The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-11-07

They propose not alone to TX the IN
dian as he is today, but also by COM
parsons adrOitly made to discover the
origin of the race.
SCULPTORS IN THE FIELD.
The leading Institutions in the coun-
try have this task in hand. Some have
already made good progress, others
have only just started on the work.
1t entails great expenditures of money,
for expeditions must be sent out to far
distant reservations and into the wilds
of almost unexplored lands. SculptOrS
of high intelligence and technical skill
must be engaged, and the experts of
each museum or university must travel
months to direct them. Half a dozen
men are today working in Alaska, New
Mexico and Central America to gather
material Of historic interest, untouched
as yet by the march OF civilization.
Life masks and photographs are be-
inc taken and from these are being con-
structed busts and statues that scien-
lists say are the first absolutely accu-
rate presentments of the American In
dian. Every possible field is being ex-
plored for full blOOOded men and WOn
en- Of the ancient tribes. Though these
are rare, it is hoped that eventually
nearly every important tribe Will be
the institutions and museums are going
even further and are modelling groups,
showing Indians in their sports, hunts
or domestic labOrS. These are not the
stock tableaux" dear to the eye of the
younger generation, but groups that
have passed the eye of some noted eth
nologist and traveller and have been de-
clared complete and correct.
The movement is as yet barely
oil fcv
of prominent scientists are taking an
active part in it, Chief of these are
! O. r. Mason of the National museum at
Washington, Professor f. W. Putnam,
Professor Frederick Starr, DR.. Franz
Boas. Marshall Fl. Saville. DR. George
A. Dorsey, Mrs. Harriet Maxwell Con-
verse and Professor Frank II. Cush
ing. Of the institutions which have
made the most progress are the Pea
body museum Of Archaeology and Eth
nology of Harvard college. tne Univer-
sity of Chicago and the American mu-
scum of Natural History, New York.
The National museum at Washington,
with its famous collection of Catlin
Indian drawings as a nucleus has much
in the way of groups. About to active
" enter into this work are the Field
Columbian museum of Chicago and the
University of Pennsylvania.
ORIGINATORS OF THE PLAN
Professor Putnam of Harvard, Mr..
/ Mason of Washington. and Professor
I Frederick Starr of Chicago, are the
originators of the scheme. Twenty
, years ago the sculptor, Clark Mills,
/ acting for the National museum at
/ Cambridge, Mass, made casts of a
/ number of Cheyenne Indians held as
prisoners by the government, and from
/ these casts a set of buStS was made
for each institution. These busts are
I still on exhibition, and are considered
accurate in their way AT the time OF
the Worlds fair at Chicago, Professor
Putnam, in charge of the anthrOpologi-
cal section, made many Indian meas
urements and observations and a few
groups posed for the purpose Of dis
playing garments and ornaments. But
these. as he says, We're mere LAY
figures" and there was no attempt Il
make them scientifically correct. AZ
vet the plan. as it now has been work
ed out, had not been realized. 1t wa:
not until this year that scientists
awakening to its possibilities, began t
put it into actual operation At th'
peabody museum there have beer
placed besides a mass of minor Indian
curiosities six full models of first i'm
nortance, made by clever sculpto
from molds and photographs, thes
have an actual chronological value 3n'
yere turned out under Professor Put
MANS own supervision. They repre-
! rent the Utes. the Mayas and g trib
of F,skinos. Others will soon be made
professor Putnam's greatest effort j
being nut on the work in the Natura
, TIistorv museum, New York, for whic
the young American sculptor, Caspe