The Arawack Language of Guiana in its Linguistic and Ethnological Relations Part 6

The remaining idiom may be supposed to have been Carib, although we have actually no evidence that the Caribs had gained a permanent foothold on any of the Great Antilles at the period of the discovery, some careless a.s.sertions of the old authors to the contrary, notwithstanding.

The investigation which I here close, shows that man in his migrations on the Western Continent followed the lead of organic nature around him.

For it is well known that the flora and fauna of the Antilles are South American in character, and also, that the geological structure of the archipelago connects it with the southern mainland. So also its earliest known human inhabitants were descended from an ancestry whose homes were in the far south, and who by slow degrees moved from river to river, island to island, until they came within a few miles of the northern continent.

FOOTNOTES:

[Footnote 1: Since reading this article before the Society, Prof. S. S.

Haldeman has shown me a copy of a work with the t.i.tle: "_Die Geschichte von der Marterwoche, Auferstehung und Himmelfahrt unsers Herrn und Heilandes Jesu Christi. Uebersetzt in die Aruwackische Sprache und erklarend umschrieben. Philadelphia: Gedruckt bey Carl List, 1799_,"

8vo. pages 213, then one blank leaf, then 40 pages of "Anmerkungen."

There is also a second t.i.tle, in Arawack, and neither t.i.tle page is included in the pagination. The Arawack t.i.tle begins: "_Wadaijahun Wuussada-goanti, Wapp.u.s.s.ida-goanti baddia Jesus Christus_," etc. The remarks at the end are chiefly grammatical and critical, and contain many valuable hints to the student of the language. I have no doubt this book is the Life of Christ mentioned in the text. The name of the translator or editor is nowhere mentioned, but I have no doubt Mr.

Schultz wrote the "Anmerkungen," and read the proof, as not only are his grammatical signs and orthography adopted throughout, but also we know from other sources that he was in Philadelphia at that time.]

[Footnote 2: Brett, _The Indian Tribes of Guiana_, p. 117 (London, 1868).]

[Footnote 3: _Etudes Philologiques sur quelquee[TN-12] Langues Sauvages de l'Amerique_, p. 87 (Montreal, 1866).]

[Footnote 4: _Beitrage zur Ethnographie und Sprachenkunde Amerika's zumal Brasiliens_, B. I., p. 705 (Leipzig, 1867).]

[Footnote 5: De Laet. _Novus...o...b..s_, lib. xvii., cap. vi.]

[Footnote 6: Martius, _Ethnographie und Sprachenkunde Amerika's_, B. I., S. 687.]

[Footnote 7: Antonio Julian, _La Perla de la America, la Provincia de Santa Marta_, p. 149.]

[Footnote 8: _Ethnographie, etc._, B. I., S. 714.]

[Footnote 9: _The Myths of the New World; a Treatise on the Symbolism and Mythology of the Red Race of America_, p. 32 (New York, 1868).]

[Footnote 10: _The Discoverie of Guiana_, p[TN-13] 4 (Hackluyt, Soc., London, 1842).]

[Footnote 11: _Relation de l'Origine, etc., des Caraibes_, p. 39 (Paris, 1674).]

[Footnote 12: "Havia mas policia entre ellos [los Lucayos,] i mucha diversidad de Lenguas." _Hist. de las Indias_, cap. 41.]

[Footnote 13: Las Casas, in the _Historia General de las Indias Occid[TN-14]_, lib. III, cap. 27, criticizes him severely.]

[Footnote 14: Columbus says of the Bahamas and Cuba: "toda la lengua es una y todos amigos" (Navarrete, _Viages_, Tomo I, p. 46.) The natives of Guanahani conversed with those of Haiti "porque todos tenian una lengua," (_ibid_, p. 86.) In the Bay of Samana a different dialect but the same language was found (p. 135).]

[Footnote 15: Gomara says the language of Cuba is "algo diversa," from that of Espanola. (_Hist. de las Indias_, cap. 41.) Oviedo says that though the natives of the two islands differ in many words, yet they readily understand each other. (_Hist. de las Indias_, lib. XVII. cap.

4.)]

[Footnote 16: The American Nations, chap. VII, (Philadelphia, 1836.)]

[Footnote 17: _Cuba, die Perle der Antillen_, p. 72. (Leipzig, 1831.) The vocabulary contains 33 words, "_aus dem Cubanischen_." Many are incorrect both in spelling and p.r.o.nunciation.]

[Footnote 18: When Columbus returned from his first voyage, he brought with him ten natives from the Bay of Samana in Haiti, and a few from Guanahani.]

[Footnote 19: See the remarks of Richardo in the Prologo to his _Diccionario Provincial_.]

[Footnote 20: The remarks of Peter Martyr are; "posse omnium illarum linguam nostris literis Latinis, sine ullo discrimine, scribi compertum est," (_De Rebus Oceanicis et Novo Orbe_, Decades Tres, p. 9.) "Advertendum est, nullam inesse adspirationem vocabulis corum, quae non habeat effectum literae consonantis; immo gravius adspirationem proferunt, quam nos f consonantem. Proferendumque est quicquid est adspiratum eodum halitu quo f, sed minime admoto ad superiores dentes inferiore labello, ore aut aperto ha, he hi, ho, hu, et concusso pectore. Hebraeos et Arabicos eodem modo suas proferre adspirationes vides," (id. pp. 285, 286.)]

[Footnote 21: There was a ball-ground in every village. It was "tres veces mas luenga que ancha, cercada de unos lomillos de un palmo o dos de alto." The ball was "como las de viento nuestras mas no cuanto al salto, que era mayor que seis de las de viento." (Las Casas, _Historia Apologetica_, caps. 46, 204.) Perhaps the ball was of India rubber.]

[Footnote 22: "Gue ou Gui, signal de vocativo, mas so empregado pelos homems." Dias _Diccionario da Lingua Tupy chamada Lingua Geral dos Indigenas do Brazil_, p. 60 (Lipsia, 1858).]

[Footnote 23: _De Rebus Oceanicis_, p. 303.]

[Footnote 24: _Hist. de las Indias_, lib. xvii. cap. 4, Las Casas denies the story, and says Oviedo told it in order to prejudice people against the natives (_Hist. Gen. de las Indias_, lib. iii. cap. xxiv). It is, however, probably true.]

[Footnote 25: _Historia Apologetica_, cap. 198.]

[Footnote 26: He compares the signification of _ita_ in Haytian to _ita_ in Latin, and translates the former _ita_ by _no se_; this is plainly an error of the transcriber for _yo se_ (_Hist. Apologetica_, cap. 241).]

[Footnote 27: _Kuba_ in Arawack is the sign of past time and is used as a prefix to nouns, as well as a suffix to verbs. _Kubakanan_ ancestors, those pa.s.sed away, those who lived in past times.]

[Footnote 28: "Toda la mas de la gente de que estaba poblaba aquella isla [Cuba] era pa.s.sada y natural desta ysla Espanola, puesto que la mas antigua y natural de aquella ysla era como la de los Lucayos de quien ablamos en el primero y segundo libro ser como los seres que parecia no haber pecado nuestro padre Adan en ellos, gente simplicissima, bonissima, careciente de todos vicios, y beatissima. Esta era la natural y native de aquella ysla, y llamabanse en su lengua, Ciboneyes, la penultima silaba luenga; y los desta por grado o por fuerza se apodearon de aquella ysla y gente della, y los tenian como sirvientes suyos." (Las Casas _Hist. Gen. de las Indias_, MSS. lib. iii, cap. 21). Elsewhere (cap. 23) he says this occurred "mayormente" after the Spaniards had settled in Haiti.]

[Footnote 29: "Lucayos o por mejor decir Yucayos" says Las Casas, (_Hist. Gen._ lib. ii. cap. 44) and after him Herrera. But the correction which was based apparently on some supposed connection of the word with _yuca_, the Haitian name of an esculent plant, is superfluous, and Las Casas himself never employs it, nor a single other writer.]

[Footnote 30: Las Casas. _Hist. Gen. de las Indias_, lib. iv. cap. 48, MSS. Bees were native to Yucatan long before the discovery, but not to the north temperate zone.]

[Footnote 31: "Varia enim esse idiomata in varils Cubae provinelis perpenderunt." (Pet. Martyr, _De Rebus Oceanicis_, v. 42). Las Casas says that a sailor told Columbus that he saw one Indian cacique in a long white tunic who refused to speak, but stalked silently away.

(_Hist. de las Indias_, lib. I. cap. 95). Martyr says there were several. Peschel suggests they were tall white flamingoes, that scared the adventurous tar out of his wits. (_Geschichte des Zeitalters der Entdeckungen_, p. 253). At any rate the story gives no foundation at all for Peter Martyr's philogical[TN-15] opinion.]

[Footnote 32: Pet. Martyr, _De Insulis Nuper Inventis_, p. 335. "Traia consigo Grisalva un Indio per lengua de los que de aquella tierra habian llevado consigo a la ysla de Cuba Francisco Hernandez.[TN-16] Las Casas _Hist. Gen. de las Indias_, lib. III, cap. 108, MSS. See also the chaplain's account in Terneaux Compans, _Recueil de Pieces rel. a la Conquete de Mexique_, p. 56.]

[Footnote 33: Bernal Dias says the vicinity of cape San Antonio was inhabited by the "Guanataneys que son unos Indias como salvages." He expressly adds that their clothing differed from that of the Mayas, and that the Cuban natives with him could not understand the Maya language.

_Historia Verdadera_, cap. II.]

[Footnote 34: "Presso capite, fronte lata" (Nicolaus Syllacius, _De Insulis nuper Inventis_, p. 86. Reprint, New York, 1859. This is the extremely rare account of Columbus' second voyage). Six not very perfect skulls were obtained in 1860, by Col. F. S. Heneken, from a cavern 15 miles south-west from Porto Plata. They are all more or less distorted in a discoidal manner, one by pressure over the frontal sinus, reducing the calvaria to a disk. (J. Barnard Davis, _Thesaurus Craniorum_, p.

236, London, 1867. Mr. Davis erroneously calls them Carib skulls).]

[Footnote 35: The provinces of Cuba are laid down on the _Mapa de la Isla de Cuba segun la division de los Naturales_, por D. Jose Maria de la Torre y de la Torre, in the _Memorias de la Sociedad Patriotica de la Habana_, 1841. See also Felipe Poey, _Geografia de la Isla de Cuba_, Habana, 1853. _Apendice sobre la Geografia Antigua._ Las Casas gives the five provinces of Hayti by the names of their chiefs, Guarinox, Guacanagari, Behechio, Caonabo and Higuey. For their relative position see the map in Charlevoix's _Histoire de l'Isle San Domingue_, Paris, 1740, and in Baumgarten's _Geschichte von Amerika_, B. II.]

[Footnote 36: This was Caonabo. Oviedo, and following him Charlevoix, say he was a Carib, but Las Casas, who having lived twenty years in Haiti immediately after the discovery, is infinitely the best authority, says: "Era de nacion Lucayo, natural de las islas de los Lucayos, que se paso de ellas aca." (_Historia Apologetica_, cap. 179, MSS[TN-17]).]

[Footnote 37: I put the figures very low. Peter Martyr, whose estimates are the lowest of any writer, says there were more than 200,000 natives on Haiti alone. (_De Rebus Oceanicis_, p. 295.)]

[Footnote 38: More than 40,000 were brought to Haiti to enjoy the benefits of Christian instruction, says Herrera, with what might pa.s.s as a ghastly sarcasm. (_Historia General de las Indias_, Dec. I, lib. VIII.

cap. 3).]

[Footnote 39: _Brevissima Relacion de la Destruccion de las Indias Occidentales par los Castellanos_, Sevilla, 1552.]

[Footnote 40: Ramon de de[TN-18] la Sagra, _Historia de la Isla de Cuba_, Tom. II, p. 381.]

[Footnote 41: Ibid, p. 394.]

[Footnote 42: Ibid, p. 396.]