Aboriginal American Authors — Story, Setting & Ideas

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Authors: Brinton, Daniel G. (Daniel Garrison), 1837-1899 Digital Source: Project Gutenberg Gutenberg Release Year: 2005 First Publication Year: Not confirmed

Key Word: Indian literature Target Reader: Readers of public-domain and historical texts

Book Edition: Project Gutenberg digital edition Book Language: en

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Words 23,008

Reading time 101 min

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Brinton's 1883 survey of Indigenous American literature, from Aztec poetry to Maya prophecies, argues for the literary merit of native works and provides a bibliographic guide to surviving texts, with a 1970 introduction by John Hobgood.

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Brinton was aware of the 19th century racism of many who wrote about the American Indian and reacted against it in his writings by taking a stance which in some ways anticipates Ruth Benedict's involvement in similar questions half a century later. Aboriginal American Authors is written as an early attempt at placing the literature of the American Indian with the other great literary traditions of the world; that is why its usefulness endures.

John Hobgood Social Science Department Chicago State College 1970

The present memoir is an enlargement of a paper which I laid before the _Congres International des Americanistes_, when acting as a delegate to its recent session in Copenhagen, August, 1883. The changes are material, the whole of the text having been re-written and the notes added.

It does not pretend to be an exhaustive bibliographical essay, but was designed merely to point out to an intelligent and sympathetic audience a number of relics of Aboriginal American Literature, and to bespeak the aid and influence of that learned body in the preservation and publication of these rare documents.

_Philadelphia, Nov. 1883._

Section 1. _Introductory_

Section 2. _The Literary Faculty in the Native Mind_

Vivid imagination of the Indians. Love of story telling. Appreciation of style. Power and resources of their languages. Facility in acquiring foreign languages. Native writers in the English tongue. In Latin. In Spanish. Ancient books of Aztecs. Of Mayas, etc. Peruvian Quipus.

Section 3. _Narrative Literature_

Desire of preserving national history. Eskimo legends and narratives. The _Walum Olum_ of the Delawares. The Iroquois _Book of Rites_. Kaondinoketc's Narrative. The National Legend of the Creeks. Cherokee writings. Destruction of Ancient Literature. Boturini's collection. Historians in Nahuatl. The Maya _Books of Chilan Balam_. Other Maya documents. Writings in Cakchiquel. _The Memorial de Tecpan Atitlan_. Authors in Cakchiquel and Kiche. The _Popol Vuh_. Votan, the Tzendal. Writers in Qquichua. Letters, etc., in native tongues. Tales and stories of the Tupis and other tribes.

Section 4. _Didactic Literature_

Progress of natives in science. Their calendars and rituals. Their maps. Scholastic works. Theological writers. Sermons in Guarani. _Las Pasiones_.

Section 5. _Oratorical Literature_

Native admiration of eloquence. The Oratorical style. Custom of set orations. Specimens in the Nahuatl tongue. Ancient prayers and rhapsodies.

Section 6. _Poetical Literature_

Form of the earliest poetry. Unintelligible character of primitive songs explained. A Chippeway love song. A Taensa epithalamium. Montaigne on Tupi poetry. Ancient Aztec poetry. Maya and Peruvian poems. Tupi songs.

Section 7. _Dramatic Literature_

Development of the dramatic art in America. Origin of the serious and comic dramas. The Qquichua drama of Ollanta. The Kiche drama of Rabinal Achi. The Comic Ballet of the Gueegueence. The _Logas_ of Central America. Dramas of the Mangues.

Section 8. _Conclusion_

Ethnological value of literary productions. Their general interest to scholars.

[Transcriber's Note: Footnotes have been moved from inline to end-of-text, and the above "Footnotes" section added.]

ABORIGINAL AMERICAN AUTHORS.

Section 1. _Introductory_.

When even a quite intelligent person hears about "Aboriginal American Literature," he is very excusable for asking: What is meant by the term? Where is this literature? In fine, Is there any such thing?

To answer such inquiries, I propose to treat, with as much brevity as practicable, of the literary efforts of the aborigines of this continent, a chapter in the general History of Literature hitherto wholly neglected.

Indeed, it will be a surprise to many to learn that any members of these rude tribes have manifested either taste or talent for scholarly productions. All alike have been regarded as savages, capable, at best, of but the most limited culture.

Such an opinion has been fostered by prejudices of race, by the jealousy of castes, and in our own day by preconceived theories of evolution. That it is erroneous, can, I think, be easily shown.

Let us first inquire into the existence of

Section 2. _The Literary Faculty in the Native Mind_.

This faculty is indicated by a vivid imagination, a love of narration, and an ample, appropriate, and logically developed vocabulary. That, as a race, the aborigines of America possessed these qualifications to a remarkable degree, is attested by many witnesses who have lived intimately among them; and is only denied by those whose acquaintance with them has been superficial, or derived from second-hand and doubtful sources.

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Brinton opens by framing this work as an expansion of a paper presented to the Congrès International des Américanistes in Copenhagen in August 1883. He states plainly that it 'does not pretend to be an exhaustive bibliographical essay,' but rather aims to point out 'a number of relics of Aboriginal American Literature' and to urge their preservation. The preface, dated November 1883, establishes a tone of scholarly advocacy rather than comprehensive cataloging.

The 1970 introduction by John Hobgood situates Brinton's project within the Native American movement, noting that Brinton 'was aware of the 19th century racism of many who wrote about the American Indian and reacted against it.' Hobgood claims the work 'is written as an early attempt at placing the literature of the American Indian with the other great literary traditions of the world.'

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.