Cyrus Thomas - A Study Of The Manuscript Troano, Ksiazki,Ksiegi,Ksiazeczki
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
//-->DBPAETMENTOPTHEINTEEIOEU.S.GEOGRAPHICALANDGEOLOGICALSURVEYOFTHEROCKYMOUNTAINREGIONJ.W.POWELLINChargeASTUDYMANUSCEIPTTEOANOCYEUSTHOMASniPh.D.INTEODUCTIONBYD.G.BEINTONM.D.WASHINGTONGOVEKNMENTPRINTINGOFFICE1882PREFACEIamfullyawarethatthispaperbearsthemarksofhasteandgivesevidenceofthefactthatanumberofthemoreimportantpointsarenotworkedoutasthoroughlyandcompletelyastheymighthavebeenhadinterest inthepublicmoretimebeendevotedtothem.Butthegrowingmindinreferencetoallthatrelates tothepasthistoryofourcontinenthasitsinducedmetopresentitinitspresentincompleteformratherthandeferpublicationtoanindefiniteperiodinthefuture.thepublicItisthereforeofferedtomoreasatentativeworkthanwiththeexpectationthatallmyconclusionswillstandthetestofcriticism.Ihaveendeavored,aswillbeseenbyanexaminationofitscontents,toconfinemystudiesasstrictlyaspossibletotheManuscriptitself,withoutbeinginfluencedinmyconclusionsbytheconclusionsofothers—usingLanda's'^Belacion,"Perez's"Crowo^o^ia,"Bi'asseur'sworks,and'theDresdenCodexableasmychiefaids;not intendingbyanymeanstoignorethevalu-workdonebyIothersintheresultsinsamefield,butthatImightremainasfreeaspossibletoworkoutmyownlineofthought.mayalsoaddthatatthetimethemainportionofthepaperwaswrittenIwasintheWest,outofreachofanyextensivelibrarycontain-ingworksrelatingtothehistory,antiquities,&c,ofMexicoandCentralAmerica.Thisfact Imentionasanapologyforthecomparativelyfewworksreferredto inthepaper.IhavestudiedtheManuscriptsomewhatinthesamewaythechildundertakestosolveanillustratedrebus,assumingasastandpointthestatusofthesemi-civilizedIndian,andendeavoring,asfaraspossible,toproceeduponthesameplaneof thought.Inotherwords,Ihavenotproceededupontheassumptionthatthepre-ColumbianIndiansofYucatanwerelearnedphi-ivPREFACE.losophers,thoroughlyversedinscienceIndians,^ndgeneralknowledge,butwerewhothroughsomeinfluence,whetherintroducedorindigenous,hadmadeconsiderableadvanceincertainlinesofartandscience.Buttheselines,asIbeheve,werefewandlimited,relatingchieflytoarchitect-ure,sculpture,painting,andthecomputationoftime.AsanexaminationofcussthetheManuscriptsoonsatisfieditmethatitwas,totodis-agreatextent,akindofreligiouscalendar,IfoundnecessaryfirstMayachronologicalsysteminordertomakeuseofthenumerousofthedatesfoundinthefirstwork—afactthatwillexplainwhysomanypagespartofthepaperaredevotedtothissubject.Thepreface.resultsofmyinvestigationsareconsistsofsummedupfirst,atthecloseofthisIfindtheworktwoparts:acalendargivingthedatesofreligiousfestivalsrunningthroughalongperiodoftime,inallprobabilityagrandcycle ofthreehundredandtwelveyears,togetherwithbriefformulas;second,anillustrationof thehabits,customs,andemploy-mentsofthepeople.Butthesetwosubjectsaremingledtogetherthrough-firstouttheManuscript;theincludingmostofthecharactersorhiero-glyphicsaroundthespaces;thesecondthefiguresinthespaces.Oneomissiontheinmyis,paperwillbeobservedbythosewhoarefamiliarfor,inwiththesubject,thatthefailureonmyparttonoticeIandaccountMayachronologicalsystem,thesurplusdaysofthebissextileyears.Thistoomissiononinsertmyparthasbeenintentional.canfindnoplanbywhichthemintheseries,numberingthemessentialtotheastheothers,withoutinterferingwiththatorderwhichissystemitselfIhavethereforeproceededupontheassumptionthattheyareaddedasuncounteddays,andhenceinterfereinnowaywiththeregularorder.IfIammistakeninthisconclusion,considerablemodificationinmytabulararrangementoftheyearsmaybenecessary,eventhoughthegeneralplanbecorrect.veryseriousdrawbacktotheattempttoexplain thewrittenchar-actersor hieroglyphicshasbeenthelackonmypartofaknowledgeoftheAMayalanguage.SuchaknowledgeIdonotclaim;therefore,inthispartofthework,thebestIcoulddowastoquotefromthelexicons,astheregiven,suchwordsasIfounditnecessarytoreferto.TheproprietyofattemptinganythinginthisdirectionwithoutthisknowledgemaybejustlyPKEFACE.questioned.togivetotheVconcludeditButafterseriouslyconsideringthispoint,Ibestworldtheresultofmyinvestigationswiththeseexplanations,asIfeltconfidentIhadmadesomeprogressindecipheringthismj^steriousManuscript.ItakethisopportunityofacknowledgingtheobligationsItoDr.amunderD. G.Brinton,ofPhiladelphia,forthevaluablenoticeoftheMayaManuscriptswhichhehascontributedasanintroductiontomypaper.RESULTSOFMYINVESTIGATIONSOPTHEMANUSCEIPTTEOANO.These1st.maybebrieflysummedupasfollows:chieflyasaritualorreligiouscalen-festivals,Thattheworkwasintendeddartoguidethepriestsintheobservanceofreligiousandtheirnumerousceremoniesandotherduties.Thattheverylargenumberoffullyone-halfofdaycolumnsandnumerals,whichformwhatmayberunthroughshouldofthecalledthewrittenportion,aresimplydateswhichappeartooneentiregrandcycleof312years,fixingthetimewhenfestivalsbeheldandotherreligiousobservancestakeplace.textproperAlsothatmuch—theportioninhieroglyphicsorwrittencharacters—ispurelyritualistic,consistingofverysimpleformulas.2d.Thatthefiguresinthespacesareinsomecasessymbolical,inotherssimplepictographs,and,inquiteanumber,refertoreligiousceremo-nies,butthatinmanyinstancestheyrelatetothehabits,customs,andoc-cupationsofthepeople—as,forexample,theirmethodofcapturinggame,which,asappearsfromthiswork,wasasstatedbyHerrera,chieflyby"ginsandtraps"—andtheincidentsofthe chase;thatwhichrelatestothebusi-nessoftheapiarists;pursuits;occupationmakingropes;themanufactureofidols;anddutiesofthefemales,&c.agriculturalButevenhereweseeforapeopleliv-thereligiouselementpervadingeverything.3d.Thattheworkappertainedfactthatnothingistoandwaspreparedsea-shore.ingintheinteriorofthecountry,awayfromtheitThisisinferredfromthefoundinrelatingtofishermen,ortheirvessels.
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]