Bureau of American Ethnology 385 



house-life 1 by Lewis H. Morgan, whose epoch-making re- 

 searches concerning the social organization of primitive peo- 

 ples marked him as a founder of demotic science; and the 

 monograph on mounds and earthworks 2 by Doctor Thomas 

 was the first complete demonstration of the relations of the 

 long mysterious " mound-builders." The Mindeleff brothers 

 and the Stevensons, as well as Professor Holmes and Mr. 

 Gushing, also contributed much to knowledge of the native 

 architecture of the Southwest through a dozen memoirs 

 published in the reports. 



One of the earliest lines of study related to aboriginal cos- 

 tumery ; and it has been ascertained that the material, form, 

 and construction of dress interacted constantly with artistic 

 and other concepts. The relation between dress and deco- 

 ration was pointed out by Holmes, who in a recent publi- 

 cation showed also that the prehistoric fabrics from caves 

 and mounds were essentially similar to the fabrics found in 

 use by the white discoverers. 3 The researches indicate that 

 the construction of articles of dress depends primarily on ma- 

 terial, yet at the same time reflects the culture-status of the 

 dressmakers, thus expressing the intimacy of connection 

 between local culture-grade and local environment. 



When the Colorado was explored, and afterward when the 

 bureau was instituted, much time and energy were devoted to 

 the study of aboriginal handicraft through direct observation 

 followed by comparison ; it was soon found that the infer- 

 ences of civilized students concerning the manufacture and 

 use of primitive implements are frequently erroneous, since 

 primitive thought is unlike cultured thought; and accordingly 



1 " Houses and House-Life of the Amer- nual Report of the Bureau of Ethnology, 



ican Aborigines," in Contributions to North 1894, pages 3-730. 



American Ethnology, Volume IV, 1881 (a 3 " Prehistoric Textile Art of the Eastern 



complement to his "Ancient Society"). United States," in Thirteenth Annual Re- 



2 " Report on the Mound Explorations of port of the Bureau of Ethnology, 1896, pages 



the Bureau of Ethnology," in Twelfth An- 3-49. 



