Arizona republican., 1908-04-19

mere were trees bl llldIN SoTlS lp furnish fire wood. bows. arrows bas- kct sticks. etc. The bark served for bedding. typmg. preserving the fire. cordage and costumes. Reeds were made into arrcr shafts and flutes, tule was woven into mats. and willow grass and other plants turned into sandals. baskets. and mats. Fiber, food. drinks. medicine, and dyes were derived rom wild plants; and corn, beans. squashes and gourds were culti- vated for means of subsistence. Cot ton was grown in the warmer locali- ties for clothing and sacred purposes.
 The animals Of the region at that time. including the elk. deer, antelope, bear. mountain lion. turkey, grouse, and pigeon. furnished them with skins. blunage. autIers. claws. hoofs. horns, teeth. bones. and Sinews for all sorts of purposes. besides supplying them with the little meat that they ate.
 Their Dwellings.
 The dwellings of the region were Of different sorts and il is principally by the type of, dwelling that the different peoples may be distinguished.
 In theopen country, on the plateaus. and in the wide river valleys. these early Indians. if Indians they were, built puebloS of stone or of mud. These pueblos consisted either of col lections of houses and plaZas outlined with walls. or in the higher colder country. of more compact masses of rooms. The various rooms were furn
 q .N Nl.. sometimes q low bench around the wall and very small openings leading into communicating rooms. When the pueblos were built oe mud the walls were usually strengthened by core of river stones
 Up in the mountains and along the steep banks of the rivers. generally in the narrow canyons near the head wat CTS. peoples very similar to the pueblo tribes dug cliff dwellings. which are now blackened with smoke and filled with implements. .rcfuse. and some times burials. Single houses were of ten placed in niches or Assures in the rocks. Scarcely any pocket large enough to shelter a human being but shows evidence of occupation. mostly temporary perhaps. though frequently these places. too. are blackened with smyke and contain much refuse.
 Near Luna, New Mexico, in eXcavat- ing the plaza of d rectangular stone pueblo. Dr. HOugh came upon series of deep circular constructions. They were about fifteen feet across. with vertical sides. a square fire-boX in the center of the floor. and traces of wooden posts Scattered about were bones of animals. flint chips. roofing clay and near by was a burial. Here at one time was a village of subter- ranean houses occupied by people about whom all that is definitely known is that they Dade coarse brown un1ecOrated pottery. Although other subterranean structures have been dis closed by previous explorers in this region. and although Dr. Hough him self came upon other isolated pits probably used as ceremonial places or lodge rooms. there is no record of any previous discovery of a whole village of underground dwellings such as this. Since over this site had been built Q stone pueblo. these sub-surface houses may have served to shelter d tribe even earlier than the prehistoric pueb- To builders The ruin covers many acres and is evidently of great anti puitv
 In connection with this. not far away there was unearthed human skeleton. It lay in a bed of clean gravel eight feet below the surface and under heath layer of hard iointed clay, which is strong geological evidence of great age. With the skeleton were fragments of deer bones and rude flint chips.
 All through the region the party came upon open air kvas or lodge houses. shrines. either in the form Of caves sacred springs. rock piles, or stone rings, and series of large de- pressiOns which it is supposed are the remains of reservoirs or ancient quar- rics
 How They Lived.
 The great supply of the material gathered from the region gives as re- liable an idea as can be gotten of what these ancient peoples wore. how they furnished their houses. what their oc- equations were. how they amused themselves. what their religion was like. and to d certain extent the na- ture of their language
 Throughout the whole district these former inhabitants wore necklaces of stone or shell beads. armlets. whist lets. and finger rings of shell, anklets of shell, and pendants of stone, and in the mountains they went so far as to decorate themselves with ornaments of feathers and fur portions of insects. dyed cords and other objects. In the lower country the clothing consisted Of front and back frinGed skirts of cords. tiny facsimiles of which were found as offerings to their gods. Small cotton blankets were thrown over the shoulders and larger ones probably served when there was oc- casion to wrap the whole body Fiber sandals protected the feet In the mountain districts there was need of something warmer. Here pclts of animals were used and even the downy feathers of the turkey were wound about cords in such way as to be woven into blankets and jackets Short skirts were also worn. probably by the women. and large robes of fur cord wrapped the whole body San