REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 47 



It was found iinprac'tii-ahle, on account of tlie restricted reHources of the Bureau, to 

 provide for all the hranches of work referred to in the plan of operations for the 

 year. The transcription of the Motul Dictionary was not taken up, and the (-ataloj^u- 

 inp of l)ooks and photographic negatives has not receive*! the attention it deserves. 

 The lack of a permanent force suthcient to cover all the ground was, however, com- 

 pensated for in part by the temporary employment of special expert help in direc- 

 tions where such help could be made most effective. 



EXPOSITION WORK. 



The preparation of an exhibit for the Louisiana Purchase Exposition, begun dur- 

 ing the i)receding year, was continued, and completed shortly after the opening of 

 the exposition in May. This work was under the personal supervision of the Cliief, 

 who at the same time Jiad charge of the preparation of an extensive exhibit for the 

 Department of Anthropology of the United States National Museum. The allot- 

 ment of $2,000, made by the Government Board for the Bureau exhibit, was too 

 small to warrant the assemblage of an extensive disijlay; moreover, the space 

 assigned was extremely scant, and it was decided to confine the exhibit to illustra- 

 tions of the present field researches of the ethnological corps of the Bureau. 



Seeking a subject that would be well within the range of the Bureau's legitimate 

 field and yet susceptible of effective presentation by means of oV>jective material, it 

 was decided to take up and illustrate as the chief topic the mythic symbolism of 

 various tribes as embodied in their decorative arts. Prominent among the concepts 

 thus embodied are the various forms of animal and plant life, clouds, lightning, 

 rain, sun, moon, and stars, as well as various monsters existing only in the imagina- 

 tion. These motives are interwoven with the thought and life of the people, and are 

 introduced freely into their various arts. The forms taken by them are exceedingly 

 varied, undergoing modifications with the different peoples, and takine distinct 

 forms in each art according to the nature and form of the object, the method 

 employed in execution, and the purpose in view. 



In selecting the exhibits only the most important symbolic concepts of the tribes 

 represented were chosen, and for each of these concepts a group of exhibits was 

 assembled, consisting of a limited number of specimens of native workmanship in 

 carving, modeling, painting, and engraving, and a series of the native designs drawn 

 out in colors on a flat surface and associated with the specimens in the exhibit a^ a 

 means of further elucidating the strange modifications everywhere displayed. 



The series of motives selected to illustrate the symbolic decoration of the Zuiiis 

 include the Vjird, the butterfly, the cornflower insect, the dragon fly, the serpent, the 

 frog and the tadpole, and the mountain lion; the human form and various monsters; 

 vegetable forms; and sundry cosmic phenomena, such as clouds, lightning, rain, sun, 

 moon, stars, and the planets. Doctor Swanton selected from the art of the Northwest 

 coast tribes a series of very interesting subjects, including the killer whale, the hawk, 

 the eagle, the thunderbird, and other monsters of the land and the sea. Doctor 

 Fewkes presented the very artistic symbolism of the ancient tribes of Tusayan in 

 series of illustrations, including the human form, the serpent, the mountain lion, the 

 frog and tadpole, the butterfly, the bird, the sunflower, and the heavenly bodies. 



These exhibits were supplemented by a series of designs and objects selected by 

 Dr. Franz Boas to illustrate the varied symbolism associated with a given motive or 

 design by different tribes and peoples. 



In addition to these systematic exhibits, two other important collections were pre- 

 sented. The archeological researches of Doctor Fewkes in the West Indies were 

 represented by a large series of typical relics of art in stone, bone, shell, wood, and 

 clay, selected from the extensive collections made during three winters' research 



