November 1, 1895.] 



SCIENCE. 



595 



Pima, the mystery-loving Pueblo Indians, and 

 other interesting tribes are found, while ruins 

 of cliff houses, cavate dwellings, and plains 

 villages abound. The living Indians discovered 

 by the explorer spoke divers tongues ; their 

 habits of life and social customs were diverse ; 

 they had ceremonials, beliefs, systems of phi- 

 losophy, many in number yet more or less 

 closely related among one another, and so widely 

 diverse from those of civilized men as to be 

 rarely understood ; their arts were varied yet 

 related, and sometimes ditterent from, though 

 related to, those represented in the prehistoric 

 relics ; and the traditions of the tribes indicated 

 extended migrations, peaceful possession alter- 

 nating with savage strife, and sviccessive oc- 

 cupancy of various districts by different tribes 

 in prehistoric as well as in early historic 

 times. 



Thus the ethnic problems were many and in- 

 teresting, and, since the inhospitality of the 

 district retarded white invasion, the opportuni- 

 ties for ethnic research were exceptionally 

 favorable. Impressed by the characteristics of 

 the native races, the pioneer explorer began 

 studying and recording the native languages, 

 and this line of research was subsequently con- 

 tinued in connection with the federal survey of 

 the Rocky mountain region and still later in 

 the Bureau of American Ethnology ; and the 

 study finally grew into a classification of the 

 native races of America north of Mexico on a 

 linguistic basis. Moreover, collaborators were 

 enlisted in the ethnic work as in the geologic 

 studies, and' some of these found inspiration in 

 the same district ; the Stevensons, husband and 

 wife, enriched the National Museum with col- 

 lections from different native tribes, and after- 

 ward elucidated the mythology of some of the 

 Pueblo peoples ; the Mindeleff brothers made 

 extended and fruitful archeologic surveys ; 

 Gushing afliliated with the devout Zuiii priest- 

 hood, and brilliantly interpreted their thauma- 

 turgic rites and their curiously complicated 

 symbolism and ceremonial ; and the influence 

 of the ethnologists, like that of the geologists, 

 extended over the country and the world. 

 Thus the valley of the Colorado is classic 

 ground for the ethnologist, and the dust of the 

 flower bloomed in the desert has fertilized 



all other branches of the growing science of 

 man. 



In his introductory chapters Powell describes 

 the native tribes and illustrates their character- 

 istics and handiwork as they are known in the 

 light of the science developed in the district, 

 while the itinerary depicts them as they were 

 when first seen by white men. In the descrip- 

 tion the tribesmen are not dissevered from the 

 district, but treated as an integral part of a 

 natural assemblage of features, like the dis- 

 tinctive flora and fauna — for few of the historic 

 Indians rose to the control of nature, and most 

 of the tribes closely reflected their environment 

 in their habits and institutions. Except that 

 characteristic myths are introduced in the 

 itineraries and that a large number of illustra- 

 tions pertain to primitive artisans and their art, 

 ethnology is kept somewhat in the background 

 throughout the work, thovigh the ethnology and 

 archeology of the region are happily character- 

 ized here and there, particularly toward the end 

 of the fourth chapter. 



The itinerary of the first descent of the red- 

 tinted river is a simple narrative of daily events, 

 jotted down by a busy and hard-worked ex- 

 plorer, yet the events collectively form the most 

 remarkable chapter in the history of American 

 exploration ; for the writer, albeit buffeted by 

 waves and worn by anxiety for his companions, 

 albeit weary, hungry, drenched and chilled as 

 he wrote, was still a poet-naturalist ; and to 

 those who appreciate thrilling adventure, or 

 direct contact with and conquest over nature, 

 the pages are among the most attractive in our 

 language. The little party embarked May 24, 

 1869, at Green River City, on a river reputed 

 among whites and Indians as too swift and tur- 

 bulent for passage. Nearly every day was one 

 of peril ; oars were broken in the fierce current, 

 boats were overturned in the rapids and crushed 

 against the rocks, apparatus and clothing were 

 swallowed by the waters, food supplies were 

 spoiled and lost, and still the cataracts grew 

 higher, the rapids more terrific ; again and again 

 the rushing waters overcame the strength and 

 skill of the boatmen, and the little vessels were 

 engulfed in raging cataracts, sucked down in 

 whirlpools, or rolled over and over on the 

 jagged rocks ; once and again leader and men 



