﻿powell] 
  INDIAN 
  POPULATION. 
  33 
  

  

  occupancy, 
  they 
  are 
  noted 
  in 
  history, 
  and 
  thus 
  the 
  map 
  really 
  gives 
  

   a 
  better 
  idea 
  of 
  the 
  pristine 
  or 
  prehistoric 
  habitat 
  of 
  the 
  tribes 
  than 
  

   at 
  first 
  might 
  be 
  thought 
  possible. 
  

  

  Before 
  speaking 
  of 
  the 
  method 
  of 
  establishing 
  the 
  boundary 
  lines 
  

   between 
  the 
  linguistic 
  families, 
  as 
  they 
  appear 
  upon 
  the 
  map, 
  the 
  

   nature 
  of 
  the 
  Indian 
  claim 
  to 
  land 
  and 
  the 
  manner 
  and 
  extent 
  of 
  its 
  

   occupation 
  should 
  be 
  clearly 
  set 
  forth. 
  

  

  POPULATION. 
  

  

  As 
  the 
  question 
  of 
  the 
  Indian 
  population 
  of 
  the 
  country 
  has 
  a 
  

   direct 
  bearing 
  upon 
  the 
  extent 
  to 
  which 
  the 
  land 
  was 
  actually 
  occu- 
  

   pied, 
  a 
  few 
  words 
  on 
  the 
  subject 
  will 
  be 
  introduced 
  here, 
  particu- 
  

   larly 
  as 
  the 
  area 
  included 
  in 
  the 
  linguistic 
  map 
  is 
  so 
  covered 
  with 
  

   color 
  that 
  it 
  may 
  convey 
  a 
  false 
  impression 
  of 
  the 
  density 
  of 
  the 
  

   Indian 
  population. 
  As 
  a 
  result 
  of 
  an 
  investigation 
  of 
  the 
  subject 
  of 
  

   the 
  early 
  Indian 
  population, 
  Col. 
  Mallery 
  long 
  ago 
  arrived 
  at 
  the 
  

   conclusion 
  that 
  their 
  settlements 
  were 
  not 
  numerous, 
  and 
  that 
  the 
  

   population, 
  as 
  compared 
  with 
  the 
  enormous 
  territory 
  occupied, 
  was 
  

   extremely 
  small.' 
  

  

  Careful 
  examination 
  since 
  the 
  publication 
  of 
  the 
  above 
  tends 
  to 
  

   corroborate 
  the 
  soundness 
  of 
  the 
  conclusions 
  there 
  first 
  formulated. 
  

   The 
  subject 
  may 
  be 
  set 
  forth 
  as 
  follows: 
  

  

  The 
  sea 
  shore, 
  the 
  borders 
  of 
  lakes, 
  and 
  the 
  banks 
  of 
  rivers, 
  where 
  

   fish 
  and 
  shell-fish 
  were 
  to 
  be 
  obtained 
  in 
  large 
  quantities, 
  were 
  nat- 
  

   urally 
  the 
  Indians" 
  chief 
  resort, 
  and 
  at 
  or 
  near 
  such 
  places 
  were 
  to 
  

   be 
  found 
  their 
  permanent 
  settlements. 
  As 
  the 
  settlements 
  and 
  lines 
  

   of 
  travel 
  of 
  the 
  early 
  colonists 
  were 
  along 
  the 
  shore, 
  the 
  lakes 
  and 
  

   the 
  rivers, 
  early 
  estimates 
  of 
  the 
  Indian 
  population 
  were 
  chiefly 
  

   based 
  upon 
  the 
  numbers 
  congregated 
  along 
  these 
  highways, 
  it 
  being 
  

   generally 
  assumed 
  that 
  away 
  from 
  the 
  routes 
  of 
  travel 
  a 
  like 
  popu- 
  

   lation 
  existed. 
  Again, 
  over-estimates 
  of 
  population 
  resulted 
  from 
  

   the 
  fact 
  that 
  the 
  same 
  body 
  of 
  Indians 
  visited 
  different 
  points 
  

   during 
  the 
  year, 
  and 
  not 
  infrequently 
  were 
  counted 
  two 
  or 
  three 
  

   times 
  ; 
  change 
  of 
  permanent 
  village 
  sites 
  also 
  tended 
  to 
  augment 
  

   estimates 
  of 
  po2)ulation. 
  

  

  For 
  these 
  and 
  other 
  reasons 
  a 
  greatly 
  exaggerated 
  idea 
  of 
  the 
  

   Indian 
  population 
  was 
  obtained, 
  and 
  the 
  impressions 
  so 
  derived 
  have 
  

   been 
  dissipated 
  only 
  in 
  comparatively 
  recent 
  times. 
  

  

  As 
  will 
  be 
  stated 
  more 
  fully 
  later, 
  the 
  Indian 
  was 
  dependent 
  to 
  no 
  

   small 
  degree 
  upon 
  natural 
  products 
  for 
  his 
  food 
  supply. 
  Could 
  it 
  

   be 
  affirmed 
  that 
  the 
  North 
  American 
  Indians 
  had 
  increased 
  to 
  a 
  

   point 
  where 
  they 
  pressed 
  upon 
  the 
  food 
  supply, 
  it 
  would 
  imply 
  a 
  

   very 
  much 
  larger 
  population 
  than 
  we 
  are 
  justified 
  in 
  assuming 
  from 
  

   other 
  considerations. 
  But 
  for 
  various 
  reasons 
  the 
  Malthusian 
  law, 
  

  

  1 
  Proc. 
  Am. 
  Ass. 
  Adv. 
  Science, 
  1877, 
  vol. 
  36. 
  

   7 
  ETH 
  3 
  

  

  