LINGUISTIC AND TRIBAL AFFINITIES 21 



Dr. Brinton enumerates under the Shoshonean branch of his Uto- 

 Aztecan linguistic stock the "Cahuillos in southern California," 

 " Chemehuevis, branch of the Pi-Utes on Cottonwood island ;" " Kau- 

 vuyas, southern California, near the Pacific ;" " Kechis, in southern 

 California, branch of Kauvuyas ;" " Kizh, in southern California, 

 branch of Kauvuyas;" " Netelas, in southern California." 1 



8. The above material is sufficient to enable us by its analysis to 

 form a number of conclusions. 



From the outset philologists have been almost unanimous in 

 separating these Indians from the California tribes to the north and 

 connecting them with the great Shoshonean family of the deserts to 

 the east. As the early migrations of these tribes spread they not only 

 overran the whole of the vast arid expanse east of the Sierras, but in the 

 south they crossed by the passes that pierced these mountain ranges 

 from the desert into the fertile valleys and coast lands of southern 

 Calfornia. From the Mojave, they appear to have entered the south- 

 ern end of the San Joaquin valley and to have secured a foothold 

 there, leaving their name to the locality there, spelled in anglicized 

 form Kaweah, as Coahuilla is the Spanish orthography. Bancroft 2 , 

 quotes from a manuscript furnished by Mr. Hayes that the "Tularefios 

 (of the San Joaquin valley) live in the mountain wilderness of the 

 Four Creeks, Porsiuncula or Kern or Current river, and the Tejon ; 

 and wander thence toward the headwaters of the Mojave and the neigh- 

 borhood of the Coahuillas." A vocabulary of the "Four Creek 

 Indians " was published under the name of " Ka-we-yah " in the Wide 

 West Magazine, July, 1856, San Francisco, and is reprinted entire in 

 the California Farmer, Vol. XIII, p. 106. In this vocabulary, which 

 consists of about 125 words and phrases, there are few traces of Sho- 

 shonean speech. The Coahuillan tribes entering the San Joaquin must 

 have lost their own speech in favor of that of the previous inhabitants, 

 while retaining their original tribal name. One or two words are, how- 

 ever, suggestive of Coahuillan origin. The phrase " hang-ah ka-woo- 

 wah" is said to mean "powerful man," the word "kawoowah" signifying 

 "power, strength, ability," just as farther south the word "kawoowah" 

 or "kaweah" or "coahuilla" means "master" or "ruling one." The 

 word " mee-wah " is given as meaning " friendly," an expression still 

 used among 'the desert Coahuillas far to the south with apparently 

 much the same significance as a hail on approaching a strange camp- 

 fire. These linguistic evidences, though slight, support the evidence 



*D. G. BRINTON, The American Race (New York, 1891), p. 133. 

 2 Native Races, Vol. I, p. 457. 



