40 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 



Mexico, were next visited. These Indians, whose popular name is derived from 

 their rise of the "mescal" or peyote, are regarded by the plains tribes as masters 

 in all that concerns the plant, hut from information received through their best 

 informants, as well as from actually witnessing the ceremony, Mr. Mooney found 

 the rite to be declining among them, largely through the difficulty of procuring the 

 plant in their isolated condition, as it requires five days' journey on horseback to 

 obtain a necessary supply. Living with the Mescalero, Mr. Mooney discovered a num- 

 ber of Lipan and a few Kiowa- Apache Indians. The Lipan were a predatory tribe of 

 eastern Texas and were practically exterminated some thirty years ago on account 

 of their raiding propensities against both Texas and Mexico. Of the remnant a few 

 are incorporated with the Tonkawa, a few joined the Mescalero and Kiowa- Apache, 

 while others, probably the larger number, fled to the Santa Rosa Mountains, in 

 northern Mexico, where they still live. Mr. Mooney obtained through the Lipan 

 further information in regard to several Texan tribes, including the Karankawa 

 and Tonkawa, of whom little has been known, and from them also definite infor- 

 mation was obtained in regard to the use of peyote among the Tarahumari of Mexico. 



Having completed his investigations among the tribes of New Mexico in the early 

 part of December, Mr. Mooney devoted attention to the remnants of the Piro, Tiwa, 

 Suma, and Manso tribes on the Rio Grande, below El Paso, in Texas and Chihuahua. 

 These Indians, now practically Mexicanized, are the descendants of a large number 

 of natives who were taken by Governor Otermin on his retreat from Santa ~F6 to El 

 Paso and settled at their present location during the Pueblo rebellion in 1680. He 

 obtained valuable information in regard to the former status of these people, and 

 conducted also some linguistic researches to which reference will later be made. 



Mr. Mooney next proceeded to the mountain country of Texas, southeastward 

 from El Paso, for the purpose of locating the peyote from information given by the 

 Mescaleros. Two or more varieties of the plant were found in this section, on both 

 sides of the Rio Grande. In January Mr. Mooney continued southward to the Tara- 

 humari country in quest of additional information concerning the rites and customs 

 of that tribe of which peyote forms the feature. The Tarahumari is one of the most 

 populous tribes in North America, their number being variously estimated at from 

 50,000 to 80,000; they occupy nearly the whole mountain region of the State of Chi- 

 huahua. They perform a number of interesting ceremonies in which the peyote 

 plays an important role; indeed, the plant is a prominent part of the medicine 

 man's stock in trade, rather than something used by the tribe at large, as among the 

 Kiowa and associated tribes to the northward. Several varieties of the peyote are 

 recognized by the Tarahumari, who procure the plant chiefly about Santa Rosalia, 

 in southeastern Chihuahua. Information concerning the ceremonial use of the 

 peyote by the neighboring Tepehuan tribes was likewise gained, and the southern- 

 most limit of its use in Mexico was also determined. 



Aside from his researches in this interesting subject, Mr. Mooney made an exami- 

 nation of some large burial caves near Aguas Calientes, about 200 miles southwest- 

 ward from Chihuahua city. Although the principal one of these caves had been 

 excavated by residents in the hope of finding buried treasure, and their contents 

 thereby disturbed, Mr. Mooney succeeded in recovering a well-preserved mummy 

 with its original wrappings of matting and native cloth and the accompanying food 

 and water vessels, which have been deposited in the National Museum. These and 

 kindred observations throw much light on the little-known mortuary customs of the 

 region. 



During August and September Dr. Albert S. Gatschet was occupied in linguistic 

 researches begun during the preceding year among the Algonquian tribes in Maine 

 and contiguous parts of New Brunswick. His work resulted in the enrichment of 

 his vocabularies and in the preparation of numerous texts, valuable not only as 

 indices of linguistic structure, but as records of tribal history, customs, social 

 organization, and beliefs. 



Mr. J. N. B. Hewitt spent the autumn in the field in northern New York and neigh- 



