Page:American Anthropologist NS vol. 22.djvu/22

 10 AMERICAN ANTHROPOLOGIST [N. s., 22, 1920

culture and national existence and Americanization is the general term for all efforts looking toward the substitution of our own culture for that of the "foreign colony."

The initial difficulty in all programs of Americanization comes from our lack of specific knowledge as to what goes on under the surface in these groups. No anthropologist has investigated these "colony cultures," yet there are fifty or more Indian colonies in the United States and Canada for anyone of which you can obtain a publication in which there will be found an exposition of its culture based upon investigations by anthropologists. Thousands upon thousands of dollars have been contributed by wealthy men to this end, not to mention large sums spent by the U. S. Govern- ment through its scientific bureaus. I need not mention that for the native tribes of South America, Africa, Australia, etc., we have similar studies. It seems high time, therefore, that we formulate some knowledge of the "foreign culture" colonies in our midst, before we set out gaily upon a great program of Americanization. Anthropology is ready to make the necessary investigations, if the opportunity is created.

However, the problem is not merely one of culture, for the zoological factor is evident in the "race question." The leveling down of differences in culture means increased contact and even- tually amalgamation. It is highly important, therefore, that we study the inherent factors in the population of these colonies. We must also take up the problem of race-mixing; someone must be able to tell us what kind of men are being produced by this inevitable crossing of racial elements. Here are great groups of problems :

1. The identification of racial characters.

2. The inheritance of morphological and mental characters.

3. The effects of external conditions upon individual develop- ment.

4. The psychological factors involved in culture change. These problems appear in another question of large proportions,

viz., the Negro question, or rather the mulatto problem. The psychologists have made a good beginning with their tests upon

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