Evening star., 1935-03-05
STARS, MEN AND ATOMS
Notebook of Science Progress in Field,
Laboratory and Study.
BY THOMAS r. HENRY.

But it is hardly the Latin Of Virgil
or Cicero. One might almost say that
1t Is a semi-Latin invented purely
for the purpose Of botany. In some
cases about all that Is done Is to
ings.
Submerged for nearly two centuries
In an alien culture-and 50 completely
that even their neighbors hardly sus-
pect their existence-the original In
dian tribes Of New England still sur
vive and have preserved their racial
and tribal identities.
Such is the report Just made to the
Indian Office by Miss Gladys Tanta-
quidgeon, acting as special agent for
Commissioner John Collier, after sew
eral months spent in exploring the
hooks and corners Of four States for
traces Of the descendants Of Massaoit,
King Philip and the other red men
with whom the Pilgrims and Puritans
made their first contacts.
Miss Tantaquidgeon, herself q
member Of the Mohegan band, found
more than 5000 Of them In Maine,
Massachusetts,, Rhode Island and Con-
necticut. They survive, she found,
both In small isolated groups and as
individuals, having little contact with
each other but with the pride Of race
still strong within them. For the most
part even their existence has been
forgotten and little official p~Aice has
been taken Of them.
The one noteworthy and best known
exception, Miss Tantaquidgeon found,
is that Of the Penobscot and Passama-
quoddy Indians Of Maine. These are
recognized as being better preserved
cultura1ly than any Of the other New
England bands. They have retained
their languages, certain native arts
and crafts and some political and So
cial traits as well as remnants Of cere-
mories and folk beliefs. They are
found on three small reservations.
There are about 500 individuals in
each group who still maintain tribal
organizations.
Quite different is the situation In
Massachusetts-the original home of
the Wampanoag, the people Of Mas.
sasoit and King Philip. They were
terribly decimated by epidemics and
by the wars in which the white men
wrested their lands away from them
and 1t is often assumed that they dis.
appeared altogether But Miss Tan
taquidgeon found two small surviving
bands-the Mashpee and the Cav
Heads-on Cape Cod and Marthas
Vineyard. Culture survivals, she saws,
are feeble, but both groups are race
conscious and are striving to main
tain something of the Indian culture
In difficult environment.
Strange was the fate Of these
tribesmen Of Massasoit when the wars
were over and, with their hunting
grounds surrounded with the stone
walls Of the New England farms, the
feeble remnant settled down to make
the best they could Of the new condi-
ton. They became seafarers and
whale hunters. Three-fourths of the
able-bodied men among the coast In
dians, Miss Tantaquidgeon found, went
to sea on the whaling ships and
many of them became celebrated
around the world for their skin as
boatmen and harpoonists.
With the decline Of the whaling in
dustry they still chung to the sea and
their descendants survive today as
fishermen and small farmers, Myths
and folk beliefs are well preserved by
the two groups. Both have tribal or
ganizations, headed by elected chiefs.
Scattered through Rhode Island she
found about 25o survivors Of the once