Zuni Breadstuff

have attained perfect union. Cushing belonged to this class of men; yet the application of his genius was peculiar, even unique, in that his efforts were spent in interpreting the inventions of others rather than in making inventions of his own. This application of his powers made him successful beyond parallel in retracing the paths followed by early humans in their slow advance toward manual and mechanical skill; and it was through this peculiar application that Cushing’s richest contributions to the science of man were made.

“By reason of his peculiar insight into primitive devices and motives, Cushing was a teacher to his coworkers, even to those who were older than he was. His mind responded readily to the impact of new sights, new thoughts, and new knowledge; therefore, he was fertile in hypothesis, fruitful in suggestion, an avant-courier in research, and a leader in interpretation. All his associates profited by his originality and learned much from him. The debt of American ethnology to Cushing is large.”

Cushing, American ethnology, avant-courier, early humans, primitive devices, coworkers