The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1911-09-09

Of the, rare articles collected by Dean
Cummings II Is ribbon made Of close
ly-woyen goats hair and human hair.
Black strips arc woven OF human hair
and white strips OF fine goats hair, The
band is well preserved and is still beau
oiu,. II was perhaps band OF honor
worn by some distinguished member Of
the tribe, Other woven articles Of hu
man hair were comparatively common.
Blankets. evidently made for protection
against the elements. were found in
is termed feather rope" The rope is
made OF woven Yucca leaves and is then
wrapped in floss from turkey feathers.
The rope is then woven into "A blanket
blankets were found made in a similar
manner save that the fur OF beaver and
Imuskrats were used instead OF the tur-
key feathers. One small blanket beauti-
fully woven, was made from Yucca rome
wrapped in the skin OF rats. 1t had evil
deptly been the dainty robe of child OF
some thousand wears ago.
Cliff Dwellers Americans.
Dean Cummings is convinced that the
clift dwellevs were Indigenous to The
American soil. The traditions Of the Ma
vajos. the liopis and the Pucblos point
TO Navajo mountain as the dwelling place
of their ances stors Navajo mountain ap-
pears to have been the center OF popula =
tion for the cliff dwencrs OF New Mexico,
Arizona, Colorado or Utah Dean Cum
Inings regards this settlement of cliff
VI dS III btlSuOCl OF inc Aztec
civilization which reached Its zenith In
Central America some thousand or hr-
teen hundred years ago. However. there
is nothing to connect the cliff dwelers
or their Aztec brethren with any migr3-
ton 10 this continent and their trndi-
tions are all TO the contrary so that the
dean and other archaeologists hold to the
belief that the clff dwellers and other
branches Of .he Aztec population We're
primarily Americans being the original
people OF the western hemisphere
The cross is one of the symbols fire.
auently found among the Photographs OF
the cliff dwellers. From this fact at
tempts have been made by some 10 show
a competition between the cliff dwellers
However, Dean Cummings holds that the
cross was merely used by the cliff dwell
ers as II is oft used in modern times To
indicate the four cardinal directions,
Other symbols found in the picture writ
inss are the circle and the concentrlc
circle. These are frequently found on the
walls OF the ceremonial rooms and are
Interpreted by Dean Cummings as en-
hlematic of the ancient Indians IDEA OF
completeness and eternity.
Like Modern Apartments.
The recent expedition of Dean Cum
mings disclosed the fact that in the vi
cinity OF Navajo mountain the apart
ment houses Of the ancient cliff dwelers
were as largo and as popular as are the
modern apartments OF the ciff dwellers
OF the present dag. One particularly large
apartment mousse WAS located In a cave
zoo feet wide and "a feet deep This
was three stories in height. The two
lower stories were entirely covered by the
garbage OF the tenants OF the upper floor,
Dean Cummings is OF the belief that
probably 900 persons occupied these
apartments for 400 or 400 years. Not the
same tenants. OF course. but probably de-
sceDdants OF the first
Finally apartment houses became IN :
popular, probably largely due to the fact
that they were somewhat unsanltary as
Is evidenced by The huge piles of gar
base found In the ruins, and this great
apartment house was given over to tur-
keys. The ancient people were turkey
fanciers They domesticated the bird that
was then found wild in that locality and
they used their former habitatIon as n
place in which TO house their turkeys
Many of the relies obtained by Dean
Cummings were from this old apartment
house of the anicents. The section has
n large number OF such houses in the
various natural caves and under the
lodges Of rock. Other expeditions Will
probably be made next summer for fbn
purpose of securing more relics There
Is no place al present at the university Y
Tor the adequate display Of these relics
but provision Will be made i'm the new
main building for a completely euuInncd
museum in which the relies OF the min
1--WE people who once Inhabited southern
Gtah VIII be displayed