Pictographs of the North American Indians. A preliminary paper: Fourth Annual Report of the Bureau of Ethnology to the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, 1882-83, Government Printing Office, Washington, 1886, pages 3-256Mallery, Garrick
History
Pictographs of the North American Indians. A preliminary paper: Fourth Annual Report of the Bureau of Ethnology to the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, 1882-83, Government Printing Office, Washington, 1886, pages 3-256
Mallery, Garrick
Haida Indians; Picture-writing, Indian; Tattooing
The limits of this paper do not allow of presenting a list of the
characters in the pictographs which have become known. It may be
properly demanded, however, that some of the characters in the
petroglyph, Figure 1, should be explained. The following is a list of
those which were interpreted to Mr. Gilbert, as mentioned on page 29
_supra_.
[Illustration: FIG. 156.]
[Illustration: FIG. 157.]
Figure 156 is an inclosure, or pen, in which ceremonial dances are
performed. Figure 157 is a head-dress used in ceremonial dances.
[Illustration: FIG. 158.]
Figure 158 shows different representations of houses.
[Illustration: FIG. 159.]
[Illustration: FIG. 160.]
Figure 159 sketches the frames or sticks used in carrying wood on the
back. Figure 160 shows different forms of arrows.
[Illustration: FIG. 161.]
Figure 161 represents the blossoms of melons, squashes, etc.
[Illustration: FIG. 162.]
[Illustration: FIG. 163.]
Figure 162 shows three ways in which lightning is represented. Figure
163 represents clouds.
[Illustration: FIG. 164.]
Figure 164 represents clouds with rain descending.
[Illustration: FIG. 165.]
Figure 165 shows various forms of stars.
[Illustration: FIG. 166.]
Figure 166 shows various representations of the sun.
[Illustration: FIG. 167.]
Figure 167 shows various representations of sunrise.
It is of interest in this connection that in the pictorial notation
of the Laplanders the sun bears its usual figure of a man’s head,
rayed, as reported in Schoolcraft, _op. cit._ I, 426. See drawings in
Scheffer’s Hist. of Lapland, London ed., 1704.
It may be desirable also to note, to avoid misconception, that where,
through this paper, mention is made of particulars under the headings
of Customs, Religious, etc., which might be made the subject of
graphic illustration in pictographs, and for that reason should be
known as preliminary to the attempted interpretation of the latter,
the suggestion is not given as a mere hypothesis. Such objective marks
and conceptions of the character indicated which can readily be made
objective, are in fact frequently found in pictographs and have been
understood by means of the preliminary information to which reference
is made. When interpretations obtained through this line of study are
properly verified they can take places in the card-catalogue little
inferior to those of interpretations derived directly from aboriginal
pictographers.
HOMOMORPHS AND SYMMORPHS.
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