254 SYSTEMS OF C 01^ S AJS GUINIT Y AND AFFINITY 



CHAPTER VI. 



SYSTEM OF RELATIONSHIP OF THE GANOWAXIAN FAMILY— Continued. 

 Village Indians of New Mexico, Arizona, and Central and South America. 



Important Positiou of the Village Indians in American Ethnology — Their Partial Civilization — Indigenous amongst 

 them — Its Basis— Early Knowledge of the Village Indians of New Mexico — Coron.ado's Expedition in 1540, 1542 

 — Espejo's in 1583 — Spanish Missions in 1600 — Reconnoissances of U. S. Army Officers since 1847— Possible 

 Recovery of the Institutions and Mechanic Arts of the Village Indians in general, through those of the present 

 Village Indians — Evidences of the Unity of Origin of the American Aborigines — From Unity of Physical Type 

 —From Unity in the Grammatical Structure of their Languages — From Similarity of Arts, Inventions, Usages, 

 and Institutions — And from Conformation in Cranial Ch.aracteristics — Dialects and Languages of the Village 

 Indians of New Mexico and Arizona — Evidence of Ancient Occupation — Confirmed by Ruins of Ancieut Pueblos — 

 Their System of Relationship— But two Schedules obtained— 1. Pueblo of Laguua— Location and Population 

 of this Pueblo — Schedule Incomplete — Indicative Relationships — They possess, as far as it is given, the Common 

 System — 2. Pueblo of Tesuque — Schedule Incomplete — Chontal of Central America — Schedule Incomplete — 

 Village Indians of South America — Efforts to obtain their System of Relationship, and their Failure — System 

 of the Chibcha or Muyska Village Indians of New Granada — Partial Details of the Muyska Form — It shows lire, 

 and probably six of the Indicative Relationships — End of the Series of Indian Nations represented in the Table. 



The present Village Indians of New Mexico and Arizona arc, in many re.'=;pects, 

 the most important portion of the aboriginal inhabitants of North America. Their 

 prominent position in Indian ethnography does not arise from their numbers 

 or their territorial possessions, both of which are inconsiderable, but from the fict 

 that they are the living representatives of a phase of Indian society now rapidly 

 passing away. They still possess and exhibit that species of civilization whicli has 

 given to the American Indians their chief importance in the estimation of mankind. 

 With the Village Indians in general, the transition from a roving to a stationary 

 life had been fully consummated, and a new condition commenced. An indigenous 

 civilization sprang up and grew apace out of this village life, which, at the epoch 

 of discovery, was found distributed throughout parts of New Mexico, Mexico, and 

 Central and South America. These Village Indians, however, were surrounded 

 at all points by roving and still barbarous nations. The extent and character of 

 this civilization, which was the same in its elements throughout all these regions, 

 are still imperfectly understood. It is, moreover, extremely doubtful Avhether the 

 facts tending to illustrate its history and development will ever be recovered from 

 the mass of fiction and romance in which they are buried. Should an attempt be 

 made to reinvestigate its characteristics, the key must be sought in the civil and 

 domestic institutions, arts, usages, and customs of the present Village Indians. It 

 is not improbable that all of its elements will be found amongst them at the present 

 day, and that from these sources the necessary materials can be obtained for a much 

 better elucidation of this difficult subject than any hitherto presented. 



This limited and indigenous civilization was founded, iu the main, upon the 



