1 1 8 HarsJiberger. — Maize : 



they came in contact in their settlements and migrations ; 

 (4) because the Incas occupying a northern location, at first 

 near the [great Panama trade route, at a later date spread 

 their sway to the far south, carrying the germs of agriculture 

 and the rudiments of the arts to the barbarous tribes in the 

 Bolivian and Chilian highlands, and this argues for a com- 

 paratively recent development of their civilization and agri- 

 culture, for in Mexico all the tribes practiced agriculture, but 

 in South America, among the wild tribes, agriculture was yet 

 in its incipient stage. 



E. Philological Proofs, 



Language is important in determining the culture, migra- 

 tion and evolution of races of men. The study of the Aryan, 

 or Indo-European, tongues has thrown a flood of light upon 

 the early history of the European and Asiatic races. When 

 the American languages shall have been studied with the 

 same thoroughness and care, equally valuable results will be 

 obtained. 



De Candolle has shown that the study of language aids in 

 determining the origin of our cultivated plants and their 

 subsequent distribution. It is likely, therefore, that a com- 

 parison of Indian names for maize will, aid in determining 

 the primitive home of the cereal and its carriage through the 

 American continental areas. 



The Algonquian family, numerous in tribes, was spread 

 over a vast territory in Canada and the United States. All 

 the tribes have a common root for maize. This points to the 

 knowledge of corn by the Algonquins while they still formed 

 one nation. It is probable that the primitive seat of the 

 undivided Algonquins was near the great lakes, and the dis- 

 persion occurred in two directions, one wing extending into 

 the northwest, the other to the east and northeast. The 

 use of maize was learned, in all probability, while the nation 

 occupied their[undivided home. " The root min or mvin is a 

 generic suffix applied to all sorts of small fruits, 1 and when 



1 Rrinton, The Lenape and their Legends, 48. 



