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  INDIAN 
  LINGUISTIC 
  FAMILIES. 
  

  

  The 
  practice 
  of 
  agriculture 
  to 
  a 
  point 
  where 
  it 
  shall 
  prove 
  the 
  main 
  

   and 
  constant 
  supply 
  of 
  a 
  people, 
  however, 
  implies 
  a 
  degree 
  of 
  seden- 
  

   tariness 
  to 
  which 
  our 
  Indians 
  as 
  a 
  rule 
  had 
  not 
  attained 
  and 
  an 
  

   amount 
  of 
  steady 
  labor 
  without 
  immediate 
  return 
  which 
  was 
  pecul- 
  

   iarly 
  irksome 
  to 
  them. 
  Moreover, 
  the 
  imperfect 
  methods 
  pursued 
  

   in 
  clearing, 
  planting, 
  and 
  cultivating 
  sufficiently 
  prove 
  that 
  the 
  

   Indians, 
  though 
  agriculturists, 
  were 
  in 
  the 
  early 
  stages 
  of 
  develop- 
  

   ment 
  as 
  such 
  — 
  a 
  fact 
  also 
  attested 
  by 
  the 
  imperfect 
  and 
  one-sided 
  

   division 
  of 
  labor 
  between 
  the 
  sexes, 
  the 
  men 
  as 
  a 
  rule 
  taking 
  but 
  

   small 
  share 
  of 
  the 
  burdensome 
  tasks 
  of 
  clearing 
  land, 
  planting, 
  and 
  

   harvesting. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  certain 
  that 
  by 
  no 
  tribe 
  of 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  was 
  agriculture 
  

   pursued 
  to 
  such 
  an 
  extent 
  as 
  to 
  free 
  its 
  members 
  from 
  the 
  practice 
  

   of 
  the 
  hunter's 
  or 
  fisher's 
  art. 
  Admitting 
  the 
  most 
  that 
  can 
  be 
  

   claimed 
  for 
  the 
  Indian 
  as 
  an 
  agriculturist, 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  stated 
  that, 
  

   whether 
  because 
  of 
  the 
  small 
  population 
  or 
  because 
  of 
  the 
  crude 
  

   manner 
  in 
  which 
  his 
  operations 
  were 
  carried 
  on, 
  the 
  amount 
  of 
  land 
  

   devoted 
  to 
  agriculture 
  within 
  the 
  area 
  in 
  question 
  was 
  infmitesimally 
  

   small 
  as 
  compared 
  with 
  the 
  total. 
  Upon 
  a 
  map 
  colored 
  to 
  show 
  only 
  

   the 
  village 
  sites 
  and 
  agricultural 
  land, 
  the 
  colors 
  would 
  appear 
  in 
  

   small 
  spots, 
  while 
  by 
  far 
  the 
  greater 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  map 
  would 
  remain 
  

   uncolored. 
  

  

  Hunting 
  claims. 
  — 
  The 
  great 
  body 
  of 
  the 
  land 
  within 
  the 
  area 
  

   mapped 
  which 
  was 
  occupied 
  by 
  agricultural 
  tribes, 
  and 
  all 
  the 
  land 
  

   outside 
  it, 
  was 
  held 
  as 
  a 
  common 
  hunting 
  ground, 
  and 
  the 
  tribal 
  

   claim 
  to 
  territory, 
  independent 
  of 
  village 
  sites 
  and 
  corn 
  fields, 
  

   amounted 
  practically 
  to 
  little 
  else 
  than 
  hunting 
  claims. 
  The 
  com- 
  

   munity 
  of 
  possession 
  in 
  the 
  tribe 
  to 
  the 
  hunting 
  ground 
  was 
  estab- 
  

   lished 
  and 
  practically 
  enforced 
  by 
  hunting 
  laws, 
  which 
  dealt 
  with 
  

   the 
  divisions 
  of 
  game 
  among 
  the 
  village, 
  or 
  among 
  the 
  families 
  of 
  

   tin' 
  hunters 
  actually 
  taking 
  part 
  in 
  any 
  particular 
  hunt. 
  As 
  a 
  rule, 
  

   such 
  natural 
  landmarks 
  as 
  rivers, 
  lakes, 
  hills, 
  and 
  mountain 
  chains 
  

   served 
  to 
  mark 
  with 
  sufficient 
  accuracy 
  the 
  territorial 
  tribal 
  limits. 
  

   In 
  California, 
  and 
  among 
  the 
  Haida 
  and 
  perhaps 
  other 
  tribes 
  of 
  the 
  

   northwest 
  coast, 
  the 
  value 
  of 
  certain 
  hunting 
  and 
  fishing 
  claims 
  led 
  

   to 
  their 
  definition 
  by 
  artificial 
  boundaries, 
  as 
  by 
  sticks 
  or 
  stones.' 
  

  

  Such 
  precautions 
  imply 
  a 
  large 
  population, 
  and 
  in 
  such 
  regions 
  as 
  

   California 
  the 
  killing 
  of 
  game 
  upon 
  the 
  land 
  of 
  adjoining 
  tribes 
  was 
  

   rigidly 
  prohibited 
  and 
  sternly 
  punished. 
  

  

  As 
  stated 
  above, 
  every 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  vast 
  area 
  included 
  in 
  the 
  present 
  

   map 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  regarded 
  as 
  belonging, 
  according 
  to 
  Indian 
  ideas 
  of 
  land 
  

   title, 
  to 
  one 
  or 
  another 
  of 
  the 
  Indian 
  tribes. 
  To 
  determine 
  the 
  sev- 
  

   eral 
  tribal 
  possessions 
  and 
  to 
  indicate 
  the 
  proper 
  boundary 
  lines 
  

   between 
  individual 
  tribes 
  and 
  linguistic 
  families 
  is 
  a 
  work 
  of 
  great 
  

  

  1 
  Powers, 
  Cont. 
  N. 
  A. 
  Eth. 
  1877, 
  vol. 
  3, 
  p. 
  109: 
  Dawson, 
  Queen 
  Charlotte 
  Islands, 
  

   1880, 
  p. 
  117. 
  

  

  