THE 



CANADIAN NATURALIST 



AND 



(^imiltrly |ouvnal 0! Science. 



ON THE ORIGIN OF SOME AMERICAN INDIAN 



TRIBES. 



By John Campbell, M.A. 



Member of the Canadian Institute, Society of Biblical Archaeology, Institution 

 Ethnographique. Correspondant de la Societe Anierieaine de France, Ddle- 

 gue du Congres International des Americanistes, Hon. Loc. Sec. Victoria 

 Institute, &c., Professor in the Presbyterian College, Montreal. 



After all the time and talent that have been devoted to 

 the study of aboriginal American languages and antiquities, 

 the materials collected, the societies formed for their investio-a- 

 tion, the books written, it is disappointing to find that no one 

 Indian tribe has been satisfactorily connected with any people of 

 the Old World. This phenomenon is capable of explanation in 

 one of three ways ; either by the fact that the aborigines of this 

 continent are autochthones ; or, that they represent an ancient 

 Btock which has entirely disappeared from the older abodes of 

 humanity ; or, finally, by the imperfect and unscientific methods 

 that have been employed in all attempts hitherto made to unite 

 the populations of the two hemispheres. The first of these ex- 

 planations is virtually contained in Agassiz' doctrine of Fauna] 

 Centres, no fewer than six of which he found in America. It 

 accords with the traditions of some Indian families, for Dr. 

 Oronhyatekha, a Mohawk, holds that all the Iroquois legends 

 '' teach that the red man was created upon this continent." 

 Catlin, the artist and traveller, saw no necessity for showino* 

 that the aborigines of North America ever came here from any 

 other part of the world ; and Mr. Hubert Bancroft appears to 



Vol. IX. X Mo. 2. 



