26 TRANSACTIONS OF THE CANADIAN INSTITUTE. [ Von. V.

in nature an adequate explanation of it. The woodpecker (¢u¢z77) is
fire-coloured ; therefore to it must be ascribed the cause of the raging
flames. Its congener, the ¢sé/’han, is fond of crying for rain: fcan ! tcan!
Who else then could have been instrumental in extinguishing the fire?
This is what is called fiction ; it widely differs from the part of the tra-
dition above commented on.

But, a reader may object, if such a characteristically Jewish tradition has
found its way even into far-off America, must not the aborigines who
now relate it be assigned a similarly Jewish origin? Now, has not this
theory been exploded long ago? To which I beg to answer :-—

To conclude from this singie fact to a Jewish or simply Semitic origin
for our Indians, would be to outreach the premises. On the other hand,
to pretend that their ancestors have had no intercourse, direct or indirect,
even possibly by intermarriages, with a population of Semitic descent is,
I think, more than could consistently be done. I am not here to discuss
the origin of the Dénés, a question on which, I repeat, I have no fixed
convictions ; but I may be permitted to remark that several peculiarities
of their mode of life, their customs, their language, and even some of
their mythological allusions! would assign them a mixed origin. As the
question at present stands, they cannot be considered as autochthonous
on the American continent; several of the traditions of the Eastern Dénés
point to a western region as the place of the tribes’ birth. Now, west of
their present territory you are confronted by the North Pacific Coast.
If the aboriginal hordes crossed from Asia to America, a journey entail-
ing but very little difficulty, what would prevent their having been in
contact with populations initiated into the theogony of the Jews and the
principal points of their wonderful history? It is well known that the
world-wide dispersion of that nation does not date from the destruction
of Jerusalem by the Romans. Clannish as they are, the Jews have, from
time immemorial, been more or less cosmopolitan. Even before the
famous Babylonish captivity, they were to be found throughout the
larger part of the Asiatic continent. In 719 B.c., Salmanassar, king of
the Assyrians, had transported the inhabitants of Samaria into the most
remote village of Media. In 676 B.c. Assaharaddon distributed the
remnant of the kingdoms of Syria and Israel over Persia, Media and the
distant provinces of the East. Dispersed after the captivity of Babylon
over the whole of the then known Asia, the Israelites of the ten tribes
proceeded in numerous caravans to Persia, India, Thibet and even China.
Their first migration into the latter country appears to have taken place
over 2000 years ago under the dynasty of the Khars. They numbered

1See first part of third legend.