The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-08-05
BURIED UNDER A BOWL.
Curious Custom of the Aborigines of
the Florida COast.

From the Philadelphia Record.
There is now on exhibition at the
Academy of Natural Sciences a hand
some collection of earthenware, the re-
suit of researches made especially for
the Academy along the northwestern
coast of Florida, last winter, by Clar-
ence B. Moore.
The collection consists of bowls, jars,
vases, bottles and vessels of eccentric
shape, including various life forms,
birds, fishes, the human figure, etc.
Much is in good condition, though
some have been crushed by weight of
sand and by roots. 1t is interesting
to note in this earthware how the alb
origines prevented cracks from extend
ing. Holes were drilled on either side
of the crack and the two parts were
dashed together with cords or sinews
a custom half as old as time to
speak POLITICALLY, for numbers of YES
sells 5000 years old, mended in this
way, have been found in Egypt
The Florida ware is red, yellow
whitish and some black, and highly
polished and is of fine quality, fully
sustaining the reputation borne by the
aboriginal earthenware of the Gulf.
The Savage Art.
The ornamentation, which is often
neatly done, sometimes with a sharp
point and sometimes by drawing along
a blunt point, trailing, as it is called,
consists of various forms of the scroll,
the meander and much complicated
decoration embracing diamonds. cir
cles, angles and the like.
Another style of decoration is incised
figures, in several cases representa-
tons of the serpent. which was wor-
shipped by Southern Indians, and
which appears on their pottery and on
their gorgets of shell, occasionally
with plumes and with wings. Another
decoration appearing on this Gulf
ware is the open hand, an aboriginal
symbol of widest distribution. 1t is
said by some to be an emblem of pos
session, but one cannot but think that
the clenched hand would indicate this
more forcibly.
Still another variety of ornamental
ton is to be seen on small, wide
mouthed bottle of black ware. 1t rep
resents a human head wearing a gro
tesque mask with a long down-curved
nose and prominent teeth. Such mask
ed faces appear on the carvings of
Mexico, and have been found in this
country and of Mexico in pre- Column
bian times.
IN TINS COnneCIlOH IL Is interesting 10
note that the aboriginal pottery of the
United States is much better and more
artistic in the Southern States than
in the northern part of our country.
Life forms, gourd-shaped vessels and
vessels with double compartments
which are often representations of the
open bivalve, more or less conven-
tionalized, and other distinctive shapes
are found in numbers in the middle
Mississippi Valley that is in Arkan-
sas, Tennessee, Missouri and Southern
Illinois. The influence of this section
extends into parts of other states,
Alabama and Northwestern Florida,
as we have seen.
The Peruvian Influence.
There are those who think, owing to
the strong resemblance between the
earthenware, which, it must be admitted.
is striking, that the influence of Peru
can be traced through Central Ameri-
ca to our southwestern states, and
from there to the states of the middle
Mississippi and downward to the Gulf.
While the earthenware of all these
regions seems closely related. forms of
burial differ widely. Throughout our
Southern states II was the custom
among the aborigines to expose the
body until decay made the flesh easy
to remove and then, at periods. to bury
the bones. Juan Ortiz, a Spaniard,
captured by Florida Indians, was given
a bow and arrow and put on the job
of keeping wild animals from bodies
thus exposed before interment. Ortiz
was rescued by DE Soto and II is I'M
derstood that he relinquished his en-
ployment without regret.
Whatever was done to the bones af-
terward. this exposure was always. or
nearly always. a preliminary step. and
it is feared that the flesh is always
removed before burial.
Buried Under Bowl.
Perhaps the most interesting form of