The Portland daily press., 1896-11-07

closely connected, though the former
have been less modified by outside infiu-
encss and are more closely identified
with the aboriginal civilization, which
is known to have extended from the
Great Salt Lake onithe north as far south
MS Mexico and from Las Vegas to at least
as far as the present town OF Prescott on
the west.
TAKEN FROM THE GRAVES.
Homolobi was deserted by the Mokis
long before it ever began to fall into
ruins. The people are supposed to have
left on account of the failure OF the crops
or the scarcity Of water or they may have
been driven out by some of the moro
warlike Indians, who occasionally made
expeditiors into that arid section. 1t is
certain that they left little of value be-
hind them and DR.. Fswkes' excavations
discovered comparatively few objects of
interest within the houses proper. Fortu-
nately for euhnologists, however. the
Mokis had burial Gu stoms which served
to keep in tact many articles that were
closely connected with their every day
life. Sometimes they would bury their
dead beneath the floor of a room, seal up
the grave and then move into some other
room in the communal dwelling. More
frequently the dead were buried outside
the walls, but still quite close at hand.
In either case the grave was plainly
marked usually by fiat slab Of stone,
through which a hole was invariably out
to furnish means of eg ress for the soul
of the dead man. According to their
religion the soul stayed with the body
fora period of four days after death be-
fore vending it's way to the undiscovered
bourne. To plains Indian the future
abode of bliss is always pictured as
happy hunting ground, but when good
Moki died he asked n othing better than
to go to place where the soil fs always
rich, where the rain falls in sufficient
quantities and where the seasons ars
favorable to big crops. OF course the
poor man ana his soul needed proper
nourishment until they parted company,
so 1t was the custom for his friends and
relatives to bury with him goodly sup
ply OF food and such bowls and cups as
he might need. If he was q man of
prominence in the locality his personal
adornments and the insignia of such
office as he might have held were inferred
with his bones If the late lamented was
woman, household articles and cooking
utensils went with her. Among those
was always her mortar and pounding
stone, for an Indian woman would fiud
time hanging heavy on her hands through
all eternity unless she could keep up her
work of grinding corn for the family's
daily bread. So it came about that when
the graves were opened wealth Of inter-
esting material was discovered. At first
this Mokis of Tusayan were inclined to
draw the line ON what seemed to them
Dissertation, but when it was pointed
out that the graves were many miles
away and ancestors several centuries re-
moved from them they waived their OBJ
jections and when they learned that the
excavations were made in order to throw
light on the history of their lace they
entered into the spirit of the affair. right
heartily.
CHARACTER OF THE CoLLEC-
TION.
In all. upward of 2, 500 pieces of pottery
were recovered. With few exceptions
they are unbroken. They include such
things as jars, bowls, dippers and cups,
| in all shapes and isles. Many of them
are really beautiful and when 1t is ssie-
mem bered that they were made without
the assistance of any sort of potter's
wheel. the work is remarkable. AS a
| rule, they are painted with conventional
figures. and the decoration is invariably
| chaste and effective. In the matter of
decoration the prehistoric Mokis were
far ahead of their descendants of today,
and in point Of beauty, this collection
surpasses that of modern Moki pottery in
the museum. When the chief potter of
| Tusayan heard of the excavation at
HomDlobi he made visit to the place In
order to study the work of his predeces-
sors and he owned up to the deteriora-
| ton in art which time has brought to his
people.
Among the pieces of pottery found
were number that are quite unlike any
that have ever been discovered in any Of
the other pueblos One piece is particu-
larly interesting. for it shows evidences
of metallic glaze, something the Pueblo
Indians were not supposed to know any
| thing about.
Water was something that the Monks
never had in sufficient quantities, and
In their religious ceremonies prayer was
always sent up that they might have an
abundance. So it came about that in
their art they were fond of reproducing
animals and plants that are more or less
closely identified with rain or flowing
streams. The frog was one of their
favorite subjects. They probably wanted
to mako the rain feel at home and very
welcome when it came.
THE GEM OBJ THE COLLECTION.
Among the articles of personal adorn-
ment there Ia one piece that DR.. Fewkes
u