The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1897-12-14


ond affairs, lin the soiD, are the
decomposed reminents of full
grown antlers of deer, and the
bones of other animals. Now, a
deer's antlerf are not full grown
until in September, and are shed
in January and February. There
fore, it must have been in the
Fall or early Winter that this
feast was held, and / have called
these affairs The Affairs of the
Autumnal Festivals. [ hope no
one will think me unduely for
ward, in taking the liberty of
nameing these remains, but to
the best of my knowledge, I was
the first to study, and try to
classify them, and I feel that l
have the right of christening the
discovery. With this apology l
will proceed :
In the earth and ashes on these
affairs can be found charred
pieces of wood, charcoal, burned
clay ball, river gravel as large as
hens eggs, an occasional spear
head and the charred and burned
remnants of human bones. That
is proof positive, that they made
human sacrifices, for they never
bury their dead, but when one of
their number died they simply
abandoned the pen or hut in
which he was, and built another.
They made the same sacrifices at
the Vernal Altar that they made
at the Autumnal. AS to the rites
that they went through with |
cannot say. Though the balls
of clay and river debris figured
in it in some manner. AS to the
spear heads, I think they were
used to pin the struggling sacri-
fee to the altar till he or she was
unable to struggle longer, by
which time the spear shaft was
burned in two and the head was
left in the body of the victim, and
so of course, was never recover
ed, but was let remain as evil
dence to those that come after of
the crulety of savage men.
The charred fragments of bone
are those of adults. 1t is pos
sible they were prisoners captur-
ed from neighboring tribes, al
though it is quite probable they
were old, and infrm, of their
own trib, for they were firm bel
levers, apparently, in the surviv-
al of the fittest, and when one of
their number became old and too
helpless to hunt for his own sup
port, it was time for him to die.
and if he did not accommodate
them by dying, they accommodate
ed him by burning him. When
you come to think of it, it was
the better way, although to our
civilized minds it seems the en-
bodyment of cruelty. Yet, stu
ated as they were, depending on
a piece of flint, bound in a stick.
for their subsistence, and going
hungry for a day or two at a
time, running great danger at
all times from fierce beasts and
fiercer neighbors. When a man
became helpless he became an
circumference and useless, so
what better way had they then
to propitiate their god, with
what to them was a burden, and
to him, as they thought, a glori-
Gus morsel of incense F?
Just before they disappear,
they seem to have become ac-
quainted with the use of the bow
and arrow, for there are a few
rough arrowheads to be found
in their latest huts, or pens.
They most likely borrowed the
knowledge from their more war
like neighbors, the Stone Wor-
shippers, who afterwards took
possession of the country, but
not without struggle, however,
as many ancient battle-felds
plainly testify. Yet the Stone
Worshipers were far too power
full a tribe, and too we'll armed
to be driven away by the poor
lgneoians, and so they lost "the
land of their inheritance. Yet,
even after they knew that there
was no hope, they still came
back once in awhile to make war
on their despoilers. They soon
after entirely disappear. They
had outlived their usefulness.
and like their own sacrifices.
they must not cucumber the
earth.
Well, they are gone; and to
them we will say farewell
The tribe that came after. are.
in my opinion, the most curious
and interesting of any tribe [
ever made a study Of, and in
them we find a great change