356 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [bill. 43 



tained in it was in part published by Gallatin in his comparative 

 vocabularies, published in volume ii of the Transactions of the 

 American Antiquarian Societ}^, and again by Prof. John Severin 

 Vater in his Analekten der Sprachenkunde, Leipzig, 1821. The 

 subject matter comprises short accounts of the mythology and customs 

 of the Chitimacha and Atakapa Indians and vocabularies of the 

 two languages. Both the Chitimacha and the Atakapa sections of 

 the manuscript are signed by Martin Duralde, who was commandant 

 of the posts of Opelousas and Atakapa (now Franklin), but Gatschet, 

 who seems to have copied Vater, states that the vocabularies were 

 originally collected by a man named Murray. This is probably true 

 of the Chitimacha vocabulary, since Duralde admits that he was 

 not the original recorder, but he seems to imply that he was him- 

 self responsible for the Atakapa words and the mythology. 



The translation used in this bulletin is that made by Mr. Carpenter, 

 but the hiatuses have been filled by means of copies from the Phila- 

 delphia manuscript kindly furnished by Dr. Edward Sapir, of the 

 University of Pennsylvania. 



It runs as follows, omitting those sections on social customs already 

 given : 



They recognized a Creator of all things under the name of Thonme Keue 

 Kimte'* Cacouuche (or Cawuche) ; in other words, a Great Spirit, who has 

 neither eyes nor ears but who sees, understands, and knows everything. How- 

 ever, they attribute to him a body from which he derives all of the principles 

 of life. At first he placed tfie earth under the waters. The fish were the first 

 animals which he created. His purpose compreliending the earth as well, he 

 ordered the crawfish to go to search for earth at the bottom, and to bring a 

 mass of it above the surface of the waters. It did so. Immediately he formed 

 many men whom he called " Chetimaches," the same name he bestowed upon 

 the land. It was Natchez which he chose for their first abode. He gave them 

 laws, but their government degenerated to such an extent in consequence of 

 effeminacy and carelessness that the nation was overwhelmed with evils and 

 misfortunes. The men in despair lost their repose. Then Thoume Kene Kimte 

 Cawuche made the tobacco. They chewed it and reposed. It was, however, 

 only for a moment and they relapsed into the same troubles and agitations. 

 Thoume pitied them and created women, but without movement. One of the 

 men, endowed to govern the others, was inspired to take a rod and to teach the 

 men and the women in order to communicate action to them. They all slept 

 and Thoume profited by the moment to provide them with the organs necessary 

 to generation and connected with those organs the most voluptuous pleasure, 

 and when they awoke he told them, " Make you use of them thus, and there will 

 issue from your women men who will resemble you." 



The animals meeting the men in their excursions, not only ridiculed them, 

 but even despised them on account of their having neither hair nor feathers 

 nor wool to protect them from the inclemencies of the seasons. They then, 

 feeling their nakedness, were humiliated, and Thoume Kene, pitying them, 

 bestowed on them the bow and arrow, directing them to kill the animals, to 

 employ the flesh for nutriment and the skins for covering in punishment for 

 their raillery. He added to this gift the art of drawing fire from two pieces 



" This word Is said to mean " having good sense." 



