14 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY 



Hewitt devoted special attention to the preparation of ma- 

 terial for a grammatical sketch of the Iroquois languages, 

 especially as spoken by the Mohawk, Onondaga, and Cayuga, 

 for incorporation in the " Handjjook of American Indian 

 languages." 



In December Mr. Hewitt visited the Grand River Reser- 

 vation in Canada for the purpose of prosecuting his studies 

 among the Indians dwelling thereon. A serious epidemic 

 of smallpox interfered somewhat with his work, but with 

 the efficient assistance of Mr. William K. Loft, a Mohawk 

 speaker, Mr. Hewitt was able to make a critical phonetic and 

 grammatic study of portions of the Mohawk texts relating 

 to the league of the Iroquois, recorded by him in former 

 years. Work was also done in recording a selected list of 

 Mohawk verbs for comparative use, and with the painstaking 

 aid of Mrs. Mary Gibson, widow of the late noted chief John 

 Arthur Gibson, Mr. Hewitt was able to supply the Cayuga 

 equivalents to this list, as well as to record other vocabulary' 

 terms of the Caj-aiga. From ]\Irs. Gibson also was obtained 

 an extended text in Cayuga relating to the origin and the 

 ritual of the death feast of the women. On the same reserva- 

 tion Mr. Hewitt, with the aid of Mr. Hardy Gibson, a Ca\T-iga 

 chief, elucidated certain mooted points in regard to the 

 ritual significance of a number of words and phrases em- 

 ployed in the chants of the condoling and installation council 

 of the Iroquois league. From Miss Emily Carrier, a mixed- 

 blood Nanticoke, he obtained a list of 50 Nanticoke words. 

 This short list is of singular interest, as the Nanticoke dialect 

 of the Algonquian stock has become practically extinct 

 through absorption of its speakers by the Iroquois-speaking 

 peoples. Mr. Hewitt also made about 70 photographs, 

 principally of persons. 



On his return to Washington on January 15 Mr. Hewitt at 

 once resumed his analytic study of the Mohawk, Onondaga, 

 and Cayuga dialects for the purpose of obtaining proper 

 material for the preparation of the grammatic sketch above 

 referred to. 



In addition to these investigations, Mr. Hewitt furnished 

 much information for use in preparing replies to inquiries 



