SUMMARY AND SPECULATIONS. 



It now remains to review the field and put tbe facts in orderly array 

 in brief synopsis. 



It appears that (on their discovery) we have the western coast of the 

 Americas peopled by nations differing (as they still differ J in language, 

 color, physique, aesthetic and mental development, morals, and social 

 customs. The Peruvians, Botokudos, Mexicans, Pueblo people, Tinueh, 

 Selish, Haida, Tliukit, Inuuit, Aleut, and Nutka may be mentioned. 

 Many of these families or stocks are only partially located on the 

 western coast; as, for instance, the Tinneh and Innuit. Yet the 

 different branches of the family agree closely in language, physique, 

 and most social customs, both on the west coast and elsewhere. 



The original population of America is too distant to form the subject 

 of discussion. There can be no doubt that America was populated in 

 some way by people of an extremely low grade of culture at a period 

 even geologically remote. There is no reason for supposing, however, 

 that immigration ceased with these original people. Analogy would 

 suggest that from time to time accessions were received from other re- 

 gions, of people who had risen somewhat in the scale elsewhere, while 

 the inchoate American population had been doing the same thing on 

 their own ground. Be this as it may, we find certain remarkable cus- 

 toms or characteristics geographically spread, north and south, along 

 the western slope of the continent in a natural line of migration with 

 overflows eastward in convenient localities. These are not primitive 

 customs, but things which appertain to a point considerably above the 

 lowest scale of development in culture. 



Some are customs pure and simple; e. g. labretifery ; tattooing the 

 chin of adult females; certain uses of masks, etc. 



Some are characteristics of culture; e. g. a certain style of conven- 

 tionalizing natural objects, aud, in a higher stage, the use of conven- 

 tional signs in a hieroglyphic way ; a disposition to, aud peculiar facil- 

 ity in, certain arts, such as carvings in wood, etc. 



Some are details of art related to religious or mythological ideas, such 

 as the repetition of elaborate forms in a certain attitude, with relation 

 to myths therefore presumably similar in form or origin. 



Some are similar myths themselves, a step further in the same retro 

 spect. 



If these were of natural American growth, stages in development out 

 of a uniform state of culture, it might fairly be expected that we should 

 find them either sporadically distributed without order or relation as 

 between family* aud family wherever a certain stage of culture had 



* Used in tbe sense of stock, race, or stamme. 

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