note:
The Map is available in the images directory accompanying the html version of this file. There are two sizes in addition to the thumbnail:
mapsmall.jpg: 615732 pixels (about 911 in / 2328 cm, 168K) maplarge.jpg: 15211818 pixels (about 2227 in / 5670 cm, 1MB)]
INDIAN LINGUISTIC FAMILIES.
By J. W. POWELL.
NOMENCLATURE OF LINGUISTIC FAMILIES.
The languages spoken by the pre-Columbian tribes of North America were many and diverse. Into the regions occupied by these tribes travelers, traders, and missionaries have penetrated in advance of civilization, and civilization itself has marched across the continent at a rapid rate. Under these conditions the languages of the various tribes have received much study. Many extensive works have been published, embracing grammars and dictionaries; but a far greater number of minor vocabularies have been collected and very many have been published. In addition to these, the Bible, in whole or in part, and various religious books and school books, have been translated into Indian tongues to be used for purposes of instruction; and newspapers have been published in the Indian languages. Altogether the literature of these languages and that relating to them are of vast extent.
While the materials seem thus to be abundant, the student of Indian languages finds the subject to be one requiring most thoughtful consideration, difficulties arising from the following conditions:
(1) A great number of linguistic stocks or families are discovered.
(2) The boundaries between the different stocks of languages are not immediately apparent, from the fact that many tribes of diverse stocks have had more or less a.s.sociation, and to some extent linguistic materials have been borrowed, and thus have pa.s.sed out of the exclusive possession of cognate peoples.
(3) Where many peoples, each few in number, are thrown together, an intertribal language is developed. To a large extent this is gesture speech; but to a limited extent useful and important words are adopted by various tribes, and out of this material an intertribal jargon is established. Travelers and all others who do not thoroughly study a language are far more likely to acquire this jargon speech than the real speech of the people; and the tendency to base relations.h.i.+p upon such jargons has led to confusion.
(4) This tendency to the establishment of intertribal jargons was greatly accelerated on the advent of the white man, for thereby many tribes were pushed from their ancestral homes and tribes were mixed with tribes. As a result, new relations and new industries, especially of trade, were established, and the new a.s.sociations of tribe with tribe and of the Indians with Europeans led very often to the development of quite elaborate jargon languages. All of these have a tendency to complicate the study of the Indian tongues by comparative methods.
The difficulties inherent in the study of languages, together with the imperfect material and the complicating conditions that have arisen by the spread of civilization over the country, combine to make the problem one not readily solved.
In view of the amount of material on hand, the comparative study of the languages of North America has been strangely neglected, though perhaps this is explained by reason of the difficulties which have been pointed out. And the attempts which have been made to cla.s.sify them has given rise to much confusion, for the following reasons: First, later authors have not properly recognized the work of earlier laborers in the field.
Second, the attempt has more frequently been made to establish an ethnic cla.s.sification than a linguistic cla.s.sification, and linguistic characteristics have been confused with biotic peculiarities, arts, habits, customs, and other human activities, so that radical differences of language have often been ignored and slight differences have been held to be of primary value.
The attempts at a cla.s.sification of these languages and a corresponding cla.s.sification of races have led to the development of a complex, mixed, and inconsistent synonymy, which must first be unraveled and a selection of standard names made therefrom according to fixed principles.
It is manifest that until proper rules are recognized by scholars the establishment of a determinate nomenclature is impossible. It will therefore be well to set forth the rules that have here been adopted, together with brief reasons for the same, with the hope that they will commend themselves to the judgment of other persons engaged in researches relating to the languages of North America.