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SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXVII. No. < 



culture which, have been recognized in 



California seems to be substantiated by 

 further researches. Of course any culture- 

 area or ethnographical province is relative. 

 It rarely has sharply limited boundaries. 

 To hold that what is important about it 

 are not its external limits, but its internal 

 center of dispersion, is good doctrine, but 

 impracticable, in most cases, owing to lack 

 of historical material. Thus, as compared 

 with the rest of America, California seems 

 a well-marked and well-defined province. 

 In a broader view of the peoples of the 

 world, its distinctive characters largely dis- 

 appear, or are seen to coincide with such 

 as are typical of the whole of America. 

 On the other hand, when California is 

 viewed by itself, the northwestern, the 

 central and the southern areas contrast 

 strongly. But the moment each of these 

 three is considered alone, culturally well- 

 defined groups of tribes are evident within 

 it. This does not weaken the value of the 

 recognition of culture-areas. The genus 

 breaks up when we consider species. Even 

 the species seems no longer a unit when at- 

 tention is allowed to be given to races. 

 But the differences between genera become 

 insignificant when the family and the order 

 are in view. Neither the order nor the 

 species, the race nor the genus, is, therefore, 

 unimportant or unreliable. A biology 

 recognizing only species is a scientific im- 

 possibility; but a biology dealing with 

 nothing lower than genera would be equally 

 impossible. The culture-area, broad or 

 minute, has its value, and in fact is indis- 

 pensable, as a means to a historical under- 

 standing of its components; but it has 

 value only so long as its relativity is recog- 

 nized. 



The northwestern culture-area of Cali- 

 fornia may in some respects be considered 

 the most southerly extension of the dis- 

 tinctive and rather highly organized cul- 

 ture which centers on the Pacific Coast 



north of Puget Sound. The Yurok and 

 Hupa and Wiyot house is the same in plan 

 as the plank house as far north as Alaska. 

 Inunediately to the south, among the Tuki, 

 Wintun, and southern Athabascans, it is 

 replaced by the central Californian brush 

 or bark hut or earth-covered house. The 

 same tribes of northwestern California are 

 the most southerly among whom a well 

 worked-out system of social organization 

 dependent on wealth exists. All through 

 California the rich man was the chief; b\it 

 only here was every one's standing in the 

 community, and the value of his life and 

 of his children, definitely regulated and 

 expressed in terms of wealth. In thi'^ 

 northwestern region, too, is marked the 

 southernmost extension on the Pacific coast 

 of the prevalence of culture-hero and trans- 

 former myths. Immediately to the south, 

 creation myths begin. Nevertheless we 

 may well hesitate before counting north- 

 western California within the North Pacific 

 coast culture. In general scope and tone, 

 life was at least as similar to that of cen- 

 tral California as to that on the lower 

 Columbia or in the vicinity of Puget 

 Sound. In addition, there has clearly 

 taken place in this region an independent 

 local development which has more or less 

 influenced the entire culture. The imple- 

 ments, the ceremonies, the beliefs, found 

 only in this region, are exceedingly numer- 

 ous, and seem to reach the highest develop- 

 ment among the Yurok, the Karok, and the 

 Hupa. The remaining Athabascans, the 

 Wiyot, the Shasta, and the Chimariko, who 

 surround these three more highly organized 

 tribes, belong to the same general culture 

 while lacking many of its most individual 

 features. 



In southern California, at least three 

 sub-areas of culture, connected largely 

 with environment, are distinguishable. 

 Unfortunately, the people of what was per- 

 haps the most interesting of these, the 



