Indians

Originally designated the inhabitants of India and adjacent islands, now, primarily refers to the aborigines of America. Due to the mistaken idea of Columbus that he reached e. Asia on his w. voyage. Since that date the number of Indians in N. America have been reduced to one-fourth. By the U. S. census of 1890 there are 249,273 in the U. S., ab. half as many in Canada: 32.567 are taxed Indians and citizens. Alaska is supposed to contain 15,000 Indians. Probably all the Indians of the w. hemisphere do not exceed 12.000,000. In U.S. nearly all are now placed on special reservations. Some are well advanced in civilization; others still support themselves in part by hunting. Schools are maintained in most of the tribes by the U. S. Government and various religious bodies. As a race the Indians stand by themselves and are not derivable from any known race of the Eastern world. Their hair is straight, because circular in section, the head dolichocephalic, eyes horizontal, nose aquiline, cheekbones prominent. The color of the skin varies from black and brown through coppery tints to yellow and fair. There is a great variety of grades of civilization, from that of the Patagonians and Digger Indians, through the agricultural stage exhibited by the Iroquois up to the temple-building and literary stages of the Mexicans and Peruvians. The mound builders were true Indians. The language is polysynthetic with no affinities to other languages. There are ab. 430 distinct languages in N. America, and 330 in S. America, with innumerable dialects. The principal groups of Indians are the following: ALGONQUINS, APPAL A CHI ANS, ATHA IMG:content-0760.png:[merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][ocr errors][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][ocr errors][subsumed][ocr errors][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][ocr errors][ocr errors][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][ocr errors][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][ocr errors][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][ocr errors][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][merged small][subsumed][subsumed][ocr errors][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][ocr errors][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][ocr errors][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][ocr errors][merged small][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][ocr errors][ocr errors][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][ocr errors][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][merged small][merged small][merged small][graphic] IMG:content-0761.jpg:[blocks in formation] BASCANS, AURA CAN I ANS, AZTECS, CARIBS, ESKIMOS, FUEGIANS, IROQUOIS, MAYA-QUICHE, PATAGONIANS, PAWNEES. PERUVIANS, PUEBLOS, SHOSHONES, SIOUX, THLINKEETS, and TUPI-GUARANI (q.v.).