The Carolina Spartan. [volume] (Spartanburg, S.C.) 1852-1896, 1856-04-03
Origin of the Indian Tribes.

lights of history and ethuolopv. in the
Chevalier Bunson's recent great work on
"The Philosophy Of Universal History
The following views are expressed by him
respecting the elaborate collections and di.
gests of the materials, published under the
authority Of Congress, on the sub;ec, of
the Indian tribes. Chevalier Bunson has
been several years Prussian minister at the
court of London:
IL had written so far in July, 1897. |
was not then aware that on the Sd March
OF the same year All act had passed the
Congress of the United States of America
authorizing the publication Of great ma.
tional work on the Indian tribes OF the ter.
ritory OF that republic. In 1850 the first
volume OF that gigantic work appeared,
and now third volume. printed IN 1853.
has been transmitted to me by the liberali
ty of that government.
at may fairly be said that bv this grea,
national and Christian undertaking.. which
realizes the aspirations of President Jetfer
son, aud carries out TO their full extent the
labors and efforts of Secretary of the
Treasury, the Hon Albert Gallatin. the
government of the United States has done
more FOR the antiquities and language of a
foreign race than any European govern.
ment has hitherto done for the lanpuape
ot their ancestors. Certainly, scarcely any
single man has done more for collecting
and digesting the materials than Mr..
Schooicrait, whose own observations and in
qnirles form the most important part of
that publication. The whole work is con &.
ce:ved IN a true spirit Of philauthrophy.
| hos &c
wards the Ind an scion of the human spe
c'es The section on language is with u,
doubt the most important portion; i, occu
pies place IN the second and third vol.
umcS, and we may hope 10 see it compile.
ted IN the course Of the following volumes.
But the linguistic data before us, combined
with the traditions and customs, and par.
tcularly with the system OF pictorial inne-
monic writing, first revealed in this work. J
enable me 10 SAY that the Asiatic origin OF
AL these tribes is rs fully proved AS the
unity of family among themselves Ac
cordlng IL our system, the Indian language
can only he dcpositc OLA North Turauian
idiom.
Indeed, in addition TO the evidence nj
ready collected by Prichard. the pass ge Of
tribes from Siberia (whcre we also find
traces oi the same pictorial writing) over
the northern islands is place beyond all
doubt 10y the work in question. The don
gaIian peculiarly of the skull, tie tvIe Of
the hunter, the Shamutic excitement W rich
leads, by means of fas,ings and dreams. in
To visionary or clairvoyaut state, and the
Fundamental religious views and symbols.
(tmong which the tortoise is no, to be for.
go;ien,) bring us back to primitive Turan
ism.
"As to the languages themselves there is
no one popularity in them which may not
easily hc explained by our theory OF the
second formation, and Of the consequences
OF isolation.
The unity Of the grammatical type was
long ago acknowledged; tn, we have now
(a> | think the evidences of the material,
historical, physical unity The Indian mind
has not only worked in one type, but with
one material, and that Turanian one.
We may now hope to receive in few
years, from these energetic eifoIts of the
government and citizens Of the United
States, a complete linguistic Thesarus of
Indian languages; and this deserves the
more grateful acknowledgement, rs most of
these tribes, in spite of the renewing power
of Christianity, will soon become entirely
extinct"