Page:The American Indian.djvu/243

Rh There is also the suggestion of a tendency for each of the great economic areas we have defined (p. 8) to have a distinct group of myths. For example, in the bison area we have the well-known myths of "Blood-clot Boy", "Stone-Boy", and the "Twins".

The peculiarity of the distribution we have just sketched is that we here have a number of tale groups which are distributed independently of each other. If we had found each tale distributed independently of the others, it would have been clear that the directions and extent of diffusion were mere matters of accident; but, when we find tales in groups which are independent, the case is far from clear. So far, the tales of a group show no signs of logical or functional relations, from which we assume that there are historical reasons for this grouping, but as to their identity we are yet ignorant. It should be noted, however, that these areas are as yet but vaguely defined and that Waterman's list of correspondences leaves very marked gaps for the successive myths. More extended data in the future may greatly modify these results.

When we shift our point of view to the place of these tales in aboriginal life, the most acceptable interpretation is that they are literature; in other words, artistic compositions valued and preserved for the sake of their æsthetic qualities. We have noted that these tales fail to qualify as native theories of origin or as explanatory and test themes, but as literature, some myths rise to the level of sacred narratives and are so regarded by all of the tribe. No very serious attempts have been made to subject large groups of tales to literary analysis, but it is suggested that what is diffused from one tribe to another is a compact definite incident, as the "Magic Flight", the "Eye-Juggler", etc., the whole of which must be taken if at all. One may, therefore, infer that the causes for the grouping of incidents we have noted arise from the probability that the same historical factors favoring the diffusion of one tale also operated simultaneously with the other. The only antecedent condition, therefore, would be that the group be formed before it was diffused. From such a point of view the phenomenon is intelligible.