This is a barbarian’s recollection of a great primeval civilized race who established religion, invented nets, and, as the other legends concerning him show, first made the bow and arrow and worked in the metals.

There is every reason to think the division of the people into several classes, or families, who take the name of

[1.  “Myths of the New World,” p. 175.]

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some animal whose picture is their totem, dates back to the very beginning of the human race.  The animal fables, as I have suggested, grew out of these animal totems; we find them everywhere among the American tribes; and in some cases they are accompanied by mental and physical traits which may be supposed to indicate that they originated in primal race differences.  This is the belief of Warren, the native historian of the Ojibways.  I am indebted to Hon. H. Al.  Rice, of St. Paul, for an opportunity to examine his valuable manuscript history of that tribe of Indians.

The great totem of the Algonquins is the Hare; he represents a ruling class, and is associated with recollections of this Great Hare, this demi-god, this man or race, who taught them all the arts of life with which they are acquainted.  Then there is a turtle totem, associated with myths of the turtle or tortoise, which are the images all over the world of an island.[1]

And when we cross the Atlantic we find[2] that the Arabs are divided up in the same way into tribes bearing animal names.

“Asad, lion; ‘a number of tribes.’ Aws, wolf; ’a tribe of the Ancar, or Defenders.’ Badau, ibex; ’a tribe of the Kalb and others.’ Tha’laba, she-fox; ‘a name of tribes.’ Garad, locusts; ‘a sub-tribe of the Azol.’ Thawr, bull; ’a sub-tribe of Hamdan and of Abel Manah.’ Gahah, colt of an ass; ‘a sub-tribe of the Arabs.’ Hida’, kite; ‘a sub-tribe of Murad.’

“The origin of all names is referred, in the genealogical system of the Arabs, to an ancestor who bore the tribal or gentile name.  Thus the Kalb or dog-tribe consists of the Beni-Kalb—­sons of Kalb (the dog), who is in turn son of Wabra (the female rock-badger), son of Tha’laba

[1.  Tylor’s “Early History of Mankind.”

2.  W. J. F. Maclennan, “Fortnightly Review,” 1869 and 1870.]

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(the she-fox), great-grandson of Quoda’a, grandson of Saba’, the Sheba of Scripture.  A single member of the tribe is Kalbi—­a Kalbite—­Caninus.”

“The same names which appear as totem tribes reach through Edom, Midian, and Moab, into the land of Canaan."[1]

Among the Jews there was the stock of the serpent, Nashon, to which David belonged; and there is no doubt that they were once divided into totemic families.

And in all this we see another proof of the race-identity of the peoples on the opposite sides of the Atlantic.