New-York tribune., 1892-12-04

Professor Bandelicr Is very sensible and practical
| on the question OF numbers In considering 'ne
prehistoric population OF the region winch "e "'
| explored. One would suppose that u'ouc'h ''
cntIsts who have taken many OF their cues Hoih
that prince Of wise skeptic, David Hume, w"uid nave
| added wrinkle to their brain convoin'iohs l'o"
the pcrIsal OF his sharp and irrefutabe criuc'smS
| on the estimates Of population among the a'o'o"'
historic races: but often looks In vain lor any
| thing approachIng moderation this theme we are
| treated to gcring generalltles about NOR" vi '''
| savage race numerous as the leaves OF ''e ''''
| with added nonsense about the way these suPP"'o'
| millions have melted away before the "h'e ni""'
| Even learned and deliberate men seem 10 oocep' u'e
| mcr, count of ruins In the southwest rs PROOF ol
| teemfng population widespread AREA Inv
argument should proceed in exactly the oppoS'"
direction The problem Is one OF subsistence i"'Ie
/, no warrant fO assuming that the prehistoric PcoP
| Of New Mcsico and Arizona had any resources ui-
known TO their descendants. Their agriculture is
| pro,alJy ius; ns coed now rs 1t has ever bech'
their trade Is more lucrative, and they are no longer
subject to destructive II. under THESE con-
diiinns they do not increase, the argument Is "ie
sstlhc that their numbers never were srnd'' ~
Professor IandcIcr reaches the co1cinsioh mat t'
number Of ruins 10y no means indicnles cosoc'"''e
! conten. porancolls population At any give" Univ,
and he adds, drily enough. VII. 'uhh'hs' Hh no
remarkable lnvcsu cations Of Znni folklore has ounu
/
settled In no less than one hundred and nineteen
different places"
The s0-cmll-d srdcn,ary indians were merely fSs
migratory than the nomlds. season ot bad crops al
attack Of epidemic disease. an accidental Sumuus VI
SUPERSTITION foray 10y more waIllke tflo' suHlcsu
to impel a community to look for new home D'9
ease wa, far more important factor In trir move
mcnts than It has ever been with races to which be-
lonced the heritage 0t A>iatc and European cVliNI
non. The latter stayed in mia >matic va"N' "hn ny
short lived generations conquered II ana ur'N hS
si.klne-, into something Ike salubiiy No "hcr IN
plnnalon Of lie TIE Nlc. at the foot OF Inc M'So
poaman valley, or IN the mHr,hlands Of the Belgac Is
possible The American tribe attacked 10y disease
w,r. either swept from h. iacc Of the earh-as In the
famous Instance Ol the Ma. achu,"tts Indians AT tH
/ time when tie settlement Was new IN f1Smou'h-o9 "
were forced 70 A.. 10 qU'rtcr~. In their super
,ttio,,, dread they dccamp"d with TIE utmost hAst'
leaving the dead unburicd and the sick 20 de- III tHe
disease was really due the locality, they iound re-
ncf in their uoa quarters II 1t WAS contagious they
.or.al ID ~ they went and whole valley VAS cleared
in 4 few weeks OF population which may have roanl"d
nllut I'm IL for centuries. "" have not, says hr'
Eandoncr as Yet many details concerning the eau'"
Of abandonment In each instance; but 1t IS certain that
varfar, had much to DO with H. The persistent har-
as.ing pnclis, by the nomnds upon the settlers ocai
dr,uts ir.,hcis (as a. >an,o Domingo at least four
rm.~, pestilrnc. ION the RIO Mmbr,sl oracular ut
terlnccs lightning strokes. Internal dissonNion, Ia"
formation OF new clans and consequent gradual ehi
gratlon car,hquakc,-all these may have been aeen-
,, In ~ Of rains of which nothing but their cA-
lst.ncr H. known
II tr anc.'nt photographs could De- read With Ger
,aiutv or n th. Indians less rctccni about their
historical! traditions "a" Of removal might be-
determined with or less accuracy Ia every case
Int the people hpd their traditions part Of th'r
-cerct clan lore. aud II ia" photographs the author
l.a-n,-i only the important fact TINT generally when
tribe migrated II left sort o record on the wnlls of
IL, old home ~ hasty night aud deliberate
removal there. are some crcria Of indisputabl" valuc.
II find the pottery w"il preserved ana without
trace, of intrntonii pcrioriions or breaking, We may
FROM uuf knowl,dg" ~ Indian customs among G."
Pueblo. conclude with r,sonnbl" probability that the
people were compelled 10 - hasty evacuation. ~ IN
addition ~ at li,shota tihla IN the Upper hni Val
ley fractured bones skulls found. IT Is probable
that a surprise raid or assault had driven oil tn" pco
pie Where O." pottery Is broken or perforated ~ the
bottom slow and undsiurb,d evacuation may J." sup
po.cd. II thu ruin ic, the banks OF torrent ILL"
tpuy g.. old village OF santo Domingo. and that tor
rent has swept through parts OF IT, cnrrcd away
one side It ju.tlhcs the suspicion that the abandonment
wa, compelled hy DISASTROUS ffcs'rt.' In the case
Of Glpuy tradition confirms inference OF oscrva
lion. The author mentions cpldcmcs fresh In the
memory Of the people Of which in 11e2 carried on
800 person, In the pucblos Of santa Clara and can
Juan IN less than two montte. and many stories of
trut'ng. then. must. TINT the history OF the
southwestern indians. II It Is cter completely I'M
m, cl,d, win prove 10 br n history rather Of migration
than Ot settled unC,turbcd ifc II follows that there
must be material, II II can be found. which shows
the general trend OF tho movement and the chnn.e
In It's characteristics ~ II passed from region TO
another. a change IN urchito cturc from the less
con,.ricnt to the more convenient, from tho less
dcfersble h something TINT seemed like fortress ;
change In pottery and In initiative modelling from
rude - les, innrstic forms would indicate
responding notifications In the HE Ct the people
from generation to generation. II these changes
found uniformly 10 point In given direction, then
the record would be merely OF human de
vclopmcnt. bnt 1t would show geographically where
the people when their art wns ridcst, and
where they at eocl stage OF Advancement. 50
that The general course ot migration would be merely
n matter Of obvious Inference. Professor Bn ,delicr Is
doubtless right In thinking that he tentatively. at least
solved the problem. lie maintains that small separate
houses preceded In the history Of theSc ancient build
the large communal structures. But the separate
house also maintained It's existence. after the lare,
structure invented. and the Investigator finds that
the Improvement IN II WAS gradual in fixed direction.
There Is gradual increase In the Size Of the
In detached buildings in a direction from north to
south. which Increase Is most distinctly marked over
the area where the detached hon,' alone prevails"
Not merely this true of the older dwellings II Is
true Of the hol,rS made stlll by tribes which live
separately and not In crowded communities, aS Is
shown by comparison Of the huts OF the Opntas
the Sonora River with those of tribes further south
There /, also an increase In the dimensions OF doors
and air openings as one passes from the nccmcnt
region 10 the tropics. 20. also Large halls not
found In the ruins OF the north. They appear 10 be
almost the rule a. Militia and In Yucatan. and they are
met With on the Gn. under climate which H. semi.
tropical The coating OF clay or gypsum which did
well enough in the north replaced bv plating OF
polished slabs a Militia where nothing else would with.
stand the tropical rains
Gave and clif dwellings affair " no specific
period cannot IN the opinion OF the author be con-
sidered as separate type. They south. rs
we'll as north md chronological feature based
upon geological opportunities The troglodyte has
LINN m fnctar N I'M