LEntered at the Posi-Offlce of New York, N.Y., as Second-Class Matter.] 



A WEEKLY NEWSPAPER OF ALL THE ARTS AND SCIENCES. 



Eighth Yeab. 

 Vol. XV. No. 380. 



NEW YORK, Mat 16, 1890. 



Single Copies, Ten Cents. 

 $3.50 Per Yeak, in Advance. 



THE CHEROKEES IN PRE-COLUMBIAN TIMES. 

 I. 



The present paper is an attempt by the writer to trace 

 back the history of a single Indian tribe into the prehistoric 

 or moiind-building' age. For this purpose tlie Cherolsees 

 have been selected, partly because of their isolated positiou 

 geographically and linguistically, and partly because the 

 data bearing upon the questions that arise in such an inves- 

 tigation are probably more complete than those relating to 

 any other tribe of the mound section. 



Allhough the scope is thus limited, there are certain facts 

 relating to the mound region and the aboriginal inhabitants 

 thereof, considered generally, which must be taken into ac- 

 count in studying the history of any tribe of this region. 



The history of the Western Continent is supposed to begin 

 with the discovery by Columbus, all that antedates that 

 event being considered archeeologic or prehistoric. While 

 this is correct in the general sense in which it is used, yet 

 the history of the different sections and different tribes be- 

 gins with the first knowledge of them obtained by Europe- 

 ans. The border-line, therefore, between the historic and 

 prehistoric eras, varies in date when referred to the different 

 sections and peoples. For example, history tells us nothing 

 of what was transpiring in the area now called Ohio for a 

 hundred hears after Cortez lauded in Mexico. If it be pos- 

 sible to ascertain this, it must be sought in the traditions of 

 the aborigines, the ancient monuments, and other prehistoric 

 data of that area. 



It is well known that when the various sections of this 

 country were first visited by Europeans, they were found 

 occupied by Indian tribes; while, on the other hand, there 

 is no historical or other evidence, unless it be found in the 

 monuments, that any other race or people than the Indians 

 ever occupied this region. The possibility of an Irish, 

 Welsh, or Northmen pre-Columbian settlement is not at the 

 present time taken into consideration, as it has no bearing 

 on the subject now under discussion. These tribes all be- 

 longed relatively to the same state of culture, which was of 

 a grade inferior to that of the more advanced nations of 

 Mexico and Central America. 



Though not recorded in written or printed tomes, these 

 aboriginal tribes must have had a history which ^till lived 

 to some extent in their traditions, languages, customs, arts, 

 beliefs, and relics, when the whites Srst became acquainted 

 with them. These languages, customs, etc , though belong- 

 ing to a plane much lower than that which ethnologists will 

 allow us to call civilized, were not the growth of a season or 

 a lifetime, but of centuries. If they exhibit tribal or ethnic 



peculiarities, it maybe taken for granted that these pecul- 

 iarities attained their growth subsequent to the separation 

 of the stock into the tribes among which they are found. If 

 they are local or confined to certain geographical areas, it is 

 reasonable to assume that they were adopted by the tribes 

 after reaching these localities. For example: the peculiari- 

 ties of the civilization of Mexico and Central America, as 

 seen at the time of the discovery of these countries, must be 

 considered indigenous, so long as we are unable to trace 

 them to other sections or other peoples, — a conclusion 

 adopted by leading historians and antiquarians. The same 

 thing is true to a more limited extent in regard to the sub- 

 divisions of these comprehensive groups, and affords some 

 basis for estimating the period of occupation. 



Those habits, customs, or arts common among savage 

 peoples, of course teach nothing in I'egard to the o.ccupants of 

 any special locality, except to indicate the culture status. 

 It is therefore to those which are' local or ethnic that we 

 must look for guidance in our search. 



A second fact relating to the mound region generally is, 

 that the ancient remains found in it, though presenting va- 

 rious types and numerous important differences, probably 

 the result of different local or tribal customs, are evidently 

 the work of peoples in about the same stage of culture. But 

 to this and other general lessons taught by the monuments 

 there will be occasion to call attention further on. 



In order to clearly understand the position of the Chero- 

 kees' relation to the other tribes in the mound area, we re- 

 fer briefly to the linguistic distribution of these tribes when 

 they first became known to the whites. 



Stretching along the Atlantic coast from the mouth of the 



St. Lawrence to Pamlico Sound, and extending westward to 



the Mississippi, was the great Algonquin family, with its 



numerous divisions and branches. In the midst of this 



great linguistic sea, occupying most of what is now New 



York, and extending westward on both sidesr iiie Lakes to 



Michigan (with a closely allied and also a distant offshoot-;^ 



the latter the Cherokees-— in the region of Carolina), v 



Huron-lroquois family, with its various branclies. 



•' ' 'jarty or 



the head waters of the Mississippi, and reaching westw... 



far out upon the plains and southward to the Arkansas 

 River, was the Dakotan family. Spread over the Gulf 

 States was the Muskckee group. Add to these tlie vestitres 

 of other stocks found driven, so to speak, into the comers 

 here and there, and we have a condition that could not have . 

 been of mushroom growth, but the outcome of centuries. It 

 is quite probable that the family stems migrated from other 

 sections; but the splitting into branches and dialects took 

 place, in part at least, after reaching the area in which these 



the 



