THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION. 295 



women do not necessarily inhabit the same hut, or even live in the 

 same neighborhood. Property docs not descend from father to son, 

 but goes to the nephew of the decedent, or, in default of a neidiew, to 

 the niece ; so that the father may be rich, and upon his death his 

 children become beggars; but if, while living, he distributes his prop- 

 erty to his children, that disposition is recognised. 



Captives taken in their forays are usually treated kindly. Those 

 who have been some years among them, for the most part prefer re- 

 maining rather than join their own kindred. Those who do leave 

 them are generally such as doubtless have been punished for their 

 own misdeeds, and are such^ judging from what we have seen, as 

 would be a nuisance to any community, however savage — surpassingly 

 idle, lazy, and vicious. 



Hospitality exists among these Indians to a great extent, all being 

 said to share whatever food they may have with any one who visits 

 them. Nor are these people cruel, in the usual acceptation of the word 

 as applied to barbarous nations. They are treacherous ; they will 

 steal, and will not hesitate to kill, when by so doing their pur- 

 poses are more easily accomplished ; but they are not prone to murder 

 for the mere love of taking life. 



They have frequent gatherings for dancing, and are fond of games 

 of skill, and of chance — the latter being more in vogue than the former, 

 as they are greatly addicted to gambling, often risking everything 

 upon the issue of a single g;ame. One game is played somewhat on 

 the principle of gambling with dice. Their singing is but a succes- 

 sion of grunts, and is anything but agreeable. 



In speaking of these people we liave been compelled to differ in 

 many respects from what has been written concerning their man- 

 ners and customs, and mode of life. "A character has been given 

 them (Transactions of the American Ethnological Society, vol. 2) 

 that would do honor to a civilized and christianized community for 

 industry, morals, and intelligence. We hazard nothing in the asser- 

 tion that they are neither an industrious, moral, nor a civilized peo- 

 ple. In the whole nation one or two may be found who are reliable 

 men, considering they are Navajo Indians, who would not falsify 

 merely for the sake of falsifying, or steal for the love of stealing ; but 

 we would not advise any one to place confidence in even the best of 

 these people, lest he should find himself leaning on a reed easily 

 broken. 



The lack of traditions is a source of surprise. They have no knowl- 

 edge of their origin, or of the history of the tribe. If they are a branch 

 of the raceof people who attained such a high degree of civilization in 

 Mexico, they have greatly degenerated, and would scarcely be recog- 

 nised by their more polished brethren. Upon this head all is in- 

 volved in obscurity and doubt, though there is no want of fanciful 

 speculation. Resemblances have been found, where, upon more care- 

 ful inquiry, it is impossible to find the faintest trace ; old dilapidated 

 buildings, evidently of Spanish origin, have been searched throughout 

 their length, breadth, and height, for vestiges of a by-gone race. 

 Pieces of broken pottery have been closely scrutinized, wisely pondered 



