Bancroft's Native Races [pp. 551-560]

BANCROFT'S NATIVE RACES.
southward, including the tribes of the
Great Basin; the New Mexicans, comprising also the northern peoples of
Mexico; and finally the wild tribes of
Mexico and of Central America, whose
groupal names sufficiently explain their
location. Each group is in turn divided,
also by geographical rather than by linguistic or other ethnological tests, into
from two to ten subdivisions, or families,
each family being separately described.
This grouping is so arranged as to bring
together, for description, tribes and nations whose characteristics are in the
main identical, but such differences as
exist are always carefully noted. The
author begins in each instance with the
general features of the territory inhabited by the people under consideration,
giving also the names and intertribal
relations of the principal nations and
tribes; then follow in regular order a
delineation of their physical peculiarities, with artificial modifications, dress
and ornament, dwellings, food and methods of obtaining it, war customs, weapons, implements, manufactures, arts,
boats, trade, government, slavery, family and relations of the sexes, amusements, superstitions, medical practice,
burial rites, and character. This routine
is repeated with each subdivision, and
so systematic is the arrangement of
matter that the student may readily trace
any particular, as dress, through all the
tribes from Alaska to Panama. The
thoroughness of the treatment is perhaps best shown by the following account
of the method of extracting material:
Suppose for example the author wishes
to write of the Chinooks in Washing ton Territory, beginning with their food
and methods of procuring it. He goes
to the index cases, follows the alphabet ical arrangement of the compartments to
the letter I, glances down the I's to In dians, down the compartments so mark ed to "Ind., Wash.;" down this head ing to "Ind., Wash., Chinooks;" and
now he has in his hand a bunch of from
fifty to a hundred cards, all exactly alike
in their upper lines, of which the following is a sample:
Ind., Wash., Chinooks, (Food).
Swan's N. W. Coast: N. Y., x857. pp. i63-6.
Methods of taking fish, with cuts.
He now selects from his long list the
leading or standard authorities, which
he carefully reads to make himself acquainted with his subject; then he gives
the list and the corresponding books to
his assistants, who extract in carefully
made notes all that the cards call for,
using the writer's exact language except
in the case of very long or very trashy
descriptions. With these extracts-embracing all that his library contains on
the topic-spread before him, Mr. Bancroft prepares his text. In foot-notes
he gives quotations when they seem to
be needed in support of his statements;
embodies in other quotations information not included in the text and resting
on few or weak authorities; states differences between authors on each point;
and finally adds a complete list of references. This course is followed practically with every subdivision of the work.
To each of the six groupal divisions
is joined, in finer type than that of the
text, a summary of tribal boundaries,
consisting of literal quotations, showing
the location of every tribe and the territory over which they have roamed, and
also affording an opportunity to mention
by name thousands of petty tribes whose
introduction elsewhere would be impracticable. These summaries furnish ma terial also for the six fine copper-plate
maps which are given with the volume,
covering the whole territory, and exhib iting to the eye the location of every
tribe within its limits.
The preceding statements leave little
to be said respecting the merit of the
volume. Prepared by such methods
and with so much labor, nothing but the
I874.]
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