Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 73.djvu/227

Rh that he has reversed the direction of the main movement, making it westward instead of eastward, thus making it conform to the direction of historic migrations, with which he seems to think it should be made to agree. He supposes the Lenni-Lenape "at some remote period dwelt far to the northeast, on tidewater, probably Labrador. They journeyed south and west till they reached a broad water full of islands and abounding in fish, perhaps the St. Lawrence about the Thousand Islands." This is quoted verbatim from Dr. Brinton. With similarly violent alterations from the legend, the Lenape are carried into Ohio and Indiana and thence back again to northern New York, having united with the Talamatan (Hurons) to drive out the Talega or Cherokees from the upper Ohio, which they only succeeded in doing finally in the historic period. These alterations from the sense of the tradition, as formerly understood, he claims to be warranted by the discovery of errors in the earlier translations.

The Snake people are relegated to myth, perhaps with correctness. He thinks the legend here relates a conflict between the Algonquian hero-god and the serpent of the waters, a myth which is found also among the Iroquois. After the conclusion of this conflict, the people found themselves in a cold northern country, whence they departed in search of warmer lands. Not recognizing the repetition in the legend of the same story, Dr. Brinton has the Snake war continue on through, and after, the settlement in Shinaki or the "land of spruce pines." Then comes the Lenap 'Allegewi war and the possession of the conquered country.

Neither time nor your patience would warrant me in entering upon a detailed consideration of the validity of the changes introduced by Dr. Brinton. I have carefully examined some of them that have some geographic relation to the country concerned, and will mention only that relating to the so-called "Yellow" River, where, according to the legend, the Lenape dwelt and raised corn "on a stoneless soil." Dr. Brinton considers this stream (Wissawanna) a small river in Indiana, a branch of the Kankakee, saying that on Hough's map of Indian names of Indiana that word has been corrupted to "Wethogan," and that the Minsi, one of the Lenape sub-tribes, were found there in 1721 by Charlevoix, and that they made their first migration from the east about 1690. This involves a historical anachronism, inasmuch as it makes an event occurring in 1690 to 1721 explain a doubtful point in a legend which is wholly confined to prehistoric time. If the Yellow River was first named in 1690-1721 it is not likely to have had that name when the Lenape were waging their war in prehistoric time before they had yet settled in New Jersey. Again the region is said to have a "stoneless soil," which could hardly be affirmed of northern