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April 3d. 1907.

To Dr. R.S. Woodward,
Pres. of the Carnegie Institute of Washington D.C.

Sir; 
The undersigned were appointed by the Amer. Anthro. Ass., the Arch. Inst. of Amer., the Amer. Folk-Lore Soc., The Anthro. Soc. of Wash., the Amer. Ethics's. Soc., and the Se. H of the A.A.A.S., -the six societies of the U.S. entirely or mainly anthropological in scope,- to discus the subject of the most important researches that should be undertaken for the furtherance of anthropological science, and to outline a plan of research of such importance as to be worthy of the consideration of the Trustees of the Carnegie Institute of Washington. 

The Committee believes that the isolation of the continent of South American from the great land masses of the Old World in recent geologic times makes the student of man's appearance on the continent and the development there of the numerous tribes, languages, and cultures in early times are a problem the solution of which would be of supreme importance ro anthropological science. 

In such a research the study of the racial and cultural development of the peoples of this continent and particularly of the contact of this remote area with other parts of the world would be fundamental importan

Since it is not likely that any government will take up such an international investigation, and it is impossible for any of the existing societies and institutions devoted to anthropological research to engage in so extensive an undertaking, the Committee respectfully submits the following resolutions to the Carnegie Institution of Washington,-

RESOLVED, That the Trustees of the Carnegie institution of Washington respectfully requested to establish an Anthropological Department for the purpose of investigating the problem of the Anthropology of South America, with special reference to the lines of contact between the early inhabitants of that continent and other continental areas. 

RESOLVED, That should such a department be established its work should be based on the following four lines of investigation: 

1. The antiquity of man in South America with special reference to the discoveries made in the Pampean formations. This work shoal be in charge of a competent geologist who should make a critical study of the strata in which the hu[m]an remains have been found for which great antiquity is claimed. Associated with the geologist should be a trained archaeologist who should make archaeological investigations in the region of the alleged discoveries. 

2. While historically no relation has been traced between the cultures of the more advanced tribes of the Andean Highlands and those of Central America, there is a general resemblance in fundamental types which seems to indicate that either a very early contact between N.&S. Amer. existed or that later cultures grew up on the basis of and older type common to both continents. This investigation would require painstaking archaeological researches extending from Mexico southward into the most southern regions ton which the relation between S. Amer and N. Amer. would require particularly an exhaustive study of the early remains extending from Columbia northward thro. Central Amer., toward Southern Mexico, to be correlated with the investigations now being carried on in Middle America. 

3. Another line of connection between S. Amer. and N. Amer. probably extended over the Antillean Islands toward the Atlantic coast of N. Amer. continent. The investigations of explorers have demonstraned that Caribbean and Arowak influences extended from Southrn Brazil northward tp the eastern coast of the Gulf of Mexico; and N. Amer. archaeology makes us suspect