300 THE AMERICAS Mi'SEL'M JOLIIXAL 



iiud other trihos of thr Plains, and the nomadic and more sedentary tribes 

 of the Southwest. 



Within this geof,n-a|)hi(al licit there are siir\i\-ors of many prehistoric 

 groups, speakinfi some twenty languajics and representinji; several somatic 

 types. This year all our field staff' has concentrated on two main jjoints, 

 the systems of social groupings (or societies) and ritualistic foinis. The 

 first derives its importance from its choice hy some sociological students 

 as an example of a certain inner determined e\()hition, or a scheme which 

 the assumed unfolding of social life was ordained to follow. Now, our 

 studies lia\(' made clear that no such unfolding has taken |)lace in this 

 region, hut that we ha\c a rather highly de\-elo])ed system of cfxirdinated 

 societies in a few central trihes with \arious remnants among the marginal 

 groups, seemingly hest explained by assuming that some one or two of the 

 central group constructed or invented these schemes of organization and 

 that others copied from them to a greater or less degree. Thus it is prohahle 

 that the results of this phase of our year's work will he of some general 

 theoretical importance aside from the accunnilation of new knowledge 

 concerning the tribes in (|uestion. 



The study of ritualistic forms has also a theoretical interest because 

 we find a strong tendency for each group of Indians to eonser\'e one more or 

 less in(li\idual type of ritualistic ceremony. This is only now a])parent 

 since we have fairly complete data on all the many rituals still known among 

 a few tribes. It remains to work out a c()ni})arative view of these types. 

 Waiving this theoretical jiroblem, we have resulting collections of .systemati- 

 cally recorded data which will in a few years be unavailable except in our 

 field notes. Perhaps few realize that in North America the Indian is no 

 longer leading a life different from that of his white neighbors and informa- 

 tion as to his former life is to be had only from a few old ])copIc who will 

 pass into the beyond within a few years. 



During the year the Chipewyan, Cree and Sarsi of Canada wci'c \isitcd; 

 also the Menomini, Crow, Hidatsa, Mandan, Santee, Dakota, and Teton- 

 Dakota of the northern Plains; and the Kiowa Apache and .licarilla Apache 

 of the Southwest; all in comicctictn with the aboNc cor)rdinated in\estiga- 

 tion. In addition, some other special in\estigations were undertaken. Mr. 

 Max Schrabisch is exploring the out-of-the-way corners of New Jersey for 

 rock shelters used by prehistoric man. This work has proved them to be 

 rather numerous and to have in them traces of different culture levels, a 

 feature so far rare in North America. Mr. W. S. Taylor visited the Tlingit 

 of Alaska for studies in form and color to be used in his series of mural 

 sketches illustrating certain phases of North Pacific culture — pictorial 

 habitat groups they may be called. In the field Mr. Taylor was assisted 

 bv Lieutenant G. T. l"]imnons. 



