ANTHROPOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 57 



pierced in their ears were very small, but often numerous ; that he 

 had not seen shells or pearl beads used as ornaments. 



Dr. Antisell asked what the Government was doing to benefit 

 these Indians, and Dr. MacCauley replied that nothing was being 

 done ; that the Seminoles refused to accept any aid, and were in- 

 dependent without any. The attempt of Capt. Pratt to obtain 

 from them students for his school at Carlisle had been repelled with 

 indignation. In reply to a question by Mr. Thomas, he further 

 stated that the Creek and Seminole languages were originally the 

 same, but that at present the several gentes of the Seminoles were 

 not homogeneous. The Otter, Tiger, and Wind gentes are the 

 ruling ones. 



The President called attention to the term Seminole, which 

 properly signifies renegade, scattered, or dispersed, and has been 

 fastened upon these Indians because they refused to go with the 

 body of their tribe after the war with the United States. He 

 further remarked that with these Indians clothing seemed to have 

 been originally used for ornament rather than protection. The 

 lower garment, or petticoat, described by Dr. MacCauley, was for- 

 merly the only one worn by the women, who had no sense of 

 modesty which required them to clothe the breasts. The short 

 upper garment, now worn as described in the paper, was a modern 

 innovation probably taken from the whites. He also spoke of the 

 turban, which was originally purely ornamental, and was often 

 made in fantastic fashions out of the skins of the heads of animals 

 or large birds. 



Prof. Mason called attention to the law of ethnic progress that 

 customs relating to clothing, ornamentation, &c, yield less readily 

 and quickly to the influence of contact with civilized races than do 

 those of a more practical or industrial character, such as arms, 

 agricultural and mechanical implements and pottery. He had often 

 been surprised to observe along what irregular and, as it were, 

 irrationally drawn lines civilization advances. 



