134* THE SEKI INDIANS [eth.axx.17 



the Seri are absolutely without extratribal aftiliatious, or eveu sym- 

 pathy. When the chronicfes of three ceutuiies are scanned in the 

 light of receut knowledge, it seems i)ractieally certain that they have 

 been equally isolated since the dawn of Caucasian history in Mexico; 

 and both recent data and the chronicles combine with the principles 

 of demotic development to indicate that the Seri have stood alone from 

 the beginning of their tribal career, and have never foregathered with 

 the neighboi'iiig tribes of distinct blood, distinct arts and industries, 

 distinct organizatiou, distinct language, and distinct thought and 

 feeling. 



The present isolation of the Seri throws light on their early history 

 aud reveals the extent of the misapprehension of the pioneer mission- 

 aries, who half deluded themselves and wholly deluded distaut readers 

 into the notion that the Seri were really proselyted aud actually col- 

 lected in the mission-adjuncts of military posts established to protect 

 settlers against forays of the tribe; for, as illumined by later and fuller 

 knowledge of the tribal characteristics, the chronicles are seeii to indi- 

 cate merely that a few captives, malingerers, cripples, spies, and tribal 

 outcasts were harbored at the missions until death and occasional 

 escapes brought tiie colonies to a natural end, with no real assimila- 

 tion of blood or culture on either side. So, too, the persistent tribal 

 antipathy reveals the error of confounding the independent or even 

 inimically related outbreaks of the Seri and of the Pima or Apache with 

 the concerted action of confederated tribes. Doubtless the ever-watch- 

 ful spies from Tiburon habitually gave notice of the disturbance due to 

 outbreaks of contemporary tribes, just as they do today when the local 

 soldiery are withdrawn for duty on the Yaqui frontier; uaturally the 

 civil aud military authorities were thereby led to provide for protection 

 agaiiist the Seri and Piato, against tlie Seri and Pima, or against the 

 Seri and Apache at each period of disturbance, just as they provided 

 against the Seri between periods; and it would appear that this asso- 

 ciation in thought and speech led to the unconscious magnitication, in 

 the minds of the chroniclers, of a supposed alliance. 



In brief, the tribal relations of the Seri seem always to have beeu 

 antipathetic, especially toward the aboriginal tribes of alien blood, in 

 somewhat less measure toward Caucasians, and in least — yet still con- 

 siderable — degree toward their own collinguals aud (presumptive) cou- 

 sanguineals. 



Population 



So far as could be ascertained by inquiries of and through Mashi'm 

 in 1894, the Seri tribe then comprised about CO or 70 warriors, with 

 between three and four times as many women and children — i. e., the 

 population was apparently between 250 and 350. The group of about 

 GO (including 17 warriors) seen at Costa Eica was evidently growing 

 rapidly, to judge from the proportion of youths of both se.xes, infants 

 in arms, and pregnaut women; and there are other indications that 



