Blackfoot news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1891-1902, 1894-02-03
PREHISTORIC GRAVES.
THE LITTLE PEOPLE" OF TEN
NESsEE WE'RE BIG MEN.
Zones OF the Legendary Pigmies Prove
Them TO Have Been OF ut Least Nor
mai Stature They Buried Their Dead
All Doubled Up.

All Doubled Ip.
There's an old graveyard right
over yonder, t'other side O. that
ridge, my companion said. indicating
the direction with nod OF his head.
An old graveyard ' exclaimed.
81 did not think there were enough
people here to make grave yard
thrive
We were traversing on horseback
one oil the sparsely settled rough
hill districts of Western Tennessee
and were, | thought. several miles
from any human habitation. What
purpose would graye-y yard serve.
especially an old oneP
Tan't that" my companion
said, compassionately; 'tan't no
common human graveyard, it's the
Leetle People. Been there since the
Lord knows when-they was all dead
an buried long afore white folks
come.
The Little People. Who has not
heard the Tennessee mountaineers'
tradition OF the pigmy race which
once inhabited their fields and woods I?
And here we were within few stems
OF one Of their burial grounds, II
would never do to go past In this
way. says a writer 10 the New York
Herald.
WAIT, " ! said. II want Ia stop.
and we turned our horses heads
away from the rough road aud
struck across the ridge OF low hills
behind which lay the graves Of that
almost forgotten people.
Two small streams. one flowing
north and the other northwest met
here among the hills. and right al
the confluence, in the angle. lay the
cemetery.
There were. indeed, two rows OF
shallow graves. one along either OF
the long walls Of the Enclosure. Az
together there must have been nearly
hundred OF them. although only
few were uncovered,
The process of interment had evil
IDENTIFY been very simple. A hole had
been dug and the colin Of stone slabs
built withinit and the body let down.
with or without grave wrappinrs.
and covered with stone ia. the
whole being then covered with earth.
These We're apparently the graves OF
the common folk. FOR almost without
an exception the narrow stone collins
contained nothing but the crumbling
skeletons. with an occasional stone
implement or weapon or a piece OF
rude pottery. IL was easy TO see how
the "pigmy' idea came about. for the
tombs were truly Of diminutive size.
the bodies. with knees doubled up to
the chin, only requiring a space OF
four feet or so In length
II was when the work Of uncover.
ing the low mound was begun chat
interest was really awakened, for
here ! was plainly getting into the
company OF the ma gnates OF the
"pigmy' society. Here were regu-
lar mummy cases, some made OF
skins and some Of woven hempen
fabric, and In some cases SO we'll pre-
served as TO suggest that that
strange people must have been pos
scssed OF the secrets OF the en-
balmer's art
The mound had been built up from
the ground with one tier after an
other OF these graves until they
were four stories high. The begin
ming had been made by the construc.
tion Of what seemed 10 be a small
stone altar resting upon the natural
surface Of the ground, and around
this were built half dozen OF she
coiiln-shaped roceptacles for the
dead. these all lying with the feet
resting against the altar that no
space might be lost Then when
this FIRST tier OF tombs was filled a
layer OF earth was spread over il and
n second tier was constructed in the
same fashion. These were cyl
IDENTIFY the resting places OF
the more important pcrsonages OF
the race, as could be judged both
from the mode Of burial and from the
greater wealth of the materials
which had been Inferred with the
bodies. Perhaps the distinction was
one Of social position or perhaps it
was only one OF wealth. possibly il
was both, AT any rate, these collins
In the mound contained an almost
infinite variety OF implements and
utensils IN stone. copper. earthen-
ware. and woven materials. and even
through the earth &c which the
mound was composed these relies
we're frequently to BIO discovered,
ying loose.
IL was CHASTITY work TO uuwrap
these stiiTened bodies aud work over
The crumbling fragments with the
tape line and pencil, but IL resulted
m finding that the bones were GER
tainly those Of a race of tall men.
Other explorers have found isolated
groups Of graves containing tho
bodies OF children only. as was shown
BY tho condition Of the teeth and |
,ther bones. IL was apparently their
custom to bury their children apart,
md IL may be that the Tennessee
have come upon these |
,,,r,s,,ro Asa,,a If ptnatt bona, ,,a ,..g