Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-11-02
A MOKI COLLECTION
Valuable Specimens of Pottery
Brought Here From Arizona.
CLIFFDWELLERS SKILLED HANDIWORK
Dr.. Fewkes Talks of His Interesting
chronological Work.
CHARACTER OF THE PEOPLE

One Of the most interesting and valuable
collections that has reached the National
Museum in a long time mas just been un-
packed. and the work of preparing and cat
aloguing it for exhibition has already been
begun.
The collec ton represents some four
months work by DIR. ]. Walter Fewkes,
the eminent ethnologist of this city, who,
together with Mr.. Walter Hough, also of
the museum, spnnt the summer in the ex-
humation and study of the ruins of Moki
village in Arizona. The value of their
study can hardly be overestimGted, In view
of the additional light that it casts upon
the history and life of those most inter
esting Pueblo people. In addition to what
they saw and learned, they brought back
to Washington a most remarkable collec-
ton of pottery and household utensils, as
well as articles of personal adornment, that
belonged to these people in prehistoric
times. With reference to the Pueblos of
the southwest, the word prehistoric is used
10 denote the time previous to the year
1JiO 50 that the collection represents the
handiwork OF the Mokis al least three hum
dred and fifty years ago, and possibly a
great deal more than that.
Magnitude of the Collection.
In ali. something like 5000 different arti-
cles We're secured and forwarded to this
city. 1t is believed that no expedition among
the PueDlos or cliff jewellers was ever so
fruitful in results. Certainly, as one sees
the great collection for the first time he is
struck not only by its magnitude, but by
Its diversity, well. Careful scientific
study. IT is believed. will tend to broaden
our present knowledge of the origin as
well as the manners of the Mokis. who are
regarded by ethnologists as a division of
the same family to which the Zunis belong.
Dr. FeWkeS made the little railroad town
OF Wnslow, AriZ., the base of operations
for his summers field work. To the north
lies group of pueblos, which is known as
the Tusayen villages. occupied by the Mo-
kIs OF today. Much has been written of
them, but il was DR.. Fewkes' aim to learn
more of the ancient history of the people
In an effort TO solve the vexed problem of
the direction from which they originally
came BY some it is claimed that the Mo-
kis came from the south. and are really
AZtecs. while others believe they migrated
from the north, and to some the fact that
along with other objects from near the sea,
answers for proof that they originally
dwelt near the Pacific.
The Mokis. according to DR.. Fewkes diff
Ter Out little from their ancestors, and are
the same quiet, peaceable. agricultural peo-
pie, who would rather run than fight and
VINO were probably driven into these desert
regions by the more warlike plains Indians
The cliff dwellings, il is generally admitted
Were stronSholds from which the people
could make their way to the valleys below
10 VA the soil, and in which they took
refuge when threatened by the incursions
OF their foes. The Mokis are still a good
natured. agricultural people, who have
never given the government the slightest
trouble, and have never been compelled to
call on Uncle Sam for rations They are
1ovlal. happy set, who enjoy a joke or a
DIT or fun, and are entirely different from
the ordinary conception of an Indian as a
They Appreciate a Joke.
In TACT. said Dr. Fewkes, in converse
ton with Star reporter yesterday, cit
would be hard to find people who appre-
ciate joke more than the Mokis do.
have seen them laugh until they fairly
rolled upon the ground. 1 had a number of
them at work for during the summer.
anu IL seemed as though they ALWAYS
picked on some member of the band as the
putt OF their jokes, and any comical Incl
cent would start them to laughing hear
tily." ~
nile at the Tusayan Villages DR.
Fewkes was told by the old people there
mat they used to live about eighty miles
south and that that was the place whence
they came They gave him to understand
that II ne would make a search there he
would come upon the ruins of a former
pueblo He found 1t without any difficulty
at point where the Atlantic and Pacific
railroad crosses the Little Colorado river
and about three miles from the town of
Winslow. The pueblo is known as Homo
lodi and from its size it is supposed to
nave accommodated between 800 and 400
people 1t is undoubtedly prehistoric tba,
Is. 1t antedates 1910. There are three other
ruins in the neighborhood. one or two
or which are probably larger than Homo
lodi. but these We're not dug into. From
a distance the ruins of this ancient pueblo.
DR.. Fewkes says. looks not unlike a mound
Tlslhs out OF the desert. but when it came
10 be investigated 1t was found to be pecu-
Harry rich in relics of that earlier ciyiI;za-
ton They show that the Mokis We're well
advanced in the making of pottery. in
weaving baskets and mattings and in their
quiet village life they We're able to make
advances along many lines of life far
beyond anything ever accomplished by the
predatory Indians to the east and north
The Mokis and the Zunis are Very close
ly connected though the former have
been less modified by outside influences
and are more closely identified with the
aboriginal civilization. which is known 10
have extended from the Great Salt Lake
on the north as far south as Mexico ard
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 more warIike
Indians. who occasionally made expeditions
into that arid section. 1t is certain that
they left little of value behind them and
Dr. Fewkes excavations discovered COM
paratfvely few objects of interest within
the houses proper. Fortunately for eth
nolCgists. however. the Mokis had burial
customs which served to keep intact many
articles that were closely connected with
their every day life Sometimes they
would bury their dead beneath the floor
or room, seal up the grave and then
move into some other room In the COM
mural dwelling. More frequently the dead
We're buried outside the walls. but still
quite close at hand. In either case IN.
grave was plainly marked. usually by a
fiat slab of stone. through which a hole
was invariably cut to furnish a means of
egress for the soul of the dead man. Ac-
cording TO their religion the soul STAYED
with the body for a period of four DAYS
after death before vending its way to the
undiscovered bourne. To a plains Indian
the future abode of bliss is always pic
tured as happy hunting ground but
when good Moki died he asked nothing
better than to go to a place where the
soil is alu avs rich. where the rain falls
In sufficient quantities and where the seq
sons are favorable to big crops. OF course
the poor man and his soul needed proner
nourishment until they parted company. so
II was the custom for his friends and reIa-