New-York tribune., 1901-08-19
STUDYING ARCHAEOLOGY.
STUDENTS OF THE COLUMBIA SUMNER
SCHOOL VISIT THE MUSEUM OF
NATURAL HISTORY.

An interested party OF students in the summer
school at Columbia spent part Of Saturday at the
Museum Of Natual History, Seventy eventh-st
and Central Park West. under the direction of
Professor Frank : Kellogg, lecturer on an aI
Teachers College.
Much Of the time the party was accompanied 10y
Harlan J. Smith. assistant curator OF archaeology
in the Museum who gave interesting explanations
Of the collections studied, beginning with the
American Indian exhibits. The huge house posts
with curious carvings, from Alaska, Vancouver
and British Columbia and the different 'nodels Of
Esauirnau life attracted great deal Of attention
A young woman who is a teacher At Carlisle was
one of the party and said that the life size models
OF Fssouimau people wonderfully true TO life.
as she had them in Carlisle. where about a
dozen have been at various times She stated that
they brighter than the Indians Of the school,
often learning 10 speak English in a wear.
After glancing through the South Sea Island
and African collections in halls yet ready for
the public, the exhibit OF the Jesup expedition sent
out in 1897 by Morris x. Jesup and conducted by
Mr. Smith visited. This collection is
fully arranged IN an order illustrating the life of
the Indians Of that region in prehistoric times.
Previous Mr. Smiths researches little
known Of the section and all the photography
the subject might have been put into dozen
pages, but the records of that expedition
be found in Libraries.
Mr.. Smith described his discoveries IN a chatty
and informal way, pointing out in the successive
cases the resources and products of the region
-
made
ART OF EARLY INDIANS.
The art OF these people" said Mr Smith is
illustrated by paintings. engravings and carvings.
and also by the ornaments used for personal
adOrnment.
The incised lines Of the bone tubes
that were found may have been intaad4d as deco
rsuons. The handle Of digging stick made from
an antler bears incised design each end The
similarity Of these designs 10 those used by the
present Indians induced me to request James Teit
10 submit drawings Of these specimens y several
old Indians Their interpretations are as follows:
The ladderlike design is snake or worm pat-
tern which is intended TO represent the STRIPED
skin Of those animals. When used as patterns in
ornamentation, these generally Grawn or
carved without showing the head OF .afl of the
animal A long line with numerous short lines at
right angles 10 ii depicts snake or a worm
which was probably the manitou Of the woman
who owned the handle, il was customary for
women having such guardian spirits 10 carve rep
Fesentations Of them their root diggers Snakes
wood worms and other insects were ..nong the
manitous most commonly possessed by women in
were themselves the manitous of some women
nit ~ was customary for men to carve their
GI ne beings appearing in their dreams especially
ceNed their manitOu. Owing 10 the secrecy OF
treatment Of sacred objects il is difficult obtain
- -specinc interpretations of such designs, for these
his friends ana Viii ~ ~ 'de va even rom
me signihcance OF the design would pass away
Among The present Indians the following con-
Nentlolal designs are frequently used: long line
ahu snort strokes arranged at regular intervals
Perpendicular 10 il usually represent hair or some
thlng similar growing from a surface as trees
from rom the earth. ZigZag lines represent snake
Tracks; when they down. they may mean
hghtnlng. Long, straight lines represent trails
sIeeks the earth, etc The grouping of the pat
terms terms on such objects determines the meaning TO a
certain extent. The similarity Of the designs
" the prehistoric people to those Of the present
.,auFes Is the strongest argument in favor of the
ray epry that The culture Of this has not mate
taIg charged since the times when the prehistoric
bt.laI ground Of Lytton was in use and the pre-
historic sites inhabited"
,Hce made Of the teeth Of animals proof
mat gambling existed as well as smoking among
those prehistoric Indians
some time given the Peruvian exhibit and
70 ne han OF casts. representing ancient sculpture
az de1ico and Central America. II noted that
o-iihdi ana plant forms prevail IN ancient Peruvian
- ano po-trature OF human beings often occurs
ne human figure is woven in tapestry, also and
painted cloth.