Aboriginal American Authors — Story, Setting & Ideas

The Literary Faculty in the Native Mind

Brinton's first substantive section argues that Indigenous Americans possessed a genuine literary faculty. He points to 'vivid imagination,' 'love of story telling,' and 'appreciation of style' as evidence. He also emphasizes the 'power and resources of their languages' and their 'facility in acquiring foreign languages,' noting native writers in English, Latin, and Spanish. This section sets up the book's central claim: that native literature deserves recognition alongside other world traditions.

Brinton does not provide extensive examples here, but his assertions are grounded in the linguistic and cultural observations of his era. Readers should note that his evidence is drawn from colonial-era documents and early ethnography, not from living oral traditions. The section functions as a manifesto for the rest of the book, establishing a framework for the bibliographical survey that follows.

Narrative Literature and National History

Brinton identifies a 'desire of preserving national history' as a driving force behind native narrative literature. He mentions Eskimo legends and the Walum Olum as examples, though the excerpts provide only brief references. The section suggests that these narratives were not merely entertainment but served as historical records.

Brinton's treatment of the Walum Olum is typical of his approach: he cites it as evidence of literary production without delving into its contested authenticity. Modern readers should be aware that the Walum Olum has been subject to scholarly debate, and Brinton's endorsement reflects 19th-century assumptions. The section is valuable for understanding how Brinton constructed his argument for native historiography, but it does not resolve questions of provenance or accuracy.

Tezcucan Poetry and the Lost Cantares

Brinton devotes considerable attention to Nahuatl poetry, particularly that of the Tezcucan poet-prince Nezahualcoyotl, who 'left seventy odes on philosophical and religious subjects.' He notes that these were 'borne in memory and repeated after the Conquest,' but that translations are scarce and the originals may be lost. He laments that 'these precious monuments of antiquity are allowed to lie uncared for.'

He also discusses the manuscript Cantares de los Mexicanos, which was preserved in the University of Mexico library but whose current whereabouts are unknown. Brinton's frustration is palpable: 'what has become of it now, nobody knows.' This section illustrates the fragility of the textual record and the urgency of Brinton's preservationist plea. He contrasts the lost works with later Christian songs composed by Sahagun, which he dismisses as inferior substitutes.

Maya and Inca Literary Traditions

Brinton turns to Maya literature, citing 'sacred chants' in the Books of Chilan Balam and the K'iche' Popol Vuh. He describes the 'Maya Prophecies' as 'evidently the originals, or echoes of the mystic songs of the priests of Kukulkan and Itzamna.' He notes that modern Maya 'lends itself very readily both to rhyme and rhythm,' and mentions owning 'quite neat specimens' from the Yucatecan historian Apolinar Garcia y Garcia.

For Peru, Brinton argues that 'nothing but their ignorance of an alphabet, and the indifference or fanatical hatred of the early explorers' prevented a rich Qquichua literature from surviving. He looks forward to the publication of Yaravis (elegiac chants) by Senor Gavino Pacheco Zegarra, and cites Garcillaso de la Vega on the Inca bards' use of 'well recognized rules of prosody.' This section underscores Brinton's reliance on colonial intermediaries and his optimism about future discoveries.

Brinton's work is best read as a period piece that reveals both the possibilities and limitations of 19th-century ethnography. His advocacy for native literature is genuine, but his evidence is filtered through colonial sources and his own cultural assumptions. Readers interested in the texts he discusses should seek modern editions and critical commentaries. The book's value lies not in its completeness but in its early recognition of Indigenous intellectual achievement and its call for preservation.

Holding Brinton’s old survey, I thought of my grandfather’s census notes—rows of names, families, silences. He never called them poems, but I felt the same ache of people trying to be counted. That ledger, like this book, made distant lives breathe. United States Census Figures Back to 1630 — Key Ideas to Explore stays beside me now, a quiet echo of that same longing.