Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-05-22

The unique feature of Bandel;er's
work was the method he employed He
had abe typical
Feature of Work scientific tenn
Was Method Used. 60. -,
careful. willing to pay any price for
truth. But he believed that the truth
was to be found among the living In
dams and their communities as well as
in old ruins and dusty documents. So
he went and lived among them, learned
their dialects and carefully collected
and collated their traditions and
lished and erroneous beliefs by this
method
For instance, the tract just set aside
IS the Bandelier National Monument in
cludes certain old cliff dwellings near
Santa Fe. \. NJ. 1t was long believed
that the inhabitants of these caves i'll
the rock belonged to a race since dead
and vanished. Romantic tradition
ascribed all manner of irproba ol e
characteristics to these people. Bande-
lier proved that the cliff jewellers were
simply the forefathers of the present
Pueblo Indians and very much the
same sort of people. He CLEANED his
eSNelCe While living III the pue OlOS
Cochiti. of Zuni and Isleta. He was
made member of the tribe al Cochti.
The scene of his novel. THE Delight
Makers" is laid in these old cliff dwell
inss, and the characters are drawn
from real Isleta Indians, whom he
knew Intimately.
n-the same way he exploded all man.
ner of myths relating to life in the
southwest before the landing of Column
bus. He laid the foundation for real
history OF one of the most romantic and
colorfui sections of the United States.
The work he did later IN Peru and Be-
liEia was of the same nature. BY iiy-
ing among the Indians there he showed
that many of the accepted romantic
notions of the ancient Ircas were
founded on nothing more than the i'm
agination of Indians and Old Spanish
chroniclers. He did more than tear
down accepted beliefs; he worked until
he found the truth to put in their
places.
The Importance of Bandelier's contri-
button to the sciences of history and
archaeology can hardly be overesti,nated
1t seems one of the satirical whirns of
circumstance that man of his caliber
and accomplishments should he COM
paratively so little known. Yet this
fact is due in no small part 20 his own
character. He had a great dislike for
ostentation and notoriety He even dis
liked having any title, such as doctor
Il profess nothing" he would say; or
I'm in good health: don't doctor me
If you must put handle to my name
call me mister. He was of retiring
type, being rather exclusive by nature
But wherever he lived for any length
of time in the course of his work. as
at Sante Fe, he made many warm
friends.
The story of Bandelier's life is A
striking example of how a man will
find the line
Story of His Life of work for
a Striking Example. n,tmra,, nc 81. -
ted in spite of circumstance. He did
not make his first field expedition until
he was almost forty years old. He was
United States as small child. His
father was engaged in a banking and
general import business in Highla nd
| ILL.,, where he was Swiss consul as well
Bandelier early showed the remarkable
aptitude as a linguist that was to stant
him in good stead later. When he wa.
eight years old ne was writing French
and German letters for his fathers con
| sular Office.
| He learned English rapidly, and alst
| taught himself Spanish. In later life
he became so proficient in this Ian
guage that he was frequently taker
for native of Latin America Most O
his immense stock of general knowI
| edge he delved out for himself. for h,
never attended school after his eight
year. He was a tireless worker, fol
he believed that a man in his f1elt
could not afford to be a specialist. HI
| must be at once historian, an archie
ologist and ethnologist, and an anthro
pologist. That goal Bandelier at
| tanned.
ne was always distinguished for hi