XXXIV ANNUAL REPORT OF THE DIRECTOR 



of civilization, he obtained evidence complementing the obser 

 vations and conclusions of Mr. Hoffman. As a general result 

 it is found that there still exists among the Ojibwa a remark 

 able degree of pictographic skill, which is employed in ordi 

 nary affairs of life as well as in religious and ceremonial rites. 

 The statements of Schoolcraft, however, are found to be exag 

 gerated and erroneous, especially in their attribution of mystic 

 symbolism to devices purely ideographic or mnemonic. In 

 particular the apparently significant coloration of his published 

 figures is deceptive. Among the large number of genuine 

 ancient records obtained, 110 colors appear to have been used, 

 either symbolically or even in ornamentation, except that the 

 more recent shamanistic rolls show paintings in red for the 

 hearts of animals. Indeed the mechanical work of the birch- 

 bark pictographs was wholly by indented outlines, and the 

 artists of former generations were notable to fix colors on the 

 bark surface. 



In August, Col. Mallery proceeded to the islands of Cape 

 Breton and Prince Edward, and thence to Nova Scotia and 

 Maine, to investigate the bark records and petroglyphs of the 

 Micmac and the Abnaki. Special study was made as to the 

 probability of an aboriginal source of many or any of the 

 characters supposed to have been first used by French mis 

 sionaries in 1652, and printed at Vienna, Austria, in 1862, 

 with additions and changes, under the direction of Rev. 

 Christian Kauder, and now generally styled the &quot;Micmac 

 Hieroglyphs.&quot; The result of this study was that very few of 

 the characters could be traced to Indian invention. The picto 

 graphy of the Indian tribes was mainly confined to the represen 

 tation of ideas or concepts, but the attempt of Father Kauder 

 was to represent words and grammatic devices by special signs. 

 His invention, therefore, was an artificial alphabet not naturally 

 evolved from picture-writing, as has been the course of alpha 

 bets in general use over the world. 



A most interesting and unique body of rock etchings was 

 discovered at and near Kejimkoojik Lake, Nova Scotia, and 

 accurate copies of many of them were secured. On account 

 of their number, their intrinsic interest, and the evidences of 



