The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1911-09-09
PROVE ANCESTRY
Of THE NAvAJ0S
Relics Present Evidence That
Cliff DweIlers We're Fore
bears of Indians.
DEAN CUMMINGS FINDS
SPECIMENS in ABUNDANCE
Articles of Great Archaeological
Value Gathered for Uni
versity of Utah.

Almost positive proof hes been obtained
hy Dean Ryrou Cummings Of the Uni
vars,,,, Of IItah that the Navajo Indians
and the Snake clan OF the Hopi Indians
are directly descended from the ancient
dweIlcrs who Inhabited the caves high up
on the cliffs OF southeastern ltan, soul'-
western Colorado and northeastern utah
Dean Cummings returned yesterday from
a month spent In archaeological lnVcst-
CATION on the Navajo indian reservation
near the Navajo mountain.
On this trip Dean Cummings found
much evidence that convinced him that
tho cliff dwellers Of this region were tne
| forcbears Of the Navajos and at !sast
portion OF the Hopis, or prime Import
ance. however. In establishing the nne
OF proof OF the identity OF the descendants
Of the cliff dwelIers was the pouch or a
| room OF a house once inhabited oy clln
dwellers In a large cave near what ap-
pears to have been a center of population
| OF the ancient people.
| The pouch of the ancient Indian nicdi.
cine man and the articles found in 1t
were in an excellent state OF preserve
pouch of buckskn. Within the inner
pouch were the feathers of various
species Of birds tied together In G diaereni M
the various things grown by the cliff
dWellers-seeds OF corn, squash and dli-
ferent grasses, Two fossil teeth were In
cluded In the assortment, One was the
tusk of mountain lion OF some similar
carniverous animal The other was a
moIar from tho jaw of some prehistoric
animal. a crystal of hematite completed
the strange assortment.
Ancestors Of Navajos
The medicine men of the Navaios have
a rain ceremony that their traditions tell
them come from their ancient ancestors
In the belief that the birds will help
men collect the feathers of the various
birds found in the locality and place
them In a pouch after tying them In
seeds of the crops for which they de-
sire rain. To this they add a piece Of
hematite and such other luck charms as
These they shake about while going
through the movements incident to the
ceremony. Dean Cummings believes that
this establishes beyond doubt the proof
that the cliff dwellers, II not the actual
ancestors of the Navajos. are at least
their religious ancestors.
The Snake clan Of the Hopi Indians is
so named from the awe and reverence In
which that tribe holds the snake. The
| Hopis believe in the rabsmlSration OF the
spirits of their elder brothers or their an
| cestors. In their snake dances they car
lry yenomous snakes with them Neither
% Hopl nor Navajo VIII kill a snake
| under any circumstance.
Held Snakes in Reverence.
Dean Cummings on his. trip through
the regions of the cliff dwellers found fire.
| held In like reverence by the ancient
people. In the ceremonial rooms OF the
remains OF the dwellings Of the prehis-
| torIc people are found carvings and pic
lures OF snakes. One representation OF
a snake found by Dean Cummings was
forty feet long, The picture writings or
homes and ON the sides of the cliffs in
d!cated that the snake was regarded
with awe and reverence.
There were other strong indications
| that these people were the progcpitors
of the present Nayajos and possibly the
| Puehlos' and the Hopis. These three
tribes OF Indians are all agricultural. All
their traditions point To- the fact that
lura Their religious and other ceremo-
MES are very similar to those which it Is
plain were practiced by the ancient pco-
pie. The implements and the grains and
seeds found in the ruins Of the houses
OF cliff dwelers prove positively that the
cliff dwellers were agricultural The pic
ture writings of the cliff dwellers show
a close connection with tho traditions OF
these three tribes.
Indians Assist Explorer.
On his recent trip TO southern Utah
and northeastern Arizona: Dean Cum
mings bore commissions from the United
States government and from the state of
Utah to engage in archaeological inves-
tigation. He went alone form Salt
Lake. being assisted In the expedition
only by some whites from the district
in which he worked and by several Nava-
jo Indians from the reservation. Dean
Cummings went from Salt Lake to
| Thompsons on the railroad, From
Thompsons he went By stage 10 Rluff in
San Juan county and thence he went by
pack horse and saddle pony through
the canyons into northeastern Arizona.
near Navajo mountain. on the Navajo
Indian reservation.
inve stigatc the ruins of the cliff dwell
ers with Il view to learning much as
possible concerning the lives and habits
of the prehistoric people. that the trace
of the ancient civilization might not be
lost and to gather such relics OF the
cliff dwellers as Were worth preservation
These will be placed In The museum OF
the University OF Utah and Will become
the property Of the state.
Find Priceless Relics
Dean Cummings collected six large
boxes of relics. which will be shipped
from the region to Salt Lake. via Farm
Leke in about two weeks. The relic
which Dean Cummings prizes most Is the
medicine mans pouch. containing the az
tIclcs used In the rain ceremony, This
is. OF course of great archaeological
value. in that IL is taken almost GER
tain proof that the Hopis and the Nava
jos. II not the actual descendants of the
elm dwellers, are at least the holders OF
the religious heritage of the ancient
people.
Among thf other articles collected by
Dean Cummings are large number OF
particularly fine specimens OF pottery.
These we'll decorated. indicative of
tn artistic talent OF the cliff dwellers
which has been probably transmitted TO
the Navajos. Several baskets and mats
woven from yucca Spanish bayonet
fiber were collected by the archa eoloeist
Balls OF yarn made from the finer Yucca
fiber were also found. Stone axes and
other polished stone implcments. To-
gether with stone arrowheads were
found in quantities Bone avis, and
needles were found in different cliff
dwellers ruins. Some of these instru-
ments were made from tho bones of tur-
keys and sheeO and some were actually
made OF human bones, Dean Cummings
thinks II scarcely credible that these re-
lRious and superstitious iff dwelIers
made these instruments from the bones
OF their own departed. but rather thinks
that the bones OF enemies. or possibly OF
criminals. were so used.
Artistic Girdle Discovered.