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The Native Races [of the Pacific states], Volume 1, Wild Tribes / The Works of Hubert Howe Bancroft, Volume 1
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Metadata
- Gutenberg ID
- 41070
- Title
- The Native Races [of the Pacific states], Volume 1, Wild Tribes / The Works of Hubert Howe Bancroft, Volume 1
- Language
- en
- Book source
- Project Gutenberg
- Description max 80 words
-
Hubert Howe Bancroft presents a comprehensive ethnological survey of the aboriginal inhabitants of the Pacific States, from Alaska to Darien. This volume details the physical characteristics, customs, and social structures of diverse 'wild tribes,' offering a systematic rescue of facts before European contact erased their unwritten histories.
- Summary up to 500 words
-
In the first volume of his monumental series on the Pacific States, Hubert Howe Bancroft presents a foundational ethnological survey of the region stretching from Alaska to Darien. This vast domain, encompassing nearly one-tenth of the Earth's surface, hosted millions of aboriginal inhabitants before European contact, ranging from cave-dwellers in the Great Basin to sophisticated civilizations like the Aztecs and Mayas. Bancroft, sifting through sixteen thousand volumes collected over decades, aims to rescue essential facts about these peoples from oblivion before their simultaneous discovery and disappearance. The work begins with an introduction to ethnological theories regarding race unity and diversity. It then details the Hyperboreans, including Eskimos and Aleuts, followed by a comprehensive examination of Columbians. A significant portion is dedicated to Central American nations, specifically the Isthmians between Nicaragua and Darien. Bancroft describes their physical geography, noting the hot, moist air of lowlands versus the temperate mountain climates. He contrasts the 'plodding' Mosquitos with the energetic Caribs, highlighting differences in physique between mountain tribes and coast-dwellers. Bancroft provides vivid accounts of daily life, including diet, clothing made of cotton or bark, and elaborate ornamentation involving gold, silver, tiger's teeth, and coral. He notes that chiefs often wore heavy mantles while common people went naked, encasing only their privy parts in funnels of precious metals or shells. Social customs are meticulously recorded, covering burial rites where property was interred with the deceased, inheritance laws, and marriage practices, which varied from polygamy to strict prohibitions against marrying close kin. The volume serves as a critical archive, condensing the researches of twelve hundred writers. Bancroft emphasizes that these nations vanished at the touch of European civilization, whether Latin or Teutonic. Their unwritten history ended abruptly, leaving only a 'glance caught in their hasty flight.' The work stands as an attempt to forge weapons for future scholars, presenting raw materials on manners, customs, mythology, and languages to prevent the total loss of this unique humanity.
- LLM editorial rating
- 4.2/5
- Download URL
- https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/41070.epub.noimages
- Local file path
-
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People
Authors
- Hubert Howe Bancroft
Classification
Categories
- Indians of North America
- Indians of Central America