The sun., 1903-12-06

from the cliff dwellings OF Colorado ana
New Mexico but which ;was really made by
squaws in New Mexican pueblo less than
a dozen years ago. The fact Is. little pot
terry has been found IN any clf dwelling.
and the few pieces that have been found
were carried TO the Smithsonian Inst tu.
ton or TO the American Museum OF Natural
History In New York.
aThe cliff dwellings have been almost
barren of relics Of human habitation, 30
far as portable things are concerned, yet
one inds all manner Of clay artifaots. grass
woven sandals, metates, weapons OF the
chase, &c, in museums and in costly private
collections. These are labelled as having
come from cliff dwellings.
"They bear all the marks Of great an
tiquity-the stains of time, the rudeness
of const ruction, the dry, battered aspect
OF cent uries. But many of them are the
products of Indians living in the New Mex
leo and Arizona pueblos to-day" o.,
Curio dealers say that the finest counter
feits OF very ancient Indian pottery are
made at Acoma, a wonderful pueblo perched
upon a towering mesa Of sandstone rising
sheer out OF desert thirty miles south
Of the Santa FL Railroad in central Arizona.
Several Indian young men. who learned
ways of Yankee thrift at the Carlisle school.
are managers d the cliff dwelling and pre-
hist oric pottery industry there.
Laguna, on the Santa FG ute through
New Mexico, il an important producer Of
counterfeit pottery. A dozen women there
are nearly always busy preparing fresh
articles for white buyers. Several families
that knew how to make good limitations and
possessed shrewdness in getting first class
prices for their skill and enterprise. have
grown rioh--that is, rich for Indians.
Along with the expert making Of ancient
pottery and other relics the Indians of the
Southwest have learned lot Of tricks in
the selling Of their products TO tourists.
An overland express train never stops at a
New Mexico and Arizona Indian community
that parties of Indian girls do not climb
aboard the cars or run along the station
platforms, alongside the car windows, offer
ing for sale quantities of small vases jars,
ollas and idols. Ask any of the girls what
the pottery is. and where it came from, and
the invariable answer is:
aHeap old. heap old. Me dig him all up
out old chiefs grave. No more left"
Where did you get these fine things"
was asked OF pretty Pueblo girl as she
tripped with moccasiued feet down the
aisle of Pullman car the other day SEEK
ing buyers of the stock of pottery she car
ried in a basket on her head, while the train
stopped at desert station.
"Oh. from the cliff dwellings" came the
quick answer in English that marked the
speaker >as a graduate from one of the
Indian schools. MY brother dug all OF
them from kings grave. 1t was great
discovery; all the Indians say 80. These
things are worth fortune but we poor
Indians can't hunt buyers among the big
rich whites. So you can buy them of me
cheap. Only q for this one you can sell
it back East for 500"
Several of the passengers bit. Half
weeping over the fact that she had to sell
the masterpieces of her ancestors, the
pretty Indian girl grabbed her money and
departed. as if seeking to have the ago.
nizing transaction quickly over.
However, the brother must speedily have
found more ancient tombs wherein to dig.
For not four hours later. and daily for weeks
thereafter, this same fantastically garbed
Pueblo maiden, with ,nsophistocated.
dreamy black eyes and demure ways, was
aboard other overland trains, with a similar
stock of pottery dating away back into the
days OF the Montezumas.
All the while her wrinkled sqlaw mother
was putting in extra time to keep the girl
supplied with prehistoric relics for the
tourist trade.
Still there is oecas asionally disgrunted
politician In the West who denies that
Uncle Sans educational methods among
the Indian youth produce results.