The American Nations Part 14

In the Linapi annals, we find not merely their own deeds; but the mention of many other nations, friends, allies or foes, as in Cusick's Traditions of the Ongwis: and this forms another clue for American history. As early as the Asiatic period we find them united to the related people _Owini_ and _Nijini_, before the flood, and calling their foes _Powako_ (rich snake), _Makowini_ (bad being,) _Maskanako_ (strong snake), similar to the satanic tribes of the Hebrews &c.(60)

At the flood they are saved with the _Tulapin_ turtlemen, and begin to call themselves _Linapewi_. Soon after they separate, go north and divide into tribes, named after the winds, the mode of life and animals. The hunters are _Elowi_ Elohim of the orientals, or Heros and Hercules; they again meet snakemen, who fly to America and must have produced there many nations.

After having filled the north, and after the breaking of the land, at Behring strait, part of the nation resolve to follow and pursue the snakes to the east. The pa.s.sage by the _Olinis_ over the hard sea or ice, is beautifully sung in a peculiar hymn (see last note); they settle at s.h.i.+naki, and begin again to war on snakemen: after which the beaver men or Tamakwi separate going east where they became the Dinni nations, yet called beaver tribes, who ascribe their origin to a beaver and a dog, and call their ancestor _Chapewi_, similar to _Apiwi_, the manly in Linapi.

Meantime the main tribe going south meets other nations which it is difficult to identify, as the names are mere epithets and nicknames, yet the _a.s.sinipi_ or stony men, appear to be the Dacota or Sioux yet called a.s.sini or stony by the tribes of Linapi origin. They reappear afterwards as _Maskan-sini_ or _Sinako_, and appear to have pa.s.sed to America soon after the Linapi. They are certainly of Asiatic origin, as the languages prove, and very akin to the Hurons or Ongwis in America.

The _Akowini_ are met again, which appear to have become the ancestors of the Cowetas and many Florida tribes. The _Lowa.n.u.ski_ were either the Uskis or the Skeres. The _Towakon_ were not the Ottawas; but probably the Ozages or their ancestors the Wakons.(61)

At last they meet the civilized _Talegas_, who are not called snakes, but rather extolled, and from whom they borrowed many things: their symbol is very different from that of the snakes. They were probably of eastern or atlantic origin, akin to the Tols, Talascas, and Telicos the ancient Cherokis. The _Talamatan_ become allies, were the Hurons, the name means both _unlike the Talegas_ and _killer of the Talas_.-See Cusick, and my Huron Traditions for their own annals.

The separations of the Nentegos and Shawanis, Mohigans, and Wapanends or Abenakis, are distinctly given; they filled the sea sh.o.r.es from Florida to Acadia. Three tribes of snakes reappear which are similar to the former, except the _Lowako_ probably the same as _Lowa.n.u.ski_. After crossing the Alleghanies Tamenend II. reunites all the tribes. The _Hiliniki_ and _Conowiki_ easily identified remain west of the mountains. The Iroquois and Eries appear under peculiar Linapi names.

The Otalis and Cowetas appear soon after as snakes or foes; whether the Otalis or Cherokis of the mountains were real snakes of the west is doubtful; it is more likely that they are a fragment of the Telicos, which was their capital till lately, and later they are called _Otaliwi_ by the Linapis. Compare the Tzuluki traditions with these.

The Tawas who call themselves fathers, as the Linapi grandfathers, of all the akin tribes, had then towards 1400, a great power in the west: their empire had a pontiff _Mushkiwis_ near lake Michigan, on whom Ca.s.s has given some very important traditions.

The following chief chronological periods are deducible from these annals, by reckoning 3 generations in a century. About 1600 years before Christ pa.s.sage of Behring strait on the ice, lead by _Wapalanewa_, settlement at _s.h.i.+naki_.

1450. _Chilili_ leads them south, and the _Tamakwi_ separate.

1040. Peace after long wars under _Langundewi_ at the land _Akolaking_.

800. Annals written by _Olumapi_.

750. _Takwachi_ leads to _Minihaking_.

650. _Penkwonwi_ leads east over mountains.

460. The first _Tamenend_ great king on the Missouri.

60. _Opekasit_ leads to the Mississippi.

About 50 years of our era, alliance with the _Talamatans_ against the _Talegas_.

150. Conquest or expulsion of the _Talegas_.

400. _Lekhihitan_ writes the annals.

540. Separation of the Shawanis and Nentegos.

800. _Wapalawikwan_ leads over Alleghany mountains to _Amangaki_.

970. _Wolomenap_ settles the central capital at Trenton, and the Mohigans separate.

1170. Under _Pitenumen_ arrival of _Wapsi_ the first white men or Europeans.

_Additional Note._ As a specimen of the original text and poetry of these annals, I give now the poem on the pa.s.sage to America: the whole text and all the symbols will be given hereafter.

13. Amakolen Nallahemen Agunuken Powasinep Wapasinep Akomenep.

14. Wihlamok Kicholen luchundi Wematan akomen luchundi.

15. Witehen wemiluen Wemaken nihillen.

16. Nguttichin Lowaniwi Nguttichin Wapanawi Agamunk topanpek Wulliton epannek.

17. Wulelemil W'shakuppek Wemopannek hakhsinipek Ktahkan pokhakhopek

18. Tellenchen Kittapaki nillawi Wemoltin gutikuni nillawi Akomen wapanaki nillawi Ponskan-ponskan wemwi Olini

19. Lowanapi Wapanapi Shawanapi Lanewapi Tamakwapi Tumewapi Elowapi Powatapi Wilawapi Okwisapi Danisapi Allumapi.

20. Wemipayat guneunga s.h.i.+naking Wunkenapi chanelendam payaking Allowelendam kowiyey Tulpaking.

CHAPTER VI.

THE POETICAL ANNALS AND TRADITIONS OF THE HAYTIANS OR TAINOS OF THE ANTILLES, _collected in 1498 by_ ROMAN &C. _with additions by_ DANGLERIA _and others, Notes, Remarks, and Ancient Tribes_.

Roman was a Jeromitan friar, come with Columbus, who began to convert the Haytians in 1496, and collected their traditions, after learning their language, out of the _Areitos_ or songs and hymns used in festivals. He wrote them in 1498 by order of Columbus, and they are inserted at large in his life by his son; but were almost neglected by Irving. They give us not only an insight into the belief, religion, traditions of the Antillian people; but also a compendium of fragments on their annals. Although very desultory, much less connected than those of Mexico, the Linapis, Ongwis &c., and dest.i.tute of chronology; yet they afford an essential addition to American history, and the ancient accounts about the Atlantis and Antilles.

In order to bring them into a kind of order, they shall be a.n.a.lyzed, reduced to a succession of events and divided into 3 parts, 1. Cosmogony and Theogony, 2. the flood and primitive history, 3. ancient history previous to Columbus or 1492. A fourth part foreign to these traditions would be their annals since that time, and till the extinction of the nation; which shall be given hereafter, with the account of the language, and civilization-What is peculiar to these traditions among the Americans, are the metamorphoses of men into beasts &c., as in Ovid.

The nation who furnished these annals, was the Haytian of Hayti, a branch of the nation dwelling also in Cuba, and filling the Lucayes and smaller Antilles: whose collective proper name was TAINO meaning n.o.ble. But they acknowledged as brothers, many tribes of the continent under the collective name of GUATIAOS brothers, this was ascertained in 1520 by Figueroa.-(See Herrera.) These _Guatiaos_ were the Aruac nations and tribes, that were not cannibals. These tribes as enumerated by Figueroa in 1520 were in the Antilles the 1. Haytians, 2. Cubans, 3. Jamaicans, 4.

Boriquans (Porto Rico), 5. Cairis that dwelt in Trinidad, Barbuda, Marmagitas and Gianis Islands. While those of the continent were the 1.

Aruacas of Guyana, 2. Paracurias of Cubagua, 3. Urinatos of Oronoc, 4.

Pavonas of Cariaco, 5. Cariatis, 6. c.u.manas, 7. Chirib.i.+.c.his, 8.

Coquibocoa, 9. Unatos. These five last were intermixt with the _Canibas_ or _Caribas_, the cannibal tribes, foes of the _Guatiaos_, which are the Galibis and Carib tribes; that had desolated and conquered most of the eastern Antilles.

All the Tainos spoke the same language divided into several dialects; but understood reciprocally. D'Angleria tells us in 1512 that two distinct languages were used in Cuba, the eastern was a mere dialect of Hayti; but in the west was a very different language not understood; this was the _Cami_ derived from the _Olmeca_ of Oaxaca or the _Maya_ of Yucatan; they having sent there a colony, and founded a kingdom.-(see the Maya History.) In Hayti there was also in the center of the island a kingdom of Mayas?

the people were called _Mayo-riexes_ or _Macoryxes_, (meaning _Maya people_). They spoke a language different from the Haytian (Dangleria) divided into 3 dialects _Cayabo_, _Cubaba_, and _Baichagua_. This kingdom of strangers was called _Cubaba_ or _Caibaba_, and _Ziguayos_. They are called Caribs by some authors; but erroneously.(62)

Many other additional traditions on the Antilles are scattered in early writers, D'Angleria, Gomara, Herrera, Munoz, Acosta, St. Mery, Oviedo, Columbus, Brigstock, Rochefort, Edwards, Garcia, Laet, &c. which shall be partly noticed here as a sequel to Roman, and all connected as a general outline of a history of the Antillian nations.

Having succeeded to make out a fine vocabulary of nearly three hundred words of the Taino dialects, collected from Roman, Columbus, Dangleria, Munoz, Las-Casas, Herrera, Gili, Humboldt, Vater &c.-and another of about 150 words of the _Cairi_ or _Eyeri_ language of the Aruac Islanders out of Dudley, Rochefort &c. I will be enabled to translate and elucidate nearly all the Taino historical names and allusions, so as to clear up the annals by original etymologies. The orthography will be Spanish, J must be p.r.o.nounced as Kh, and X as Sh.

The Haytians had besides these songs, other annals; since the priests taught history, and the origin of things to the sons of the n.o.bles. They had also perhaps peculiar symbols to keep their records, since Dangleria mentions that they had paintings of beasts, tygers, eagles &c. on cotton, hung to walls. St. Mery says that in 1787 was found in the mountains of Guanaminto a tomb with a stone of 6 feet covered with hieroglyphs! and in the mountains of Limbe, engravings of human figures on a serpentine rock; besides many sculptures in Caves. Columbus saw in 1492 in Inagua one of Lucayes a gold medal _with letters on it_! If we had figures of these hieroglyphs and engraved symbols, we should probably obtain another clue to American history and graphic systems. But they are probably lost by neglect like those of North America! The Antilles being on the way from the east to the continent must have served as a stepping place to many nations on their pa.s.sage to the continent.(63)

1st Part.-_Theogony and Cosmogony._

1. _Fact._ The Supreme G.o.d, bears five names or t.i.tles given by Roman and Dangleria in two dialects, and is male or female.