Whilst the greatest effort has been made to ensure the quality of this text, due to the historical nature of this content, in some rare cases there may be minor issues with legibility. Not often does there fall to the writer of prefaces an opportunity equal to this, in introducing the first authoritative vol ume of aboriginal American verse. Prob ably never before has it occurred that the intimate thought of a whole people should be made known through its most personal medium to another people whose unavoid able destiny it is to carry that thought to fulfillment and make of that medium a characteristic literary vehicle.