The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1872-12-21
Wonders of the North,
THE PREHISTORIC AGE OF ALASKA-IN-
TERESTING DISCOVERIES IN ONE OF
TIE ALEUTIAN ISLANDS.



The last regular meeting of the Cali
tOrnla Academy Of Sciences was a very
interesting one. DR.. w. H. Dali, of the
United States Coast Survey, read an in
teresting report of the explorations made
by him on the island of Unalaska one
OF the Aleutian chain. He illustrated
his report by frequent reference to maps
and diagrams, and with drawings of
the articles eXcavated by him in his
researches on that ice-bOund shore.
In excavating for the erection of signal
on the island, he found various articles
which led him to suppose that the To-
cal1ty had at one time been inhabited.
and upon continuing his excavations
and researches he became convinced.
by the character of the articles found.
that the theory was correct. He un-
earthed, in a mound on the northern
end OF the island, several ancient Aleu-
tan huts or houses, in which he found
three human skeletons in the state of
perfect preservation. The bodies were
found doubled up after the custom of
the Aleutians, and We're in a separate
compartment, peculiarly constructed,
and exactly like the tOmbs made by the
Aleutians of the present time. The
Doctor also found a number of relics in
| lamps full Of oil, stone knives, bone
spoons, arrow-heads, buttons, etc. Com
| tinuing his explorations during the win
ter and spring, he discovered the sites
and remains Of seven ancient villages
on the island, of which only two were
| formerly known even to tradition, He
also made some interesting discoveries
| in regard to the modes of burial OBJ
served by this prehistoric race. He
says: sin certain places at the foot of
Overhanging cliffs a wall has been built
up until the rock above was reached,
and outside Il bank of earth or turf
covered this wall. In the space inside
the debris had been removed, and in
this space, on a layer of small sticks of
driftw0Od, the bodies had been laid one
above the other. In one case I found
six skeletons, one above the 9TH
er, separated only by the layers
OF sticks and q piece Of grass mat
ting, similar to that still manufactured
by the natives of Unalaska.n In anOth-
er place he found a small case, about
twenty feet in diameter, through the
crevices of which water was dripping.
In this he found the remains of seven
human skeletons arranged around the
sides of the case. -''.7 -
| vi II1S uLSCON SIIGS Ill tIIlS bDnlD DIV
the sea, the Doctor says "Near one of
the skeletons was found, heaned toget6-
er, a number of stone knives, q bone
awl and two fragments, one of pumice
and the other of fine sandstone, with
their edges and surfaces smOOthed and
squared, evidently for the purpose of
dressing down the asperities of skins to
be used for clothing. The most interest
ing collection was found near the skele-
ton OF the woman, and consisted of two
| bone labrets shaped like those now In
use among the Thinketg and BecOcudos
These are, doubtless, very ancient, ae
| all traces of the usage have long since
passed away. There were besidea q
lot of needles, made of the wing-bones
| of birds; a needle case, made of the
humeras Of some large bird, closed at
each end by wooden stopper, bone avis
stone knives, milestone of fine,
grained sand-rOck, and little case OF
birch bark containing plumbago. Meth
er the birch, the sandstone, nor the
black slate of which the knives were
made, nor the. plumbagO, exist on the
Island of Unalaska.
AS proved by other researches on
the, islands Of Kadiak and Unga, the
early Aleuts were accustomed to Dre-
serve the remains of their more emf
nent dead by removing the viscera
stuffing the body with dry grass and
drying 1t. This was placed in some
dry cave and dressed as in life, orna,
mented with gray apparel, and covered
with wooden carvings, the most remark.
able of which were masks of large size
painted of different cOlors, and orna.
mented with feathers, tufts of hair, and
bristles from the deer. A very great va.
riety of other carvings were also placed
in these caves, and sometimes the bod.
les, placed in natural attitudes, were
covered entirely with carved wOode1
armor,so placed in miniature canoe o.
hidarka, armed as it hunting or hold
| ing paddle. Women were represent
ed as Ii sewing, dressing skins, or nurs
| ing their infants. Old men as if beatins
their drums, as they doduring the winter
dancesin Esqnimaux villages to this day
But few of these remains exist in
we1l-preserved condition, vet the ex
tent of the practice may be understoo,
from the fact that over thirty diffepen
masks, all more or less mutiIated, wer
found IN one cave at Unga, Any note
, In regard TO them possess q certain in
terest, and may be worthy of preserya
J ton, as, before many years have gon
; by, even the traces of these by-gon
49, Il. I