ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT LXXIX 



DESCRIPTIVE ETHJfOEOGY 



An important line of work in the Bureau for some years 

 past has been the collection and systematic arrangement <^>f 

 tribal names and characteristics, with brief description of the 

 habits, customs, arts, beliefs, and institutions of the abori<^ines. 

 The information thus collected has been recorded on cards 

 under the head of Tribal Synonymy. 



During- the last year Mr F. W. Hodge devoted several 

 months to the descriptive ethnology of several southwestern 

 families, the Piman, Tauoan, Keresan, and Zuniau stocks 

 receiving chief attention. Advantage was taken of the ^jres- 

 ence in Washington of I)r Carl Lumholtz, who has spent 

 several seasons among the tribes of Chihuahua, to obtain val- 

 uable information relating to the Tarahumari, Te})ehuani, and 

 Tubari Indians for use in the synonyniv of the Piman stock. 

 Mr Hodge's literary research during the year will ])r()l)ably 

 enable him to identify the obscurely recorded Jumano of the 

 early Spanish explorers with the Comanche of more recent 

 date. In connection with the condensed descriptions contained 

 in the systematic work, Mr Hodge has made progress in the 

 preparation of a bibliography of the Pueblo Indians, designed 

 to serve as a basis for further research concerning this inter- 

 esting portion of our aboriginal population. 



Mr J. Owen Dorsey made a number of important additions 

 to the portion of tlie tribal synonymy relating to the Siouan 

 tribes, and Mr James Mooney devoted some time to classifying 

 and extending the material alread\' obtained relating- to the 

 Cherokee Indians. Dr Albert S. Gatschet also made contri- 

 butions to this work. 



Although the collection of material for the general descriptive 

 ethnology of the Tribal Synonymy of the American Indians 

 was connnenced some years since, and although a large body 

 of information has been collected and arranged on cards for 

 office use, publication has not yet been undertaken, partly by 

 reason t)f the great A-olume of material, partly because the 

 ^\ork is of such character as not soon to be completed, since 

 ■each new investigation yields additional information; but 



