Page:Journal of American Folklore vol. 12.djvu/152

 140 Journal of American Folk-Lore.

CENTRAL AMERICA.

Bribri. The monograph of H. Pittier de Fabrega, "Die Sprache der Bribri-Indianer in Costa Rica" (Wien, 1898, 150 S.), which, edited by the late Prof. Friedrich Miiller, appeared in the Transac- tions of the Viennese Academy of Sciences, contains four myths of the relations of men with evil spirits, animals, and birds in the olden times. The Indian texts are given, together with free and inter- linear translations. The ethnographic introduction also contains many items of value. Brinton considers the Bribris, a branch of the Talamancas, of Chibcha stock.

Mayan. As a reprint from vol. vii. of the " Proceedings of the Davenport Academy of Natural Sciences" (Davenport, Iowa), Prof. Frederick Starr publishes an account of "A Shell Inscription from Tula, Mexico." An irregular fragment of haliotis shell, dis- covered at Tula, forty miles north of the city of Mexico, had its whole inner concave surface occupied by an elaborate carving repre- senting a seated figure, while on the reverse are four characters " clearly related to the ' calculiform ' characters of Mayan inscrip- tions." This discovery is very suggestive.

SOUTH AMERICA.

Calchaqui. In his brief account of " The Calchaqui," in the "American Anthropologist" for January, 1899 (N. S. vol. i. pp. 41- 44), Dr. D. G. Brinton suggests the derivation of the name given to this people by the chroniclers from the Ouichua 'kallchay-aiy, "irrascible, ill-natured." The people in question are very interest- ing, as being, according to some, the old Incasic stock itself, born of the vales of Catamarca: certainly the art-resemblances are very striking. According to Dr. Brinton, " the curious old man with the long beard (un-Indian as he seems) appears on vases from the Cal- chaqui region as well as in the legendary figure of Viracocha.

Chaco. From the " Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society," Dr. D. G. Brinton reprints his study of "The Linguistic Cartography of the Chaco Region"' (Philadelphia, 1898, 30 pp. 8°), which is accompanied by a very useful map showing the lan- guage distribution according to the very latest information. The region of the Gran Chaco lies in northern Argentina and eastern Bolivia (lat. i8°-32° S., long. 58°-66° W.), and is inhabited by peoples speaking many distinct languages. Some of the etymolo- gies of the tribal names are very interesting: Guaycuru = " f ast runners;" Tirumb<z= " naked men;" Omagua= " intelligent, supe- rior people ; " Juri- "ostrich ; " Chanas= " my relations ; " Charrua

"my men." Dr. Brinton thinks that the Omaguas were, beyond

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