Norwich bulletin., 1912-09-19
JEWETT CITY


 Hears Papers on Mound Builders
 and Indians-Golden Links Dele
 qates-Dr. Jennings Starts for Mo-
 va Scotia.
 Anne Brewster Tanning chapter,-D-- A. R., held its first fall meeting on Wednesday afternoon at the home of Miss Martha Brewster. The com mittee which has the programme for the year in charge has arranged to have several short papers at each meeting on the subjects selected. This year they will consider all of the re- publics that have won independence. The Original Americans was the sub ject of the first meeting, the pro- gramme being arranged by Mrs. J. E. Phillips. The first paper was on The Mound Builders and was by Miss Florence Wakefield. The evidences of these ancient people are found all most everywhere in North America, except perhaps on the Atlantic coast. They consist of mounds, sometimes of imposing size, and other earthworks, so numerous that in Ohio alone there were until recently no less than ten thousand mounds and fifteen hun dred enclosures of earth and stone. In other parts of the country they have been found in such numbers that no attempt has ever been made to count them. The chief seat of their power seems to be in the Mississippi valley. The human bones found in them are known te belong to ages older than the Christian era, In Wisconsin the most peculiar earthWorks are found. They generally represent animals. The Big Elephant is a few miles from the mouth of the Wisconsin river and is nest remarkable Its length is 1S0 feet. The Altar mounds contain sPe- einens of pottery, implements of war and the chase, and the domestic life. The pottery far exceeds anything of which existing Indian tribes are kneWn to have been capable: Many | evidences of these people are found in abandoned mines.
 Indian Basketry.
 The. other papers referred to the Indians Mrs. A. M. Brown read an article on Indian Baskets The chief basket making peoples of today in America are found in Nevada, New Mexico, Arizona, California and the region north of the Pacific ocean. California has long been known as the home of particularly expert bas ket weavers.
 The queen of the Washo weavers is Datsolalee, full blooded Indian, sixty years old. During the past three years she has produced sixteen bas- kets with sixteen stitches to the inch. Her baskets have brought from $50 to S250. Three of her recent crea- tions are valued at $500, $500, $1,50O. The Hopituh or Moki weavers make sacred trays of striking design and coloring. One of the largest baskets | flo hxr to Mountain Apache, who was two years making it. It is over forty inches in diameter, and forty two inches in height It contains fully a quarter of a million stitches.
 The best baskets are made by the i Pimas and the Apaches. The baskets are woven from willow gathered at certain season of the year, peeled and stored. When taken out for use | it is placed in water to be made plla- I ble.
 Blankets and Pottery. Mrs. J. E. Phillips read a paper on 1 Indian Blankets and Pottery. She said | the first Indian weavers were the Hopi, who had been weaving for gen erations when the Spaniards first en- tered their villages in 154O. The Nay aios later, after years of war, made 1 a treaty with the Hopi, the principal condition being that they should teach them the art of weaving, and today their great rivals as handicraft men are the Navajos. It is 300 years since then, but the weaving Is done today precisely as it was then, save that wool Is used for the blankets and heavier garments, instead of cotton. The designs are all taken from nature or from the symbolism of their nat ural religion. The wool must first be cut from the sheep's pack. cleaned. | carded. spun and dyed, These bldn- | kets will last for generation. No two Navajo blankets are ever alike or perfectly symme trIcal as the squaw has a superstition that q perfect pat tern would mean the perfect comple-