The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1883-07-22
THE NOBLE RED MAN.
RICHNESS OF OUR FIELDS IN RE
MAINS OF THE ABORIGINAL
INHABITANTS.
A Proposition 70 Form an Indian
Relic Club 10 Explore tho
Country Nenr Rich.
mOnd.

Country Nenr Rich.
mOnd.
The following, written by an enthusiastic
Indian-relic hunter, will be read with In
terest. and il Ia to be hoped will attract at
tention 10 the desirabilty Of organizing
club such as suggested:
IL is a little strange, when we consider
the vast sums OF money that is expended
by foreign Governments, and frequently
by private enterprise, in searching for the
sites Of ancient cities and the antiquities OF
Europe and Asia, that something more
than an occasional exploration by our Gov
ernment is not undertaken to gather the
scattered fragments OF what remains OF our
own prehistoric people-the aborigines
OF America-of whom so little is known.
Leaving out OF the question the ethno-
logical and anthrOpological bearing OF these
remains. IL would appear that the natural
curiosity OF q people, TO say nothing OF the
pleasurabIe exercise TO both the body and
mind that it would afford, would induce
the formation OF an Indian relic club,
whose business it would be to explore the
beautiful fields that lie adjacent to the cities
OF Richmond and Manchester, and every
acre OF which contains some memento OF
that unaccountable race-the American In
dan-either i'm craven image, pipe, toma-
hawk, or spear-head, which are the only
monuments of that mysterious people TO
be found. and from which, II ever at all,
their history is to be written.
So plenteous are the relics OF the stone
age i'm this vicinity that one is constantly
reminded OF the truth Of the lines Of the
poet Bryant in his Incompatible Thanatop-
sis, "that the dead are everywhere" and
that
WAu that tread
The globe are but handful to the tribes
That slumber In Its bosom;
And millions in these solitudcs since first
The fight Of years began, have laid them down
In their last sleep"
TO those persons OF a retrospective and
chronological turn OF mind the study OF the
American savage opens TO them rich and
uneXplored mine, which can be studied
nowhere on the American continent to
better advantage than IN this vicinity,
where so many evidences OF him still re-
main, and by which alone his mysterious
presence and habtation on this continent
is TO be explained.
RELICS TO BE FOUND.
But TO the subject: The evidences Of the
red man to be found within an hours walk
of the Capitol are flint implements, kinos,
ranging from the delicate white quartz
arrow-point through the various types OF
larger arrow and spear-poiDts to toma-
hawks and ponderouS stone battle-aXes.
Alongside OF these too may be found
specimens of the domestic arts, such as
stone presses, mOrtars and eastern pottery,
scrapers used in tanning), tish-hooks and
stone sinkers, and ornaments and trinkets.
CHI IA
self-same ornaments worn by the Princess
Pocahontas, as there is no better and richer
field in which to find Indian antiquities
than that seat Of Powhatan, which is scarce
" outside OF the corporation limits OF
Richmond.
HOW AND WHERE TO LOOK.
The uniniated in the art OF finding these
relics OF the past, and who are desirous OF
forming a collection. should know that the
time for hunting them is in the late fall or
early spring, when the grass is off the
ground and the tangled masses of weeds
have disappeared. Old corn-felds and
fields OF wheat recently sown, upon which
has fallen several beating rains-which
tend TO uncover the implements, and thus
expose them to yiew-are excellent places
upon which to hunt. Rccently-fallowed
fields, upon which the clods OF freshly
turned earth have not been dissolved by
frequent rams, are poor fields, and are not
worth ga walk over"
The same may be said OF stiff clay lands,
as implements are rarely found upon them.
CAMP-GROUNDS.
The Indians sarily, from the crude
agricultural implements they were forced
| to use from their ignorance Of the metals,
cultivated only rich, light, and alluyial
soils. which could be easily worked. From
| the same economical reasons they inyaria'
| blv located their villages or camps near
water-courses. A field without these
characteristics is not worth ga walk over
| Indeed, TO become successful hunter OF
| these relics, Just put yourself III his place
| ideallze yourself, As il were, into one OF
these monarchS Of the forest mot difficult
| transformation in some OF the secluded
wales and delightful solItudeS that are to be
found in this vicinity, where, in lmaglna-
ton, the VOLTS long howl may be heard).
After such a transformation you would
certainly adopt the Indians train OF
| thought; you would know that your
patch OF ground for maize must be Sc
lected with view to both its fertility ana
| its adaptability to the crude implements OF
the period. OF course the alluvial soils OF
the rivers and streams, and not the clay
hills, would be chosen. You would not
overlook the convenience OF water ior
drink and the fish it would afford for food.
Here, too, the wild beasts would gather
and make their lair, thus aflording you
flesh. Your every instinct would tell yos
that it was here that the Great Father in
tended you to make your camp; conse-
quently these are the localities 10 be hunted.
Indian camps or battle-grounds-and at
this late day it is hard to distinguish the
difference between the two. rs so many
stone implements were lost in camps-can
always be known by stone-chips or frag-
mentary remains OF broken stones.
THE EQUIPMENT NEEDED.
The manipulation of these stones will be
evident to the most inexperienced hunter
upon a slight examination. Their cleaver-
age is quite different from the ordinary
way. :.
4 staff should be used in hunting. as it
both supports one on the tramp and can be
used to dig up and turn over for eXamna-
ton such specimens as can be only par
tally seen. This will save the eXertion OF
STOPPING to pick up imperfect and uncer-
tain specimens. ;.
Frapmentary remains are SUI indica-
tion OF camp or battlefield.
The localities to be hunted are the strips
oi low grounds bordering on the Chicka-
bominy and James riyers-that Is, the ele-
waited points OF these flats, above high-wa-
ter mark: in fact, on the land bordering
any creek or in the vicinity OF bold
spring, here they camped.
That there are so few collections OF In