ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT XXXIX 



Mr James Mooney spent the greater part of the year in the 

 field collecting information concerning the ghost dance of the 

 Sioux, and regarding the habits, customs, and social relations 

 of the Kiowa and other tribes, visiting the Sioux Indians at 

 Pine Ridge, South Dakota, the Shoshoni and northern Arapaho 

 in Wyoming, and the Cheyenne, southern Arapaho, Kiowa, 

 Comanche, and associated tribes in Oklahoma. The ghost 

 dance study was pushed to completion, and a memoir on the 

 subject was prepared to accompany this report. In addition 

 to valuable literary material, he made important collections of 

 objects representing- aboriginal life, including a series of Kiowa 

 shield models with illustrative pictography affording data for 

 a study of primitive heraldry, and three important calendars. 



In December Mr Mooney was commissioned to make col- 

 lections among the Navaho and Hopi of New Mexico and 

 Arizona for exhibition at the World's Columbian Exposition. 

 This work resulted in a remarkable collection of unique mate- 

 rial from two of our most interesting native tribes, including 

 the products of industrial arts, costumery, etc, as well as the 

 photographs and materials needed for preparing and exhibiting 

 a series of groups of life-size figures illustrating domestic life, 

 industries, and ceremonies. In addition an unprecedentedly 

 extensive collection of Indian food products was obtained for 

 the National Museum. 



WORK IN LINGUISTICS 



With a view to rendering the classification of the Indian 

 tribes so nearly exhaustive as practicable, it is the policy of 

 the Bureau to utilize every opportunity for the collection of 

 linguistic material among the aborigines. A part of the collab- 

 orators are expert linguists who are employed in collecting - , 

 comparing, classifying, and arranging vocabularies and gram- 

 mars; in addition, much valuable material is obtained through 

 correspondence with travelers and local students, and espe- 

 cially from teachers and missionaries employed among the 

 Indians. All such material is suitably arranged in fireproof 

 vaults and kept constantly accessible for study. It is not con- 

 sidered desirable to publish minor linguistic collections, partly 



