The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1911-06-06
|SCHOLARSPUzzLED
CLIFF WRITINGS IN SOUTHWEST
ERN PART OF UNITED STATES
UNDER INQUIRY.
Eminent Men Made Interesting Dis
coveries Which Are Believed to !,
Give Clues to Ancient
Peoples.

III Paso, Tex, June 5.--0ne Of tile
most battling works ever undertaken
by science is The reading OF the pc,
tographs, or rock writings, which
abound in the Southwestern part "
The United States and which are
thought to tell The story Of the cnr
dwellers and other mysterious PEG.
pies, long since vanished.
For thirty years scientists have
puzzled over these photographs, which
have been carved in the rocks by
prehistoric artists. but until the last
few years practically no heaiway nas-
been made in figuring out the mes
sages conveyed from the dim past.
In fact, ii is only within recent years
that some Of the most wonderful OF
these Photographs have been dscov-
cred. This is true OF the wonderful
picture writings of Southwestern
Utah, country that is full of evil
denees of prehistoric life, but which
has been Inaccessible 20 parties OF
scientists until lately. Within the
last three or four years the Unlver-
sity Of Utah has conducted exploring
expeditions in this unknown country
and has unearthed many marveis. The
School Of American Archaeology. al
so, at Santa Fe, has done considerable
exploring AMI excayating In South.
eastern Utah, and rich rewards nave
followed.
Or. Fewkes' Discoveries.
DR.. Walter Fewkes of the Smith
sonian Institution, who has engaged
in The work Of restoring tne cliff
dwellings, of Mesa Verde National
Park during the last few years
has made interesting discoveries.
There are several rock inscriptions
near the cliff dwellings, most OF
which The scientists agree are relig.
ious symbols. Other are toJems,
while still others appear to be mere
scribblings. The walls of some of
the rooms in the cliff dwellings are
covered with a thin wash of yellow
sand, well adapted for paintings of a
symbolic or decorative character.
Some Of the mural decorations nave
been uncovered in the process of rc-
storing the buildings The .,o!ors,
red, yellow and white, were evidently
put on with the hands, impressions
OF which can be found in several
cases. Among the designs used are
triangular figures on the upper mar
gins Of the dadoes and pedestals O.
the ceremonial rooms, or kivas. Dr..
Fewkes, who is probably the greatest
living authority on the customs of the
Hopi Indians, among whom he lived
for several years, finds that those In
dams use similar figures, though re.
versed in form, and call them butter
fly and rain cloud symbols.
Nordenskjold's Investigations.
One Of the most puzzling characters
found in the cliff-dwelling decorations
is square figure, painted on an I'D.
per white wall This figure IS found
IN the decoration band Of one of The
kivas in Chiefly Canyon, and aas been
found in other cliff ruins in the South.
west It's widespread distribution
would indicate that this was one OF
the most significant symbols used in
by these ancient peoples. The cliff
dWellers seldom indicated animals in
their pictures. Animals also are rare
on cllf-dweller pottery It was nor
until later era, evidently, that the
picturesque-writers became artists.
Ncrdenskiold, the first scientific
explorer Of the cliff dwellings, of the
Mesa erdi, found in one room in Cliff
Paiace band of dark, reldish-brown
paint lining the lower wall. An
around the upper margin ran con.
tlhuous row of red dots. Although
ne makes no mention Of the fact the
red dots are still an important symbol
among many Indian tribes. Anon.
tne Cheyennes, far removed from the
haunt Of the cliff dwellers, the red
dots signify sorrow. The cliff dwell.
ers, VINO were no doubt the earliest ar
these picture writer's, who were fond
OF making zigzag lines, ending in
dot' which figures are supposed to
represent snakes. A spiral line
which is another common symbol. is
used today by the Mokis to represent
the whirlwind.
Coming down to later period, the
maker of petroglyhs seems to have
made remarkable development In hts
art. He begins to picture human be.
ings, much after the fashion OF the
school boy who scrawls rude draw.
inug on bic