Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1909-07-17
(special Correspondence

lSpSCiHl
~ EGIEs OF sosA, Camp reas,-our
30 state archaeological expedition IS
now in the heart Of the e aneS-
plored regions of the cliff dwell
ers. Our camp is pitched near the ilesio
sof the segie OF tsosa canyon, named by
the Nayaioes and meaning the canyon
of rocks. 1t runs between perpendicu- I
lar bluffs of barren sand stone anu
is typically a desert canyon OF llrse
rank. We pride ourselves on peiiis
the first white men in the canyon WIZ,
the possible exception of one OF tWo
frontiersmen or a lost prospector5 WHO
have left no traces of their sojourn
There are a few Navajoes scattered
about in dilapidated hogans living III
complete isolation and existing ny
means of small goat herds and uncer-
tain corn crops grown in the yellow
sands between the bluffs They retain
a great part of their primitive customs
| and traditions and apparently are con-
| tented with their fate. 1t is a par
| ticularaly thrilling sight to see young
| goat herder shoot up ana aoMn via.
| Nc should call inaccessible cliffs. over
| huge boulders, through patches OF o Dose
and cactus with the, case OF q deer ana
| chanting to himself a simple sort o.
refrain that echoes the whole length
i ar fine canyon The other morning TINS
/ hannened directly above our camp ana
| when the young man caught siSnt o.
one of our party; and saw our outlle
a scattered about he clandesently disap-
peared In the course Of rev MN MN
11tes his head popped up again above
/ Hfa "a Sol1Htt ed UOS1
1 abefore us his eyes bursting with cur
1 osity. Another interesting circum'
stance came about last night while we
A ware attempting to barter for goats
q milk. Our nearest neighhor liyina
some distance above us explained u
i no uncertain terms that we should no'
q burn the wood at a deserted hogan neal
the camp because at one time a squtM
had died there and anyone using tho
wood froRl her hogan would certainl!
die from the stomach ache. This Is
+ superstition coming down for ages ant
represents a serious part of their re
ligious code Tho most romantic sight
however. is to sec the squaws and small
napcoses hoeing corn with clumsy iro!
hoes among the solitary beds Of SAM
under the glare of an 1lnrelenting sur
- With their wild masses of black hal
and loose jenkins of brilliant color tn
dust rising up in Smothering column
about them. one sees unadulterate'
primitive life as picturesque as III
world affords.
8 ANCIENT CIVILIZATIONS.
, Rising mysteriously above and aroun
: these earth children are the ruins
, the Cliff Dwellers who have left us a
!. abundance of their civilization under
!, meath the heaps of debris in the roc
, caves and burial mounds up and dow
- | already dis
!, covered about six cliff dwellings an
1.-the same number of burial nlounC
. which indicates a more nearly cor
} gregated civilization than is foun
among modern tribes And the materi;
= we are searching points to a high d.
' gree of proficiency in many lines.
: fact a discovery OF n seed Jar mac
: Saturday In a ruin containing at lea
three OCCUPATIONS shows how wonde
full the skill at pottery making deyelol
:. ed This seed Jar about 10 inches his
n and 10 inches in diameter with an o.
: ening at the top about four inch
G across and two small handles at u
a sides is painted dark russell coll
with ziZ-zag snake design in blac
b In every respect II Is perfectly maj
III and would do credit to the best pc
N iod of Greek art. The evident care
IL working out the design and the e
10 traordinaTy skill required in shapil
"a the clay SO perfectly shows how tn
~ people worked art for arts sake. Tn
-, is. they worked fine because they 10
- ed it. An interesting feature at til
y. y find was the fact that the jar w
70 about half full of shelled corn of t
finest quality entirely whole and u
shrunken The Jar Itself was buried
y, the lowest stratum of the ruins in
o corner at the kiya or. worship hall
is the building. In order for You to sen
OF the antiquity of the jar and it's co
lis tents anG how wonderfully intact DO
til were found let us state that the t,
n evident occupations found above whe
en- new floors and new walls We're blu
In were completely covered in turn by sc
eral feet of debris fallen from the re
of the cave. Figure how long it wo,
Nv take for that process alone in this d