Tribal Names of the Americas

Preface 2
Because anthropologists, linguists, and
archaeologists have been discussing for years
what a “tribe” is and what a “name” is, I chose
to make my own simple definitions for this
book. A “tribe” became a group of people,
any size, who lived together and called each
other by the same designation. A “name” was
a designation whether self-chosen or given by
outside peoples. To keep these outside names
intelligible, I omitted the linguistic representations
of the pronunciations of different languages.
I tried to represent the different designations
of individual tribes where they were
clearly stated by my sources and I left the linguistic
contortions to those who will not be
confused by them.
I used the format of letter-by-letter alphabetization
because of my experiences with
the computer-educated young adults who
came into the public libraries where I
worked. Complicated print indexes with
classified systems seem to frustrate and defeat
them. I chose to try to create a manner that
simplified the search and made it quick.
Many short words may or may not be
prefixes, and since so many languages are
being collected in these pages, I am employing
strict letter-by-letter alphabet. By my
more sophisticated users, I hope thereby to
be excused for the resulting simplicity. I hope
the book will be of use to all who seek information
about variant tribal designations.
I employ abbreviations for ease of use.
Following this Preface is a How to Use This
Book section that explains how to read the
entries and how to interpret the abbreviations.
Users will please note that there are no
linguistic abbreviations being used.
In my readings I found many, many entries
based on saints’ names with varying
ways to abbreviate the “saint” designation. I
chose to congregate them all under “saint”
and alphabetize them by the name of the
saint. Thus, the user will find Felipe, S.; Felipe,
Saint; Felipe, San; Felipe, Sant; Felipe,
St.; and Fellipe, S., all in a row, not divided
by pages of intervening text. Again, this is to
simplify the search, not to confuse.
I did not read every book ever written
about indigenous peoples, so I do not claim
to have compiled a thorough book on the
subject. I did, however, read the sources I
quote as thoroughly as I could. If I have
omitted any names, it is because I did not
come across them in my reading, not for any
other reason. I encourage communication
from any and all who wish to have information
included and the sources they suggest I
use next time.
I wish to send my appreciation to the
following people who have helped me along
my path. First, I thank my parents: Maria
Adrianna Scala Roberts, who has put up with
over 200 boxes of index cards through two
moves and encouraged my slaving over the
computer to enter all the information; and
my father, Billie Jean Roberts, gone now but
not forgotten, who always encouraged my
scholarship. Second, I thank my bosses at Los
Angeles Public Library, Frank Louck and
Jane Nowak, who always respected my subject
specialty. Third, I thank my supervisor
at the Southwest Collection/Special Collections
Library at Texas Tech University, Dr.
Tai Kreidler, who has insisted that I not give
up. Grazie a tutti.