Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1894-09-07
THE AMERICAN RACE.
Remarkable Uni ormity OF Type and
Charac Ell istics-Geograp hical Dlvis-
ions-Arctic and Atlantic Groups

The American race includes all those
people, aborigiues of America, famil-
iarly known as Indians. A. is gener-
ally known, this name perpetuates the
error of Columbus, who supposed. when
he landed on the Western continent.
that he had reached India. Brinton
thinks, and brings evidence to show,
that the occupation of America by this
race extends back To the ice age or be-
You'd. They certainly are a race so
fixed in traits as to entitle them to the
highest antiquity of origin, if uniform
ity of physical and mental traits is to
be regarded as a criterion. So uniform
are they, indeed, that they have scarce
" differentiated into branches, stocks
and groups, and can only be divided
ON geographical lines. According to
this plan OF division, DR.. Brinton di-
vides them into groups as follows:
/, Arctic Group; ,, North Atlantic
Group; 3, North Pacific Group; I,
Mexican Group; ;, Inter Isthmian
Group 6. South Atlantic Group; I,
South Pacific Group.
All the higher civilization of this
race belongs to the pacific group. the
Mexican being really member of that
gronp by derivation and original loca-
ton. There was little connection be-
tween the members of the Pacific and
Atlantic groups. the Sicrras being a
barrier which etfectually walled them
apart; but between the members of the
Pacific groups, rs also between MEM
bers of the Atlantic groups, Intercourse
was constant. The Nahuas. for in
stance. spread down the Pacific coast
from Sonora to the i~thmus of Panama.
The Inca power stretched along the
coast for 1000 miles, but neither Of
these peoples reached the Atlantic
plains. So with the Atlantic groups;
the Guarani tongue can be traced from
Buonos Ayres to the Amazon, the Al
gonquln from the Savannah river to
Hudson Bay, but neither crossed the
mountains to the west. These groups,
therefore, are cultural as we'll as geo.
graphical, and represent natural di-
visions Of tribes as we'll as of regions.
1. The Arctic Group.
This group comprises the Eskimo
and Aleutian tribes. The name of the
former as given by themselves is in
mutt" men. They are essentially a
maratime people, extending along the
northern coasts of the continent from
Ice Bay in Alaska on the west TO the
Straits of Belle Isle on the east.
They extend northward 10 Greenland,
where the Scandinavians found them
about 1000 A. ID. 1t is probable that
these Eskimos came from Labrador
no long time before. Over this vast
extent of territory there is a remarka-
BILE uniformity in appearance, language,
customs and arts.
In physical traits the Eskimos are
short in stature. dark coppery in COM
pleXion, with straight coarse black hair,
and with high and prominent cheek
bones. The shape of the skull IS gen
orally long in comparison to width.
They have little on no beard They
have a good degree of intelligence, are
cheerful in disposition, inventive, and
naturally truthful and honest. They
alone, as far as is known of American
tribes, made use of lamps. They make
use of sledges drawn by dogs, and Of
boats made of skins, which they call a
"yayak" 1t is light and strong, and
must be regarded as well nigh per-
feet and sea worthy sea canoe They
discovered the principle Of the arch,
and made use of it in the construction
of their domed ice and snow houses.
2. The North Atlantic Group.
This group extends in territory over
all the Atlantic water shed of North
Americas from Hudson Bay to Cas-
cade Range. and from the Arctic Ocean
south to line drawn from the mouth
of the Churchill river to the mouth OF
the Frazer river. The northern tribes
extend westward nearly to the delta of
the Yukon river, and reach the sea
coast at the mouth of the Copper river.
AT some remote period some of these
bands forsook their inhospitable abodes
in the north, and following the eastern
ilanks of the Cordellera, migrated far
south into Mexico, where they form the
Apaches, Navajos, and the Lipans near
the mouth of the Rio del Norte."
In physical traits these tribes are
generally of an average stature, and