Page:Archæologia Americana—volume 2, 1836.djvu/50

14 A SYNOPSIS OF THE INDIAN TRIBES. [iNTROD. There does not seem to be any solid foundation for the opin- ion of those who would ascribe to the Eskimaux an origin different from that of the other Indians of North America. The color and features are essentially the same ; and the dif- ferences which may exist, particularly that in stature, may be easily accounted for by the rigor of the climate, and partly per- haps by the nature of their food. The entire similarity of the structure and grammatical forms of their language with those of various Indian tribes, however different in their vocabularies, which will hereafter be adverted to, affords an almost conclusive proof of their belonging to the same family of mankind. KlNAI, KOLUSCHEN, AND OTHER TRIBES ON THE PACIFIC. Two tribes are found, on the Pacific Ocean, whose kindred languages, though exhibiting some affinities both with that of the Western Eskimaux and with that of the Athapascas, we shall, for the present, consider as forming a distinct family. They are the Kinai, in and near Cook's Inlet or River, and the Ugaljachmutzi (Ougalachmiouisy) of Prince William's Sound. The Tshugazzi, who inhabit the country between those two tribes, are Eskimaux and speak a dialect nearly the same with that of the Konagen of Kadjak Island. The vocabulary of the Kinai was taken by Resanoff, and is extracted from Krusenstern. From Mount St. Elias in about 60°, to Fuca's Straits in about 48° north latitude, several tribes are found, both on the main and on the numerous adjacent islands, apparently in some respects superior to the more southern tribes along the shores of the Pacific Ocean ; and whose languages offer some remote analogies with that of the Mexican. Although similar affinities have been observed even in the dialect of the Ugal- jachmutzi already mentioned, these observations apply more specially to the Koluschen, (the same with the Tshinkitani of Captain Marchand,) who inhabit the islands and the adjacent coast from the sixtieth to the fifty-fifth degree of north latitude. Those best known to the Europeans, are the natives of King George the Third's Islands, called "Sitka" by the Russians. The influence of their language has been said to extend as far south as the southern extremity of Queen Charlotte's Island in 52° north latitude. But it is the opinion of several intelligent Americans, who have carried on a trade with the natives' along