Algic Researches, Vol. 2

...ural. Of what use were these arts to a relatively sparse population who occupied vast regions and lived very well by hunting for meat and wearing the skins of animals? To such men, a mere subsistence was happiness, and the killing of a few men in war was considered glory. It is possible that the very fact of an immense, unoccupied country being spread out before a civilized or half-civilized people—with all its allurements of wild game and personal independence—would be enough, over a few centuries, to throw them back into a complete state of barbarism In the 19th century, "barbarism" was used as a technical term in social evolutionary theory to describe a stage of society between "savagery" and "civilization.".

But we will not get ahead of the results of our research, as our current goal is simply to draw attention to the importance of the inquiry itself. We believe that certain steps are essential to forming correct ideas about their probable origins and mental characteristics:
1. To discover and establish the broad points of their national resemblance.
2. To identify the connecting circumstances in their history and traditions.
3. To point out the similarities original: "affinities" between their languages.
4. To reveal the principles of their mythology.

It is obvious that the right time for this inquiry is limited to the actual existence of the tribes themselves. Every year, their numbers are diminishing and their traditions are becoming more obscure. Many of the tribes and languages are