ETHNOLOGY. 



ON TUE LANGUAGE OF THE ABOBIGIXAL INDIANS OF AMERICA. 



By George Gibbs. 



Amoiig- the questions submitted for cousideration at tbo meeting 

 of tbe American Pbilological Convention in July, 1SG9, was tbe fol- 

 lowing : " What more efficient measures can be taken to preserve 

 from destruction tbe languages of tbe aboriginal Indians of America ? " 

 Tbis communication embodies tbe substance of my individual views, as 

 tben offered, and I now take tbe liberty of presenting tbem to your 

 consideration in tbe belief tbat tbe Smithsonian Institution possesses 

 tbe only appliances adequate to the task. 



Tbe iutroduction to tbis topic might suggest an account of what has 

 already been done in tbe collection of materials on those languages; but 

 tbis would involve a multitude of details, chiefly the names of books, 

 to criticise which would be out of place. A very full catalogue of all dic- 

 tionaries, vocabularies, grammars, and grammatical notices prior to tbe 

 year 1858, was compiled by Dr. Hermann E. Ludewig, and pubbshed in 

 Lor.don by tbe Messrs. Triibner, with corrections by the late Professor 

 Turner. From this it appears that, with tbe exception of a compara- 

 tively small number of languages, out of over thirty distinct families 

 enumerated by Mr. Gallatin, and not including those of Texas, New 

 Mexico, Arizona, or the Mexican States, there are no grammars or dic- 

 tionaries worthy of those names. Of the rest of those north of the pres- 

 ent Mexican line nearly all that we have consist of mere word vocabu- 

 laries, such as have served for tbe comparisons by which tbe various fiimi- 

 lies have been distinguished. These are for the most part confined to 

 the forms adopted by Mr. Gallatin, and are either of sixty or at most 

 one hundred and eighty words, too few to allow any but very close 

 afhuities to be recognized, and many of tbe words ill adapted even to 

 tbat object. Without disparaging labors of this kind, a very necessary 

 preliminary to further examination, it is certain tbat they do not fill tbe 

 requirements of philological science at tbe present day. Tbe collections 

 already published, and those in manuscript in tbe possession of tbe 

 Smithsonian Institution, soon to be put to press, cover nearly tbe whole 

 of the American and British possessions, with the exception of a few 

 New Mexican pueblos and some scattered and unascertained tribes. 

 With tbe publication of these last, what may be considered as tbe pri- 

 mary classification of tbe Indian tribes in those territories, on the basis 

 of linguistic affinity, is about complete. To go beyond this some new 

 standard is required. 



