[cAMi'iiEix] THE ANCIENT LITERATURE OF AMERICA 47 



Chieusas and .Serainoles. In tlu' year indicated, their chief, TchikiUi. 

 handed to Governoi' Oi^lethorpo, for transmission to King (Jeorge, a buf. 

 falo skin curiously written in red and black chai'acters. This skin has 

 been sought for in vain in the Hecord and othei- Mnglish Government 

 offices ; but a German translation has been discovered made from the 

 English one that accompanied the document, and from this Mi-. Gatschet, 

 of the Bureau of Ethnology at Washington, has reconstructed the lan- 

 guage of the Creek original. If anyone chooses to deny that the buffalo 

 skin was inscribed with genuine written characters, and to insist that 

 the}' Avere mere pictographs, there is no existing evidence to convince 

 him of the contrar}'. The storj' told in the legend is that of the Creelîs' 

 journey from some distant land to their American settlement. As an 

 early halting place is described which contained red rivers and active 

 volcanoes, it is probable that Kamtchatka is the point wlience they left 

 the shores of Asia for the New World. 



Had Tchikilli's bulîalo skin been in evidence, it would have mate- 

 rially aifected the tone of American arcba'ology. By no means an 

 unmitigated blessing of our present age is what is called public opinion. 

 This is not really such, but the dictum of a clique or faction possessing 

 special opportunities for disseminating its views and sutticient bullying 

 poAver to terrorize into submission and outward adherence the cowardly 

 multitude. All who oppose this public opinion or method of science, or 

 whatever name the muzzle and gag of sjjcech and inquiry may bear, are 

 cranks and imposters, foolish or wicked men whose mouths must be 

 stopped, and who must be made to sit down. Such a clique has been 

 ruling in arch t^ologi cal circles in the United States since the time of 

 Schoolcraft. Here is his dogmatic statement to which, in the face of 

 abundant evidence to the contrary, the mass of American historians 

 adheres : " Nothing is more demonstrable than that whatever has eman- 

 ated in the graphic or inscriptive art on this continent from the red race 

 does not aspire above the simple art of pictography ; and whenever an 

 alphabet of any kind is veritably discovered, it must have had a foreign 

 origin. By granting belief to anything contravening this state of art, 

 we at tirst deceive ourselves, and then lend our influence to diffuse error.'" 

 The self-deception and dittusion of error were Schoolcraft's and are still 

 the work of the many who countenance the ignorant dogmatism of an 

 otherwise diligent student and estimable character. 



To answer dogmatism with dogmatism would be to imitate the 

 Welsh kings and invite their fate. There were two kings fortnerly in 

 Britain, named Nynniaw and Peibiaw. As these two ranged the fields 

 one starlight night, "See," said Nynniaw, "what a beautiful and exten- 

 sive field 1 possess ! " 

 " Where is it ? " 

 " The whole firmament," said Nvnniaw. "far as vision can extend." 



