NATIVE RACES
OF THE PACIFIC STATES OF NORTH AMERICA.
BY HUBERT HOWE BANCROFT
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In
pursuance of a general plan involving the production of a series of works on
the western half of North America, I present this delineation of its aboriginal
inhabitants as the first. To the immense territory bordering on the western
ocean from Alaska to Darien, and including the whole of Mexico and Central
America, I give
arbitrarily, for want of a better, the name Pacific States. Stretching almost
from pole to equator, and embracing within its limits nearly one tenth of the
earth's surface, this last Western Land offers to lovers of knowledge a new and
enticing field; and, although hitherto its several parts have been held
somewhat asunder by the force of circumstances, yet are its occupants drawn by
nature into nearness of relationship, and will be brought yet nearer by
advancing civilization; the common oceanic highway on the one side, and the
great mountain ramparts on the other, both tending to this result. The characteristics
of this vast domain, material and social, are comparatively unknown and are
essentially peculiar. To its exotic civilization all the so-called older
nations of the world have contributed of their energies; and this composite
mass, leavened by its destiny, is now working out the new problem of its
future. The modern history of this West antedates that of the East by over a century, and although
there may be apparent heterogeneity in the subject thus territorially treated,
there is an apparent tendency toward ultimate unity.
To
some it may be of interest to know the nature and extent of my resources for
writing so important a series of works. The books and manuscripts necessary for
the task existed in no library in the world; hence, in 1859, I commenced
collecting material relative to the Pacific States. After securing everything
within my reach in America, I twice visited Europe, spending about two years in
thorough researches in England and the chief cities of the Continent. Having
exhausted every available source, I was obliged to content myself with lying in
wait for opportunities. Not long afterward, and at a time when the prospect of
materially adding to my collection seemed anything but hopeful, the Biblioteca Imperial de Mejico, of the unfortunate Maximilian, collected during a period of forty years by Don
Jose María Andrade, litterateur and publisher of the city of Mexico, was thrown
upon the European market and furnished me about three thousand additional
volumes.
In
1869, having accumulated some sixteen thousand books, manuscripts, and
pamphlets, besides maps and cumbersome files of Pacific Coast journals, I
determined to go to work. But I soon found that, like Tantalus, while up to my
neck in water, I was dying of thirst. The facts which I required were so
copiously diluted with trash, that to follow different subjects through this
trackless sea of erudition, in the exhaustive manner I had proposed, with but
one life-time to devote to the work, was simply impracticable. In this
emergency my friend, Mr. Henry L. Oak, librarian of the collection, came to my
relief. After many consultations, and not a few partial failures, a system of indexing the
subject-matter of the whole library was devised, sufficiently general to be
practicable, and sufficiently particular to direct me immediately to all my authorities on any given point. The system, on trial, stands the test,
and the index when completed, as it already is for the twelve hundred authors
quoted in this work, will more than double the practical value of the library.
Of
the importance of the task undertaken, I need not say that I have formed the
highest opinion. At present the few grains of wheat are so hidden by the
mountain of chaff as to be of comparatively little benefit to searchers in the
various branches of learning; and to sift and select from this mass, to extract
from bulky tome and transient journal, from the archives of convent and
mission, facts valuable to the scholar and interesting to the general reader;
to arrange these facts in a natural order, and to present them in such a manner
as to be of practical benefit to inquirers in the various branches of
knowledge, is a work of no small import and responsibility. And though mine is
the labor of the artisan rather than that of the artist, a forging of weapons
for abler hands to wield, a producing of raw materials for skilled mechanics to
weave and color at will; yet, in undertaking to bring to light from sources
innumerable essential facts, which, from the very shortness of life if from no
other cause, must otherwise be left out in the physical and social
generalizations which occupy the ablest minds, I feel that I engage in no idle
pastime.
A
word as to the Nations of which this work is a description, and my method of
treating the subject. Aboriginally, for a savage wilderness, there was here a
dense population; particularly south of the thirtieth parallel, and along the
border of the ocean north of that line. Before the advent of Europeans, this
domain counted its aborigines by millions; ranked among its people every phase
of primitive humanity, from the reptile-eating cave-dweller of the Great Basin,
to the Aztec and Maya-Quiche civilization of the southern table-land, —a
civilization, if we may credit Dr. Draper, that might have instructed Europe, a
culture wantonly crushed by Spain, who therein “destroyed races more civilized
than herself”.
Differing
among themselves in minor particulars only, and bearing a general resemblance
to the nations of eastern and southern America; differing again, the whole, in
character and cast of features from every other people of the World, we have
here presented hundreds of nations and tongues, with thousands of beliefs and
customs, wonderfully dissimilar for so segregated a humanity, yet wonderfully
alike for the inhabitants of a land that comprises within its limits nearly
every phase of climate on the globe. At the touch of European civilization,
whether Latin or Teutonic, these nations vanished; and their unwritten history,
reaching back for thousands of ages, ended. All this time they had been coming
and going, nations swallowing up nations, annihilating and being annihilated,
amidst human convulsions and struggling civilizations. Their strange destiny
fulfilled, in an instant they disappear; and all we have of them, besides their
material relics, is the glance caught in their hasty flight, which gives us a
few customs and traditions, and a little mythological history.
To
gather and arrange in systematic compact form all than is known of these
people; to rescue some facts, perhaps, from oblivion, to bring others from
inaccessible books, to render all available to science and to the general
reader, is the object of this work. Necessarily some parts of it may be open to
the charge of dryness; I have not been able to interlard my facts with interesting
anecdotes for lack of space, and I have endeavored to
avoid speculation, believing, as I do, the work of the collector and that of
the theorizer to be distinct, and that he who attempts to establish some pet
conjecture while imparting general information, can hardly be trusted for
impartial statements. With respect to the territorial divisions of the first
volume, which is confined to the Wild Tribes, and the necessity of giving
descriptions of the same characteristics in each, there may be an appearance of
repetition; but I trust this may be found more apparent than real. Although
there are many similar customs, there are also many minor differences, and, as
one of the chief difficulties of this volume was to keep it within reasonable limits,
no delineation has been repeated where a necessity did not appear to exist.
The second volume, which treats of the Civilized Nations, offers a more
fascinating field, and with ample space and all existing authorities at hand,
the fault is the writer’s if interest be not here combined with value. As
regards Mythology, Languages, Antiquities, and Migrations, of which the three
remaining volumes treat, it has been my aim to present clearly and concisely
all knowledge extant on these subjects; and the work, as a whole, is intended
to embody all facts that have been preserved concerning these people at the
time of their almost simultaneous discovery and disappearance. It will be
noticed that I have said little of the natives or their deeds since the coming
of the Europeans; of their wars against invaders and among themselves; of repartimientos, presidios, missions, reservations, and other institutions for
their conquest, conversion, protection, or oppression. My reason for this is that all these things, so far as
they have any importance, belong to the modern history of the country and will
receive due attention in a subsequent work.
In
these five volumes, besides information acquired from sources not therein
named, are condensed the researches of twelve hundred writers, a list of whose
works, with the edition used, is given in this volume. I have endeavored to
state fully and clearly in my text the substance of the matter, and in reaching
my conclusions to use due discrimination as to the respective value of
different authorities. In the notes I give liberal quotations, both
corroborative of the text, and touching points on which authors differ,
together with complete references to all authorities, including some of little
value, on each point, for the use of readers or writers who may either be
dissatisfied with my conclusions, or may wish to investigate any particular
branch of the subject farther than my limits allow.
I
have given full credit to each of the many authors from whom I have taken
material, and if, in a few instances, a scarcity of authorities has compelled
me to draw somewhat largely on the few who have treated particular points, I
trust I shall be pardoned in view of the comprehensive nature of the work.
Quotations are made in the languages in which they are written, and great pains
has been taken to avoid mutilation of the author's words. As the books quoted
form part of my private library, I have been able, by comparison with the
originals, to carefully verify all references after they were put in type;
hence I may confidently hope that fewer errors have crept in than are usually
found in works of such variety and extent.
The
labor involved in the preparation of these volumes will be appreciated by few.
That expended on the first volume alone, with all the material before me, is
more than equivalent to the well-directed efforts of one person for ten years.
In the work of selecting, sifting, and arranging any subject-matter, I have
called in the aid of a large corps of assistants, and, while desiring to place
on no one but myself any responsibility for the work, either in style or
matter, I would render just acknowledgment for the services of all; especially
to the following gentlemen, for the efficient manner in which, each in his
special department, they have devoted their energies and abilities to the
carrying out of my plan; —to Mr. T. Arundel-Harcourt, in the researches on the
manners and customs of the Civilized Nations; to Mr. Walter M. Fisher, in the
investigation of Mythology; to Mr. Albert Goldschmidt, in the treatise on
Language; and to Mr. Henry L. Oak, in the subject of Antiquities and Aboriginal
History.
VOLUME I. WILD TRIBES.
CHAPTER I. ETHNOLOGICAL INTRODUCTION.
CHAPTER II. HYPERBOREANS.
CHAPTER III. COLUMBIANS.
CHAPTER V. NEW MEXICANS.
CHAPTER VI. WILD TRIBES OF MEXICO.
CHAPTER VII. WILD TRIBES OF CENTRAL AMERICA.
VOLUME II. CIVILIZED NATIONS.
CHAPTER I. SAVAGISM AND CIVILIZATION.
CHAPTER II. GENERAL VIEW OF THE CIVILIZED
NATIONS.
CHAPTER III. GOVERNMENT OF THE NAHUA NATIONS.
CHAPTER IV. PALACES AND HOUSEHOLDS OF THE NAHUA
KINGS.
CHAPTER V. THE PRIVILEGED CLASSES AMONG THE NAHUAS.
CHAPTER VI. PLEBEIANS, SLAVES, TENURE OP LANDS,
AND TAXATION.
CHAPTER VII. EDUCATION, MARRIAGE, CONCUBINAGE,
CHILDBIRTH, AND BAPTISM,
CHAPTER VIII NAHUA FEASTS AND AMUSEMENTS.
CHAPTER IX. PUBLIC FESTIVALS.
CHAPTER X. FOOD OF THE NAHUA NATIONS.
CHAPTER XI. DKESS OF THE NAHUA NATIONS.
CHAPTER XII. COMMERCE OF THE NAHUA NATIONS.
CHAPTER XIII. WAR CUSTOMS OF THE NAHUAS.
CHAPTER XIV. NAHUA LAWS AND LAW COURTS.
CHAPTER XV. NAHUA ARTS AND MANUFACTURES.
CHAPTER XVI. THE AZTEC CALENDAR.
CHAPTER XVII. THE AZTEC PICTURE-WRITING.
CHAPTER XVIII. ARCHITECTURE AND DWELUNGS OF THE
NAHUAS.
CHAPTER XIX. MEDICINE AND FUNERAL RITES AMONG
THE NAHUAS.
CHAPTER XX. GOVERNMENT, SOCIAL CLASSES, PROPERTY,
AND LAWS OF THE MAYA NATIONS.
CHAPTER XXI. EDUCATION AND FAMILY MATTERS AMONG
THE MAYAS.
CHAPTER XXII. FEASTS AND AMUSEMENTS OF THE MAYAS,
CHAPTER XXIII. FOOD, DRESS, COMMERCE, AND WAR CUSTOMS
OF THE MAYAS.
CHAPTER XXIV. MAYA ARTS, CALENDAR, AND HIEROGLYPHICS.
CHAPTER XXV. BUILDINGS, MEDICINE, BURIAL, PHYSICAL
PECULIARITIES, AND CHARACTER OF THE MAYAS.
VOLUME III. MYTHS AND LANGUAGES.
MYTHOLOGY.
CHAPTER I. SPEECH AND SPECULATION.
CHAPTER II. ORIGIN AND END OF THINGS.
CHAPTER III. PHYSICAL MYTHS.
CHAPTER IV. ANIMAL MYTHOLOGY.
CHAPTER V. GODS, SUPERNATURAL BEINGS, AND WORSHIP.
CHAPTER VI. GODS, SUPERNATURAL BEINGS, AND WORSHIP.
CHAPTER VII. GODS, SUPERNATURAL BEINGS, AND WORSHIP.
CHAPTER VIII. GODS, SUPERNATURAL BEINGS, AND WORSHIP.
CHAPTER IX. GODS, SUPERNATURAL BEINGS, AND WORSHIP.
CHAPTER X. GODS, SUPERNATURAL BEINGS, AND WORSHIP.
CHAPTER XI. GODS, SUPERNATURAL BEINGS, AND WORSHIP.
CHAPTER XII. FUTURE STATE.
LANGUAGES
CHAPTER I. GENERAL REMARKS.
CHAPTER II. HYPERBOREAN LANGUAGES.
CHAPTER III. COLUMBIAN LANGUAGES.
CHAPTER IV. CALIFORNIAN LANGUAGES.
CHAPTER V. SHOSHONE LANGUAGES.
CHAPTER VI. THE PUEBLO, COLORADO RIVER, AND
LOWER CALIFORNIA LANGUAGES.
CHAPTER VII. THE PIMA, OPATA, AND CERI
LANGUAGES
CHAPTER VIII. NORTH MEXICAN LANGUAGES.
CHAPTER IX. THE AZTEC AND OTOMI LANGUAGES.
CHAPTER X. LANGUAGES OF CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN MEXICO.
CHAPTER XI. THE MAYA-QUICHE LANGUAGES.
CHAPTER XII. LANGUAGES OF HONDURAS, NICARAGUA,
COSTA RICA, AND THE ISTHMUS OF DARIEN.
VOLUME IV. ANTIQUITIES.
CHAPTER I. ARCHAEOLOGICAL INTRODUCTION.
CHAPTER II. ANTIQUITIES OF THE ISTHMUS, COSTA RICA,
MOSQUITO COAST, AND NICARAGUA.
CHAPTER III. ANTIQUITIES OF SALVADOR AND
HONDURAS, RUINS OF COPAN.
CHAPTER IV. ANTIQUITIES OF GUATEMALA AND BELIZE.
CHAPTER V. ANTIQUITIES OF YUCATAN
CHAPTER VI. ANTIQUITIES OF TABASCO AND CHIAPAS,
RUINS OF PALENQUE.
CHAPTER VII. ANTIQUITIES OF OAJACA AND
GUERRERO.
CHAPTER VIII. ANTIQUITIES OF VERA CRUZ.
CHAPTER IX. ANTIQUITIES OF THE CENTRAL PLATEAUX.
CHAPTER X. ANTIQUITIES OF THE NORTHERN MEXICAN
STATES.
CHAPTER XI. ANTIQUITIES OF ARIZONA AND NEW MEXICO.
CHAPTER XII. ANTIQUITIES OF THE NORTHWEST.
CHAPTER XIII. WOKKS OF THE MOUND-BUILDERS.
CHAPTER XIV. PERUVIAN ANTIQUITIES.
VOLUME V. PRIMITIVE HISTORY.
CHAPTER I. ON THE ORIGIN OF THE AMERICANS.
CHAPTER II. INTRODUCTORY TO ABORIGINAL HISTORY.
CHAPTER III. THE PRE-TOLTEC PERIOD OF ABORIGINAL
HISTORY.
CHAPTER IV. THE TOLTEC PERIOD.
CHAPTER V. THE. CHICHIMEC PERIOD.
CHAPTER VI. THE CHICHIMEC PERIOD. CONTINUED.
CHAPTEE VII. THE CHICHIMEC PERIOD CONCLUDED.
CHAPTEE VIII. THE AZTEC PERIOD.
CHAPTER IX. THE AZTEC PERIOD CONCLUDED.
CHAPTER X. HISTORY OF THE EASTERN PLATEAU,
MICHOACAN, AND OAJACA.
CHAPTER XI. THE QUICHE-CAKCHIQUEL EMPIRE IN GUATEMALA.
CHAPTER XII. MISCELLANEOUS TRIBES OF CENTRAL AMERICA.
CHAPTER XIII. HISTORY OF THE MAYAS IN YUCATAN
HUBERT HOWE BANCROFT.
THE HISTORY OF THE PACIFIC STATES
In 39 Volumes
Vols. I-V.—THE NATIVE RACES OF THE PACIFIC STATES.
Vole. VI-VIII—HISTORY OF CENTRAL AMERICA.
Vols. IX-XIV.—HISTORY OF MEXICO.
Vole. XV-XVI.—HISTORY OF THE NORTH MEXICAN STATES.
Vol. XVII—HISTORY OF NEW MEXICO AND ARIZONA.
Vole. XVIII-XXIV.—HISTORY OF CALIFORNIA.
Vol. XXV.—HISTORY OF NEVADA,
Vol. XXVI—HISTORY OF UTAH.
Vols. XXVII-XXVIII—HISTORY OF THE NORTH-WEST COAST.
Vole. XXIX-XXX.—HISTORY OF OREGON.
Vol. XXXI—HISTORY OF WASHINGTON, IDAHO, AND MONTANA,
Vol. XXXII—HISTORY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA.
Vol. XXXIII—HISTORY OF ALASKA.
Vol. XXXIV.—CALIFORNIA PASTORAL.
Vol. XXXV.—CALIFORNIA INTER POCULA.
Vols. XXXVI-XXXVII—POPULAR TRIBUNALS.
XXXVIII—ESSAYS AND MISCELLANY.
Vol. XXXIX.—LITERARY INDUSTRIES