﻿THE 
  ABORIGINES 
  OF 
  THE 
  ANCIENT 
  ISLAND 
  OF 
  

   HISPANIOLA 
  

  

  By 
  Herbert 
  W. 
  Krieger 
  

   United 
  States 
  National 
  Museum 
  

  

  (With 
  27 
  plates) 
  

   HISTORICAL 
  NOTES 
  

  

  The 
  island 
  of 
  Hispaniola, 
  anciently 
  known 
  as 
  Haiti 
  to 
  its 
  abori- 
  

   ginal 
  inhabitants, 
  is 
  occupied 
  jointly 
  by 
  the 
  Dominican 
  Republic 
  

   and 
  the 
  Republic 
  of 
  Haiti. 
  The 
  island 
  is 
  the 
  second 
  largest 
  of 
  the 
  

   West 
  Indies 
  and 
  lies 
  between 
  the 
  islands 
  of 
  Cuba 
  and 
  Jamaica 
  on 
  

   the 
  west 
  and 
  Porto 
  Rico 
  on 
  the 
  east. 
  Its 
  area 
  is 
  approximately 
  that 
  

   of 
  Ireland, 
  and 
  due 
  to 
  its 
  varied 
  topography 
  a 
  wide 
  range 
  of 
  tropical 
  

   climate 
  prevails 
  in 
  different 
  portions 
  of 
  the 
  island. 
  Broad 
  valleys 
  

   alternate 
  with 
  towering 
  mountain 
  ranges, 
  culminating, 
  in 
  the 
  Cibao, 
  

   in 
  Mount 
  Tina 
  with 
  a 
  reputed 
  elevation 
  of 
  3,140 
  meters. 
  

  

  The 
  humid 
  climate 
  of 
  the 
  eastern 
  valleys 
  varies 
  with 
  almost 
  sinis- 
  

   ter 
  stretches 
  of 
  desert 
  in 
  the 
  western 
  third 
  of 
  the 
  island. 
  The 
  lower 
  

   Yuna 
  River 
  Valley 
  in 
  the 
  east 
  is 
  a 
  good 
  example 
  of 
  dense 
  tropical 
  

   vegetation 
  growing 
  under 
  humid 
  climatic 
  conditions, 
  while 
  the 
  arid 
  

   hills 
  of 
  the 
  north 
  central 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  island 
  west 
  of 
  Santiago 
  de 
  los 
  

   Caballeros 
  mark 
  the 
  beginning 
  of 
  tropical 
  thorn 
  forests. 
  

  

  The 
  northeastern 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  island 
  is 
  traversed 
  from 
  west 
  to 
  east 
  

   by 
  the 
  Cordillera 
  Setentrional 
  which 
  terminates 
  on 
  the 
  west 
  in 
  the 
  

   Silla 
  de 
  Caballo 
  range 
  near 
  Monte 
  Cristi 
  on 
  the 
  north 
  coast. 
  Parallel- 
  

   ing 
  this 
  range 
  is 
  the 
  larger 
  axial 
  Cordillera 
  Central 
  known 
  as 
  the 
  

   the 
  Cibao. 
  The 
  fertile 
  valley 
  lying 
  between 
  these 
  ranges 
  extends 
  

   from 
  the 
  Atlantic 
  coast 
  west 
  of 
  Monte 
  Cristi 
  to 
  the 
  Gulf 
  of 
  Samana 
  

   on 
  the 
  east. 
  It 
  is 
  drained 
  by 
  two 
  of 
  the 
  largest 
  rivers 
  on 
  the 
  island, 
  

   the 
  Rio 
  Yaque 
  del 
  Norte 
  which 
  empties 
  itself 
  into 
  Manzanillo 
  Bay 
  on 
  

   the 
  north 
  coast, 
  and 
  the 
  Yuna 
  River 
  which 
  flows 
  eastward 
  into 
  

   Samana 
  Bay. 
  

  

  Most 
  of 
  the 
  cacao 
  and 
  tobacco 
  grown 
  in 
  the 
  island 
  comes 
  from 
  the 
  

   eastern 
  portion 
  of 
  this 
  valley, 
  while 
  farther 
  west 
  the 
  vaUey 
  is 
  semi- 
  

   arid. 
  The 
  lower 
  portion 
  of 
  this 
  valley, 
  or 
  great 
  central 
  plain, 
  anciently 
  

   known 
  as 
  the 
  Vega 
  (meadow), 
  was 
  the 
  most 
  densely 
  populated 
  section 
  

  

  473 
  

  

  