1953} RITZENTHALER, CHIPPEWA HEALTH 241 



CONCLUSIONS 



In summary the hypothesis of a Northern and Southern Tradition seems 

 to stand up fairly well, although it is least clear in the Plains area. While 

 there undoubtedly are certain tribes in the areas analyzed that would not be 

 placed in either of these categories the hypothesis, in general, seems to hold. 

 The apparent exceptions in the case of the Navaho, Apache, and Iroquois, 

 however, tend to support rather than deny the hypothesis. The factor of 

 migration must be considered in such an analysis as must the possibility of 

 culture change due to influx of new ideas in conflict with the old, as seems 

 probable in the case of the Plains. In two of the five areas reviewed, both 

 the Northern and Southern traditions are represented to a greater or lesser 

 degree. In the Plains area while the hunters dominated the scene by Colum- 

 bian times (although the Northern Tradition is only weakly represented), 

 the southern maize complex was still very much in evidence as represented 

 by such peoples as the Pawnee and Arikara. In fact, this area seems to be 

 the northernmost extension of the Southern Tradition showing up in any 

 strength. In the Southwest the majority of cultures are characteristic of the 

 Southern Tradition, but the Apache and Navaho reflect more of the North- 

 ern Tradition, with the Apache showing less modifications due to southern 

 contacts than the Navaho. 



The problem of origin and development of the two traditions is an 

 interesting one. The clue to the origin of the Southern Tradition could 

 conceivably hinge upon the area in which corn originated. Unfortunately 

 this problem has not been solved and its origin has been postulated for 

 various areas from Mexico to Bolivia. It seems certain, however, that no 

 matter which area maize originated in, it entered the Southwest via Mexico. 

 Whether it originated, developed, or merely passed through Mexico, the 

 counterparts of the Southern Tradition are much more apparent south rather 

 than north of the border. Maize culture was in full swing in Mexico by 

 conquest times, and well developed maize ceremonies existed in northern 

 Mexico and extended at least as far as Aztec and Mayan country where 

 elaborate ceremonials involving maize, fertility Gods and rites have been 

 recorded. It is logical to suppose that the maize culture was accompanied by 

 appropriate religious and ceremonial precautions when it entered the South- 

 west. 



While the evidence points to an indigenous origin of the Southern 

 Tradition on the North American continent, the counterparts of the North- 



