MCGEE) • FIRST LINGUISTIC RECORD — 1850 95 



Juan Bautista", with "the small island San Augustin" lying before it 

 (in such manner as to identify this islet with Isla Tassne), and located 

 "the large island Tiburon farther northward, opi)osite a mountainous 

 coast".' He added: 



The waterless but cattle-stooked plains between the place Pitic anil the coast, 

 and thence up to the river Ascension, are inhabited by a meager remnant of the 

 Seri tribe, while on Tibnrou island, opposite this coast, the Tibnrones dwell. The 

 Seris were formerly very numerous, by far the fiercest of all the Indian tribes of 

 northern Mexico, and very warlike. Through ceaseless war with the Tiburones 

 and the troops from the Spanish presidios they are now nearly extinct.- 



Elsewhere the Tiburoues were characterized as enemies of the Seri,^ 

 while the "Heris" tribe was enumerated as a branch of the "Pimas 

 Bajas" people. Herr Miihlenpfordt's characterization of the Seri and 

 the Tiburon islanders as enemies would appear to be groundless, yet 

 not wholly incomprehensible; in the first place, the earlier literatui-e 

 indicates that the term Seri (Seris, Ceris, Heris, etc.) was an alien 

 designation of lax application,^ doubtless extended occasionally or 

 habitually to marauding nomads, regardless of aflSnity; again there is 

 conclusive evidence that in many instances Seri convert-captives 

 attached to the missions and i>ueblos were often regarded as tribal 

 apostates and outlaws whose lives were forfeit; and, moreover, the 

 region in which Herr Slilhlenpfoidt gained his information was and 

 still is one of abounding tale, whose frequent exaggeration and not iu- 

 fre(iuent invention conceal and distort the simple facts. 



In 18.50, Don Diego Lavandera transmitted to the Mexican Society 

 of Geography and Statistics, through the hands of Seuor Jose F. 

 Ramirez, certain documents, accompanied by a note to the effect tliat 

 "The tribe of the Seris speak Arabic, and it is understood by the Moors 

 at the first interview'' — this note merely ex])ressiug a prevailing cur- 

 ren-t opinion. Undertaking to test the oi)inion, Senor Ramirez sent to 

 Lavandera, in Souora, a number of words in three Arabic dialects, at 

 the same time asking for the Seriecpiivalents; and the inquiry yielded a 

 Seri vocabulary (probably the first ever ])rinted) of eleven words. Of 

 these none show the slightest aftinitj' with the Arabic dialects; atleast 

 four (horse, chamber, population, wine) express concepts alien to the 

 Seri; and only three or four can be identified with Seri terms recorded 

 in later vocabularies. No reference is made to Senor Lavaudera's 

 aboriginal informant; but there is a strong presumption that it was 

 the official interpreter at Hermosillo and Pueblo Seri — a presumption 



' Versnch einer getrcuen Schilderniig tier Republik Mejico besonriers in Beziebung auf Geographie, 

 Ethnograpiue. und Statistik; Hanuover, 1844, Band !, p. 441; Baud H. p. 41 j. 



'Ibid., Band u, pp. 419-420. 



»Ibid., Baud, l p. 210. 



^Peuaiiel doline.s "Seris" a.s the "name of a tribe of Sonora. originating probably in tbe Op.ata 

 language ' (Nomenclatura Geognifica de Mexico — Etimologias de loa Noinbi-es de Lngar . 

 por el Dr. Antonio Peuafiel, primera parte, 1897, p. 225); wbile Pimentel defines two .suggestively 

 similar Opata words, ^^Seraraiy paso menudo y I:meno", and ''Sererdi, velocidad de la persona que 

 corre" ( Vocabulario Manual de la Lengua Opata, Bol. Soe. Mex. Geog. y Estad.. tonio X, 1863, p. d06), 

 i. e., a good and direct pace, and the speed of a peison running, respectively (cf. postea, p. 125). 



