﻿320 
  SOUTH 
  AMERICAN 
  INDIANS 
  [B. 
  A. 
  B. 
  Bull. 
  143 
  

  

  material 
  has 
  also 
  been 
  preserved 
  for 
  other 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  Andean 
  region, 
  

   especially 
  the 
  Yauyo 
  (see 
  Avila, 
  1939; 
  RGI, 
  1881-97, 
  1: 
  70-72), 
  the 
  

   central 
  Coast 
  (Calancha, 
  1638, 
  bk. 
  2, 
  ch. 
  19), 
  the 
  north 
  Coast 
  (Cal- 
  

   ancha, 
  1638, 
  bk. 
  3, 
  chs. 
  1-4; 
  Cabello, 
  ms. 
  in, 
  17; 
  Rubifios, 
  1936, 
  pp. 
  

   361-363); 
  the 
  north 
  Highlands 
  (Religiosos 
  Agustinos, 
  1865), 
  the 
  

   Huanca 
  (Cieza, 
  1554, 
  bk. 
  1, 
  ch. 
  84), 
  and 
  the 
  Cavana 
  (RGI, 
  1881-97, 
  

   2 
  : 
  40) 
  . 
  Comparative 
  material 
  for 
  the 
  Aymara 
  is 
  also 
  available. 
  

  

  Literature. 
  — 
  Inca 
  literature 
  was 
  unwritten, 
  with 
  all 
  the 
  implied 
  lim- 
  

   itations 
  of 
  form 
  and 
  constant 
  modification. 
  As 
  only 
  small 
  fragments 
  

   were 
  recorded 
  by 
  the 
  Spaniards 
  at 
  the 
  Conquest 
  and 
  as 
  the 
  continuity 
  

   of 
  the 
  oral 
  tradition 
  was 
  broken 
  during 
  the 
  16th 
  and 
  17th 
  centuries, 
  

   there 
  is 
  little 
  hope 
  of 
  recovering 
  much 
  pre-Conquest 
  literature 
  not 
  

   known 
  today. 
  Existing 
  fragments 
  and 
  the 
  references 
  in 
  the 
  chron- 
  

   iclers 
  are 
  sufficient, 
  however, 
  to 
  give 
  an 
  impression 
  of 
  what 
  has 
  been 
  

   lost. 
  

  

  The 
  Quechua 
  language 
  has 
  certain 
  marked 
  characteristics 
  which 
  

   would 
  be 
  bound 
  to 
  influence 
  any 
  literary 
  production 
  composed 
  in 
  it. 
  

   Nearly 
  all 
  Quechua 
  words 
  are 
  accented 
  on 
  the 
  penult, 
  which 
  gives 
  a 
  

   certain 
  rhythmical 
  character 
  even 
  to 
  prose. 
  Then 
  again, 
  Quechua 
  has 
  

   a 
  very 
  small 
  number 
  of 
  phonemes, 
  and 
  these 
  are 
  carefully 
  arranged 
  in 
  

   surprisingly 
  formal 
  patterns 
  in 
  true 
  Quechua 
  words. 
  As 
  a 
  result, 
  it 
  is 
  

   very 
  difficult 
  for 
  Quechua 
  to 
  borrow 
  words 
  from 
  phonetically 
  different 
  

   languages; 
  ancient 
  borrowings 
  are 
  nearly 
  all 
  from 
  Aymara, 
  which 
  has 
  

   almost 
  the 
  same 
  sounds 
  as 
  Quechua. 
  When 
  a 
  new 
  word 
  is 
  necessary, 
  

   it 
  is 
  made 
  up 
  from 
  existing 
  elements, 
  as 
  in 
  German, 
  rather 
  than 
  bor- 
  

   rowed 
  from 
  a 
  foreign 
  language, 
  as 
  in 
  English 
  or 
  Spanish. 
  As 
  if 
  to 
  

   compensate 
  for 
  its 
  rigid 
  phonetic 
  pattern, 
  Quechua 
  allows 
  the 
  greatest 
  

   freedom 
  in 
  word 
  formation. 
  A 
  noun 
  can 
  be 
  made 
  from 
  a 
  verb 
  by 
  

   merely 
  adding 
  nominal 
  suffixes 
  instead 
  of 
  verbal 
  suffixes 
  to 
  the 
  stem, 
  

   and 
  the 
  finest 
  gradations 
  of 
  meaning 
  can 
  be 
  expressed 
  by 
  inserting 
  

   affixes 
  between 
  the 
  stem 
  and 
  its 
  grammatical 
  ending. 
  The 
  precision 
  

   of 
  feeling 
  and 
  emotion 
  that 
  is 
  possible 
  in 
  Quechua 
  was 
  so 
  frightening 
  to 
  

   the 
  Spanish 
  priests, 
  whose 
  theology 
  was 
  carefully 
  thought 
  out 
  in 
  the 
  

   broad 
  and 
  matter 
  of 
  fact 
  terms 
  of 
  Latin, 
  that 
  many 
  of 
  them 
  hesitated 
  

   even 
  to 
  catechize 
  the 
  Indians 
  in 
  their 
  own 
  language. 
  

  

  The 
  surviving 
  fragments 
  of 
  Inca 
  literature 
  can 
  be 
  grouped 
  under 
  the 
  

   four 
  headings 
  of 
  prayers 
  and 
  hymns, 
  narrative 
  poems, 
  dramatic 
  pieces, 
  

   and 
  songs. 
  The 
  prayers 
  and 
  hymns 
  are 
  justly 
  noted 
  for 
  their 
  lofty 
  

   thought 
  and 
  beauty 
  of 
  expression. 
  A 
  considerable 
  number 
  have 
  been 
  

   preserved 
  by 
  Molina 
  of 
  Cuzco, 
  Pachacuti, 
  Guaman 
  Poma, 
  and 
  others, 
  

   and 
  excellent 
  examples 
  have 
  been 
  published 
  in 
  English 
  by 
  Means 
  

   (1931, 
  pp. 
  437-439). 
  For 
  instance: 
  

  

  O 
  conquering 
  Viracocha! 
  

   Ever-present 
  Viracocha! 
  

   Thou 
  who 
  art 
  without 
  equal 
  upon 
  the 
  earth! 
  

  

  