ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT LXIX 



North American Etluiologv, comprising Kiggx' "Dakota Gram- 

 mai*, Texts and Ethnography," has been completed by the 

 preparation of the index, and the document is now c)n the 

 press. 



SUMMAEY REPORT 



CliASSIFICATIOX OF THE WORK 



As set forth on an earHer jiage, five primary Hnes of research 

 relating to the collective or demotic characteristics of the 

 American aborigines are pursued in the Bureau. These lines, 

 with the correspontling Ijranches of knowledge, comprise (1) 

 arts, or esthetology; (2) industries, or technology; (3) institu- 

 tions, or sociology; (4) forms of expression, or linguistics; and 

 (5) opinions and beliefs, or sophiology. . In addition, two 

 primary lines of research relating to the aborigines considered 

 as organisms are recognized, viz, somatology and psychology. 

 Each of these seven lines of research is of such extent and 

 importance as to form the basis for a distinct science ; and each 

 comprises a numljer of principal branches, anv one <if which 

 is sufficiently extended to form an important specialty. Since 

 there are only about a dozen scientific collaborators in the 

 Bureau, it follows that there are more specialties than collabo- 

 rators ; and it has been found necessary to select those special 

 lines of research which seemed of most importance, and to 

 assign them to the coUaboi-ators best equipjjed for carrying 

 them forward. Sometimes, on the other haiid, it has been 

 found desirable temporarily to combine two or more primary 

 lines of investigation in the assignment of a single collabo- 

 rator, for the purpose of utilizing o])portunitv — e. g., to obtain 

 general information at a mininuim cost or to procure data con- 

 cerning a disappearing tribe. To meet these practical condi- 

 tions, a somewhat arbitrary classification of the work has been 

 adopted and has varied from tinae to time. During tlie year 

 the researches have related chiefly to (1) archeology; (2) de- 

 scriptive ethnology; (3) sociology; (4) pictogTaphy and sign 

 language; (5) general linguistics; (6) mythology, or sophiol- 

 ogy; (7) psychology, and (8) bibliography. 



Classified by method, tlie operations of the Bnreai; com- 

 prise (1) field work, including exploi-ation ; (2) office researches, 



