Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-01-03
MOUNDSAND THEiRBUiLDERS
Major Powell Says the Mounds Were Not
Made by Prehistoric People.
Other Talks Last Night Mt the Anthro-
biological SOciety's Meeting Alb
Ortgfnes and the Worlds Fair.

The Anthropological Society of Washing
Prof Lester F. Ward in the chair There
was full attendance. The text of all the
topics treated was "Anthropology at the
worlds fair The first paper was by Maj.
j. w. Powell. whose subject was present
knowledge Concerning the Mound Build
ers." The major did not believe that the
mounds were evidence of a prehistoric CIV
ilization. Late in the fifties he became in
terested in the mound subject and investi-
gated many Of those in Illinois, Indiana
and Ohio. In 1858, with Mr.. Pulsifer, LIE
had examined mounds on the shores Of
Peoria Lake. After digging for several
days they unearthed interesting relics,
among them being copper plates, or discs,
which were either rolled or very finely beat
en-. They had also fashioned on them the
figures Of conventional eagles. For time
he believed that this was evidence that the
mound builders were a race anterior to the
North American Indians, and that they
were Of high culture. He told of other
scientists who had been associated with
him in this work of mound examination,
and of the opinions which they held. In
1864 he had worked through mounds near
Nashville and at points in Mississippi, and
had come across glass beads and a rusty
bayonet. The evidence which he had per-
sonally gathered, which he had at varioGs
times seen, and which was set forth at Chi
cago, convinced him that these mounds
were of Indian construction. He had HIM
self opened up thousands of them, and all
that he had found in them might be inciud-
ed in two classes-first, those things which
are known to have been in use among the
h iG
are known to have been made by white
men. All the things of Caucasian manufaS-
ture which had been found in the mound1
were those articles which the white men
made for purposes of barter, such as glass
beads, etc. He thought that ii would not
be questioned that many of these mounts
had been built in historic times. 1t mus
be admitted that mounds had been buzz
within the historic period, because the early
explorers had recorded that the Indians
were living on and otherwise using them
Some were built by the Cherokees, others
by the NatcheZ and some by the Chocta"s
He had seen the Utes build a burial MOUND
on the banks of the Santa Clara river, and
had seen the same thing done by the Win
tun Indians. All the mounds could be re-
ferred to three classes-those on the low
lands, which were usually domiciliaty
mounds those which were kevas, or coun-
ell mounds and those which were mortuary
mounds. The latter were by far the mosl
common.
Prof. MasOn's Talk.
President O. T. Mason was the next con-
tributor His topic was Comparative Eth
nology" He said that he had attempted to
shirk the duty of rendering his coutribu-
ton, but those gentlemen who had promised
to take his place were not in the city. IL
was dangerous to talk about the fair, be-
cause so many people had been there. The
vast work of the fair illustrative of ethnolo-
gy could not be more than outlined In a
brief talk. The study of ethnology involved
four classes of conception; things, pictures,
books and people. The thing was the anato-
my, and the picture was the physiology OF
a thought. At the great fair one saw a
panorama of the world, the things, the
people, the pictures and the books. One
was brought in contact with the very peo-
pie about which one might have been read
ing for q lifetime without having seen. You
could not move along any avenue of the fair
without being brought face to face with
ethnology in the original package. Ethnolo-
gy was divided into halves: Anthropog-
raphy and ethnography. The latter branch
was the study of people. He then told OF
the four divisions of the human race, the
Australoid, Negroid, Mongloid and Cauca'
sian. OF the latter subdivision, the speaker
dwelt at length on the Hamito-Semitic and
the Aryan limbs. He told of how thorough
ly all this was Illustrated at the fair lie
said that he had been astonished at the ex-
cellence of the finish of many OF the arts OF
the African races and declared that ii was
a revelation. calculated to raise them in the
estimation of the visitor. Their decorative
taste was worthy of remark. In the govern
ment building was to be seen the best ex-
hibit concerning the American Indian ever
put forth He refuted the proposition that
the similarity or dissmilarity of peoples
could be studied from their arts. Peoples
closely allied by blood often had totally diff
ferent arts. This was best exemplified, per-
hoxz in ATo md 10 at~ah f.aC
These Indians were brothers, but had diff
ferent arts. The arts were the children OF
the region. and this important matter was
clearly demonstrated by the fair. The best
way to have studied the Hamito-Semitic
peoples was in the baZaars of Syria, Pales-
tine and Egypt. One of the things which
impressed him was the bodily size and Wig
or of the Turks. We had been looking on
them as 1.-The sick man." but their physique
and activity were surprising.
Prof. Holmes on aboriginal Art,
Professor w. II. Holmes next talked OF
Aboriginal Art" He opened by saying
that it was a very large subject. He spoke
for twenty minutes on primitive art as i,
appeared at the fair, and enumerated many
| examples. He told of how people could be
studied by their arts. and the fact that sea
shells and volcanic glass had been found In
places distant from the volcanoes and the
sea showed that these people were in COM
munication with far-off regions. He EN-.
phasized the importance of archaeology
He drew a diagram illustrating the progress
of the aborigiues in the use of the metals
how they had at first used ii as stone
how next they had hammered 1t, then cast
1t, later plated 1t, and perhaps in some few
instances had smelted. This latter process
was close upon the borders of civilizat ton
He also drew section to illustrate the con-
dition of the arts geographically.
Mr.. Cushing's Remarks.
Frank Hamilton Cushing was the next
speaker. He spoke of the Primitive Peo-
Piles of the Pueblos." There had been four
exhibits in the fair relating to them. He
spoke of their relation to other peoples
and claimed that the Oldest of the Pueblo
peoples were the Zunis and the Caresans
who were found in Laguna. The Moquis
were Puebloized Shoshones, and even the
despised Digger Indians of California were
related. He proved pretty clearly that the
Pueblos were of Northern derivation. He
adduced evidence of an interesting nature
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