The Lenâpé and Their Legends: With the complete text and symbols of the Walam olum, a new translation, and an inquiry into its authenticityBrinton, Daniel G. (Daniel Garrison)
History
The Lenâpé and Their Legends: With the complete text and symbols of the Walam olum, a new translation, and an inquiry into its authenticity
Brinton, Daniel G. (Daniel Garrison)
Delaware Indians; Delaware language -- Texts; Picture-writing, Indian
First in point of time was Prof. Asa Gray, who in the year following
Rafinesque's death published in the "American Journal of Science and
Arts," Vol. XI, an analysis of his botanical writings. He awards him
considerable credit for his earlier investigations, but much less for
his later ones. To quote Dr. Gray's words: "A gradual deterioration
will be observed in Rafinesque's botanical writings from 1819 to 1830,
when the passion for establishing new genera and species appears to
have become a complete _monomania_."[246] But modern believers in
the doctrine of the evolution of plant forms and the development of
botanical species will incline to think that there was a method in
this madness, when they read the passage from Rafinesque's writings,
about 1836, which Dr. Gray quotes as conclusively proving that, in
things botanical, Rafinesque had lost his wits. It is this: "But
it is needless to dispute about new genera, species and varieties.
Every variety is a deviation, which becomes a species as soon as it
is permanent by reproduction. Deviations in essential organs may
thus gradually become new genera." This is really an anticipation of
Darwinianism in botany.
The next year, in the same journal, appeared a "Notice of the
Zoölogical Writings of the late C. S. Rafinesque," by Prof. S. S.
Haldeman. It is, on the whole, depreciatory, and convicts Rafinesque
of errors of observation as well as of inference; at the same time,
not denying his enthusiasm and his occasional quickness to appreciate
zoölogical facts.
In 1864 the conchological writings of Rafinesque were collected and
published, in Philadelphia, by A. G. Binney and Geo. W. Tryon, Jr.,
without comments. One of the editors informs me that they have positive
merit, although the author was too credulous and too desirous of
novelties.
The antiquarian productions of Rafinesque, which interest us most in
this connection, were reviewed with caustic severity by Dr. S. F.
Haven,[247] especially the "Ancient Annals of Kentucky", which was
printed as an introduction to Marshall's History of that State, in
1824. It is, indeed, an absurd production, a reconstruction of alleged
history on the flimsiest foundations; but, alas! not a whit more absurd
than the laborious card houses of many a subsequent antiquary of
renown.
His principal work in this branch appeared in Philadelphia in 1836,
entitled: "The American Nations; or, Outlines of a National History;
of the Ancient and Modern Nations of North and South America." It was
printed for the author, and is in two parts. Others were announced but
never appeared, nor did the maps and illustrations which the title page
promised. Its pages are filled with extravagant theories and baseless
analogies. In the first part he prints with notes his translation of
the THE WALAM OLUM, and his explanation of its significance.
_History of the Walam Olum._
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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