The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1921-05-19
Old INDIAN RACE
"Red Paint Problem" Is Interest
Ing Archeologists.
Explorations In the State Of Maine
Have 50 Far Been lnconclusive.
But Will Go On.

Since the recent donation to the
state Of Maine Of u number of boxes
Of relics, $500 pieces, there has been
a renewed interest In the explora-
lions gofpg on In Maine in connection
with the so-called Red Paint Indians.
Several Of the earlier explorations
were around the town of Orland in
Hancock county. Ernest o. Sugden,
the town clerk, has long been In
terested In Indian exploration work,
and has himself developed into quite
an authority on the subject.
Mr.. Sugden's curiosity in Indian ex-
ploratiOns was first aroused in 1892,
when c. G. Willoughby Of the Pea
body museum, Harvard university,
explored the mound at Lake Ala
mOosook In Orland. Mr.. Sugden, a
watch repairer by occupation, became
a much interested onlooker. Prof.
Warren x. MooreAead of the depart
ment Of archaeology Of P~hillips-An-
dover academy also began explora-
tons In Orland.
So interested did Mr.. Sugden be-
come In Indian exploration work that
during the past eight years he has
assisted in carrying on explorations
in nine different states. III
Prof. Moorehead says there is in
Maine what the scientists call the
"Red Paint Problem" so-called be-
cause Of the quantities Of red ochre
found in the graves in the cemeteries
of these people.
''Thes problem relates to a people of
very great antiquity, which were quite
different from Algonkin or other tribes
known in early Maine history. The
graves are SO old that 10 bones re-
main. The people seem related to
the earliest Esquimaux. Only by the
most careful hand-trowel work and
minute observation during exploration
of cemeteries or sites occupied by
shese people a we learn concerning
their culture and antiquity.
"In these graves are found peculiar
gouges, Ratchet blades, flint spears,
plummets, long pendants. fire-stones
and iron pyrites, and occasionally
Clipped arrowheads, but the latter are
not frequently found"
A. H. Bridges of Waterville, who
has long been interested in archaeol-
ogy, called the attention Of Gov.
Milliken not long ago to evidences
of the former existence of the Red
Paint Indians in certain burial
grounds in W%atervile and Winslow.
$50 far as known. the Red Paint
men are the oldest culture Of humans
in North America" says Mr.. Bridges
''They antedated pottery, as none has
ever been found in their graves
They were spearmen, not bowmen, a.
only spearheads have been found Ii
burials. They had no peace-pipes
SO knew nothing Of tobacco as thu
Indians did. ss,.
Stones for striking fire are common
In graves, sheets of mica either TO
looking glasses or ornament are Offer
found, gOuges and spears and chisel'
were most common instruments Of
stone, well made and some orna
mented.
They had a printed language O
peculiar character as traces or a chise
have been found. More of the Ian
guagel characters will no doubt be dis
covered as new cemeteries are ex
cavated. No stone xes have beer
found. u IS.
1.-THE most distinct and peculia,
trait of these people is the use Of re,
ochre from Mt. Katahdin region II
their cemeteries, the stone implement
being placed near each body In tn
ochre. Traces of these people ar,
found along the Penobscot valley
Androscoggin river, and last summe
John T. Kelliher OF Waterville locate,
! a cemetery on the Sebasticook rive
in Winslow."
"After considering the method o
burial and the character of nipple
ments found In Red Paint graves.
says Mr.. Kelliher, I'VE can easil.
| arrive at the conclusion that the!
were Of a different stock from tn.
historic Indian found here by thu
first Europeans, since 1t Is well known
that the custom Of laying the dead ii
a shallow grave and covering thu
body with a layer OF ochre, or Of rel
paint, was not %practiced by the CAM
has or Penobscot tribe Of the Algon
quin, who held sway oyer the Kenne
bee river regions, nor OF any othe
tribes Of Indians In North America.
There have been discovered II
Maine Is Of the so-called Red Pain
!, cemeteries and there have been 40
graves examined.