Among the later and perhaps more important results of his studies during the year are investigations of the myths and folk tales abundantly recorded by him during previous years among the Zuñi.
By the extended comparison which he is able to make between these folk tales and myths, now first brought together as a whole, and by the application to their study of the linguistic method employed by him in the preparation of the two papers already mentioned, he is able to trace the growth of mere ideas or of primitive conceptions of natural or biotic phenomena and of physical or animal function into the personæ and incidents which go to make up myths, as well as to trace the influence of these growths on the worship of the Zuñi.
Early in 1885 Mr. Cushing furnished the Director with a schedule of his manuscript, notes, and sketches, and from an examination of this it was deemed advisable that he should continue putting his linguistic material into permanent shape, in order that it might be used as a check on ensuing studies of the sociology and mythology of the Zuñi, as well as for its suggestive value towards the explanation of obscure passages in those departments of study. This work had progressed but little, however, when a severe illness necessitated its temporary abandonment.
Prof. Cyrus Thomas, in addition to his administrative duties in charge of the division of mound exploration, was engaged in preparing for publication the results of the operations of that division. The constant arrangement, comparison, and study of the material objects and facts ascertained required his close application. He also commenced the paper presented by him in this volume.
Mr. Victor Mindeleff, in the first part of the fiscal year, completed models of the seven villages of the ancient Province of Tusayan, together with a relief model illustrating the topographical character of the province. The model of Walpi, of this series, was carried out in such a manner as to show on a large scale the character of the rocky mesa on which the town is built. Several types of cliff ruins were also modeled for this series, among them the White House ruin of Cañon de Chelly and the mummy cave of Cañon de la Muerte. After August 1 this work was carried on under the supervision of Mr. Cosmos Mindeleff, who also prepared a model of the great Etowah mound from the data of Mr. V. Mindeleff's survey; he also furnished several other examples of mounds, with sections, under the direction of Prof. Cyrus Thomas. This work was carried on without interruption until December 7, when Mr. Cosmos Mindeleff was ordered to New Orleans, to take charge of the combined exhibits of the U. S. Geological Survey and the Bureau of Ethnology, and was instructed to look after the proper installation of the same in the Government building. He returned to Washington about February 1. During the ensuing four months the small force in the modeling room was engaged in making models of the ancient pueblos of the Chaco, from the plans secured during the preceding summer, as referred to in the report of field work. This work continued until early June, when Mr. C. Mindeleff was again ordered to New Orleans to take charge of the packing and shipment of the exhibits of the Geological Survey and Bureau of Ethnology for their return to Washington and for the installation of a portion of the material at the Louisville Exposition. During the interval from February 1 to June 15 Mr. Victor Mindeleff was engaged in the preparation of a report on the architecture of the ancient provinces of Cibola and Tusayan, together with the plans and diagrams necessary for its illustration. This study was based on the large amount of data that had been secured during former field seasons for modeling purposes.
Rev. J. Owen Dorsey, when not in the field, made nearly 10,000 entries for the Ȼegiha-English dictionary, and prepared Ponka and Omaha native texts, with free and interlinear translations, in addition to those found in part 1 of vol. 6, Contributions to North American Ethnology. After December 1, 1884, he collated the following vocabularies obtained by him in Oregon, viz: Takelma, Shasti, Applegate Creek, Chastā Costa, Galice Creek, Mulluk, Siuslaw, Lower Umpqua, Yaquina, Klikitat, and one on Smith River, California. He also prepared a list of the villages obtained from the tribes at the Siletz Agency, Oregon.
Mr. Albert S. Gatschet was engaged at the beginning of the fiscal year in revising and perfecting his grammar of the Klamath language of southern Oregon. The phonology was completed and stereotyped, extending from page 200 to 245. He was engaged in correcting proofs of the subsequent section on morphology when he proceeded to the Southwest, as elsewhere reported, to investigate several languages spoken there, the affinities of which had not before been ascertained.
Mr. W. H. Holmes, as in previous years, has supervised the illustrations of the Bureau publications. He also continued his archæologic studies, chiefly in the department of ceramics, the character of which is shown by his papers in this volume. He was in charge of the preparation of exhibits for the expositions at New Orleans, Louisville, and Cincinnati; but, owing to the pressure of other duties, much of this work was intrusted to Mr. Cosmos Mindeleff, who was assisted materially by Mr. Victor Mindeleff. The most important feature of the exhibits consisted of models of plaster and papier mâché of the pueblo towns and cliff houses of New Mexico and Arizona.
Aside from the models, exhibits of ethnologic and archæologic materials were made. A large and important collection of objects of pueblo art was obtained by Mr. James Stevenson, but much of it failed to reach Washington in time for exhibition purposes, and a series of similar objects, already classified and labeled, was selected from the National Museum and forwarded to New Orleans. A valuable collection of the ancient fictile products of Tusayan belonging to Mr. Thomas Keam was also utilized in perfecting the exhibits of Pueblo art.
Archæologic materials from other sections of the country were placed on exhibition, notably a superb collection of prehistoric relics from the province of Chiriqui, Panama, which was purchased for the purpose.