The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1917-09-21

"HE three little islands Of the
West Indian archipelago which
the United States has just pur-
chased from Denmark have at
tanned in the last few months a promi-
nence in the public eye such as they
have not known since Columbus dis
covered them. Artists, writer's and
scientists have %journeyed into the
Caribbean. The surprised natives
have been interviewed, the scenery de-
scribed, the hills and beaches dug up
for relics.
Theodore de BODY, an ethnologist
attached to the Museum Of the Amerl-
can Indian, Heye foundation, has re-
turned from the islands after cOmplet-
ing what is probably the first thorough
scientific search Of them for relics of
their primitive inhabitants, writes
Frederic J. Haskin in the Chicago
Daily News. He brings in the inter-
esting information that our three little
islands of st. Thomas, st. CroiX and
st. John were never inhabited by Ell
Their the Arawaks or the Caribs, popu-
larly supposed to have been the pre-
Columbian peoples of all the West In
,lies; but were the home of a distinct
race. He also discovered that these
islands were once the home of a
wingless bird, which was exterminated
by the Indians, and he interestingly
describes the probable condition of
the Virgin island in re-Columbian
days. when they were heavily forested
and had a fauna quite different from
the present one.
Ancient Villages Found.
Mr.. de BODY found the sites Of two
villages upon the island Of st. Thomas,
where the Danish capital Of Charlotte
Amalie is now located. On st. Croix he
found evidence of a large population
for primitive times; he estimates that
about 10000 Indians were supported by
this rich little island, which Is now
largely planted in sugar cane and trop-
ical fruits. The island of st. John,
which is the best watered and mos
beautiful of the three, he believes new
err to have been occupied by the In
dams as a home, but to have been set
aside by them for ceremonial purposes.
Mr.. de BODY unearthed many skele-
IONS Of the primitive people of the
islands, many of their stone imple-
ments, and found numerous shell heaps
where they had made their fishing
camps; but the relics which convinced
him that he had come upon the traces
of a separate tribe were the bits OF
pottery that he found about the village
stes. On the strength Of this pottery
alone he asserts positively that the
Virgin island Indians were neither
Caribs nor Arawaks, but of a differ
ent tribe, for the making Of pottery Is
an art, and 1t Is in art which gives
play to personality and imagination
that any people, primitive or civilized,
Is distinctive. Thus a penknife made
In Germany is not In any essential or
characteristic way different from a
penknife made In the United States.
You could not distinguish the two pro-
ducts In q store window, This is be-
cause there Is only one way to make
a penknife 50 that It will best serve
it's purpose. But German painting and
sculpture are absolutely distinctive
from these arts In the United States
as are German philosophy and fiction.
So among primitive races stone axes,
arrow heads and knives made by wide
" separated tribes in about the same
stage Of development are much alike.
but the pottery Of these tribes. In
form and design, is different.
Theory Of Their Origin.
Mr.. de Booy's theory Is that the
people Of the Virgin islands belonged
to some South American tribe which
was driven from its mainland home,
found all Of the more rich and import
mt islands occupied by the warlike
Caribs and the powerful Arawaks, and
so were forced to settle on the two
minor islands Of st. Thomas and st.
Croix, which are about the smallest
In the Indies that have a dependable
water supply. It Is interesting to no
tice that this weak primitive tribe got
the islands for the same reason that
the small and helpless civilized nation
OF Denmark got them later-becCuse
no one else wanted them.
These first inhabitants OF our new
islands were si:nilar in habits and pur-
srits to the other West Indian natives.
They were fa.aaers and raised variou;,
tropical crops. Beyond a doubt they
ere expert fishermen and were able