“ ANCIENT ART OF THE PROVINCE OF CHIRIQUI, COLOMBIA, BY
WILLIAM H. HOLMES. The archæology of Chiriqui should be studied, not only for comparison with that of the territory comprised in the present political divisions of North America, but because geographically the province should be considered as a part of the North American continent. Until recently this isthmian region was little known, the explorations for railroads and canals having furnished the first valuable accounts of its modern inhabitants and the relics left by former occupants. ”

“ In America there is yet found a great body of primitive, indigenous, and independent art, almost uncontaminated by the complex phenomena, processes, and conditions which elsewhere obscure its origin and development. ”

“ The traditions are both cosmologic and sociologic, and are admirable examples of Indian philosophy. The existence of secret associations, periodically celebrating religious mysteries, and of shamanistic orders, which, by ceremonies, pictographs, and chants, have preserved in more or less purity the traditions of their ancestors, has been vaguely known for some years, but until lately no accurate or indeed intelligent account of them has been secured. ”

“ The articles of gold which the graves have yielded in large quantities to explorers during the last quarter of a century, and for which only they have until recently been searched, have generally been considered to be mere ornaments, but they probably had a fetichistic origin.
It is remarkable that no weapon, tool, or utensil of metal has been noticed. The objects were generally formed by casting in molds, which was done with considerable skill, and gilding, or at least plating, was practiced. The art of alloying also appears to have been understood. ”

“ A general review of the contents of the graves shows that the ancient inhabitants were skillful in the manipulation of stone, gold, copper, and clay, and tombs of undoubtedly great antiquity yield evidence of long continued culture.
It also appears that, while the art of the old peoples of the isthmus can in some respects be connected with that of adjacent regions in North America, in others it is remarkable for individuality. Ornaments of stone were seldom used by them and those of gold and copper were common. ”

“ Curtin spent the first two weeks of July at the Quapaw agency, Indian Territory, in making a collection of Modoc myths, which he had begun in the preceding winter, being part of a general collection of Indian myths begun in 1883. The number of Modoc myths obtained was nearly one hundred.
After finishing work at the Quapaw Agency, he returned to Washington, and shortly afterward was directed to proceed to northern California and obtain vocabularies of the Nosa and Kombo languages, and thence to Oregon to obtain vocabularies of the Wasco, Tyigh, and Tenina languages. ”

“ The influence of textile ornament upon other forms of art, such as architecture and sculpture, is discussed, as also the manner in which extrinsic decorative elements are remodeled in accordance with the rules of textile combination. The paper, however, does not undertake to cover the whole field of the development of form and ornament, being confined to the relation of the textile art thereto, and similar studies in all other grand divisions of art must be made before the relative importance of all their forces and tendencies can be estimated. ”

“ Garrick Mallery continued the collection and classification of material on the two correlated subjects of sign language and pictographs. His two preliminary papers on those subjects have appeared in former annual reports. It is intended, while increasing the data obtained from the Indian tribes of North America, bearing upon these subjects, to supplement and illustrate the mass of information collected from those tribes by comparison with everything of a similar character to be found in other parts of the world and to publish the results of the collection and study in the form of monographs. ”

“ From April 18, at which date work at the Warm Spring agency was finished, until June 30, the time was devoted to collecting myths in the Klamath reservation and at Yreka.
During the whole period of work all the myths that could be found among the people whose languages were being investigated were reduced to writing. In this manner a large body of Nosa, Atsugei, Tyigh, and Wasco myths was collected. In the cases of Klamath and Shasti, myths were the objects directly in view.
The vocabularies were obtained with satisfactory completeness and the verbal systems worked out in detail. ”

“ In this paper he maintains, with a large amount of linguistic evidence, that the Zuñi culture is mainly autochthonous, and that its growth, especially the growth of architectural, agricultural, ceramic, and other arts and industries pertaining to it, has been largely accomplished within the desert areas of America which still form the habitat of the Pueblo Indians, and probably, also, within a period more limited than has usually been supposed essential to such development. ”

“ All that remains to be done in completing the atlas for publication is to transcribe, with considerable elaboration, the historical and descriptive notes pertaining to the various cessions, and to make, from the rough working sheets, legible copies of the maps showing the boundaries of the cessions within the States of California, Oregon, Nevada, and Texas and the Territories of Washington, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Utah, New Mexico, Arizona, and Dakota. ”

“ Gatschet left Fort Griffin and reached Fort Sill, in the Indian Territory, on the 15th. Many Kaiowē and Comanche Indians encamped during the warmer months of the year around this fort, which is situated at the southeast base of the Wichita mountains. He engaged the best help he could find for studying the Kaiowē language, for which there is no Government interpreter. The Comanche is the predominating language on the whole Kaiowē, Comanche, and Apache reservation, although the Comanche exceed the Kaiowē but little in number. ”

“ The classification of the languages of the North American Indians is closely connected with the synonymy XLIVof tribal names, each work assisting the other. During recent years the number of students who have directed their attention more or less exclusively to the study of Indian languages has been constantly augmented, and as a result of their labors the number of vocabularies has been correspondingly increased ”

“ Without allowing too much weight to any argument based upon the surprising skill of these people in plating and alloying, the evidence of technical skill in general, together with the conceptions embodied in their art, proves conclusively that it was the product of a long period of experiment and progress.
The pottery of Chiriqui is to be noted for the perfection of its technique, its high specialization of form, and its conventional LIIIuse of a wide range of decorative motives. Its forms present many striking analogies to the wheel made ware of the Mediterranean, regarded as classic. ”

“ Better interpreters for Kaiowē were obtained at Anadarko, the seat of the agency, where Mr. Gatschet remained from October 31 to December 12. A few Kaiowē were found who had passed some months or years among Americans or at the Indian schools at Carlisle, Chilocco, and elsewhere, and could express themselves intelligibly in English. A few white Mexicans were found among the Comanche, who were captured by them in infancy, acquired the Comanche language, and have ever since lived among these Indians. ”

“ GENERAL FIELD WORK. WORK OF DR. WASHINGTON MATTHEWS. Dr. Washington Matthews, assistant surgeon U. S. Army, continued his investigations among the Navajo Indians in New Mexico and Arizona. He had been stationed in the Navajo country as post surgeon of Fort Wingate, N. Mex., from 1880 to 1884, during which time he devoted himself to studying the language, customs, and ceremonies of this tribe as much as his official duties would permit. Some of the great shamanistic ceremonies of the Navajo, occupying nine days for their performance, he had often seen in part ”

“ It becomes, therefore, the duty of any one whose discoveries tend to clear up even minor points of the great problem to furnish them to his fellow laborers, and thereby limit the remaining field of investigation. ”

“ The collections from this pueblo, though not embracing a great variety of objects, will illustrate nearly all the phases of the arts and industrial pursuits of these Indians.
Another section of Mr. Stevenson's party, under his own supervision and with the important assistance of Mrs. Stevenson, was employed in making collections and studies at Zuñi. The collection from there is much larger than any heretofore obtained and includes many objects relating to the outdoor ceremonies of the Zuñi. Specimens of these were secured from their sacred springs, caves, and shrines. ”

“ But the laws of evolution in all art closely correspond, and the present paper is eminently instructive to all students of the esthetic.
AIDS TO THE STUDY OF THE MAYA CODICES, BY CYRUS THOMAS. That Prof. Cyrus Thomas has long been engaged in the examination of the few Maya records in existence is known from his former works, "A study of the Manuscript Troano" and "Notes on certain Maya and Mexican manuscripts," both published by the Bureau of Ethnology. ”

“ Victor Mindeleff left Washington on August 5 to survey the ruined pueblos of the Chaco, in New XXXMexico. Five of the ruins were accurately measured and platted to scale, and a full series of sketches, plans, and photographs was secured. Mr. Mindeleff returned from the field on the 1st of October. He then made a trip to the great Etowah mound, near Cartersville, Ga., under the direction of Prof. Cyrus Thomas, in order to secure an accurate survey and scale drawing, as a basis for the construction of a model. ”

“ The exertions of several of the officers of this Bureau have been successful in obtaining full details and clear explanations both of the traditions and the ceremonials of several of the Indian tribes, notably those of the Zuñi and the Navajo, published in former annual reports. The present paper by Mr. Dorsey takes an important place in this new collection of materials for the study of Indian philosophy, from which valuable results have been already acquired. ”

“ In the case of rare books or papers special attention has been paid to obtain full information, and in the case of some of the rarest books fac-similes of the title pages are given. The value of a work so broadly conceived and so carefully executed is very great. ”

“ Very few of the natives were sufficiently conversant with English or Spanish to serve as interpreters, so that it was difficult to secure trustworthy results. A white man who had lived over six years among them was of material help, and several mythologic and other texts were obtained with tolerable correctness through his aid. ”

“ The grand division of the Eskimauan linguistic family, inhabiting nearly the whole range of the Arctic-American coast, which has been classed as Central Eskimo, occupies the northeastern part of the continent and the eastern islands of the Arctic-American archipelago. It inhabits, at Smith sound, the most northern countries in which man has been known to dwell. ”

“ At San Diego and San Luis Rey he obtained vocabularies representing four dialects of the Yuman family.
WORK OF MR. A. S. GATSCHET. In August, 1884, Mr. Gatschet proceeded to visit the Tonkawē and Lipan tribes in Texas.
He reached Fort Griffin on the 29th of August. The Tonkawē tribe was encamped about a mile and a half south of Fort Griffin, Shackleford county, and consisted of 78 individuals, while the Lipan camp, one mile north-northwest, consisted of 19 persons only. All these Indians were on the point of removing to the Oakland reserve, Indian Territory. ”

“ Mr. Frank H. Cushing was stationed at Washington at the commencement of the fiscal year and was engaged in the classification of his field material in preparation for its publication. During the fall he completed a short paper on Zuñi culture growth as evidenced by studies of Pueblo ceramics, which was published in the Fourth Annual Report of the Bureau. ”

“ WORK OF DR. W. J. HOFFMAN. Dr. W. J. Hoffman proceeded early in August to Victoria, B. C., where numerous sketches of Haida totem posts and carvings were obtained, in connection with the myths which they illustrated. At this locality attention was paid to the XLIIburial customs and osteologic remains of the nearly extinct tribe of Songish Indians.
At Port Townsend sketches were obtained of Thlinkit ivory and wood carvings, clearly indicating the adoption by that tribe of Haida art designs. ”