The circle banner. [volume] (Circle, Mont.) 1914-1939, 1922-11-17

years to an antiquity which cannot
| be dated by the fossil remains.
The great aim of the institution
| founded by Mr.. Heye is to trace the
ancestry of the American Indian. No
progress has been made in this dir
ection so far, Mr.. Heye said last
week. One theory is that the Indian
developed from a sub-human species
on this continent, and the other is
that many thousands of years ago,
in a Stone Age state of culture, he
entered this country from Asia over
the AIeutian Islands, which may then
have been connected to form an 18TH
mus.
.'It seems very certain" Mr.. Heye
said, chat these races belonged to
the normal American stock, but hav-
ing settled in places where the food
problem was easily solved, they had
time to develop intellectually to a
high level.
''There is no indication of any re-
lationship between their culture and
that of Europe and Asia. Their art,
and their type of housing have de-
veloped distinctively. Among all
races in the most primitive state you
will find the ability to make fire by
rubbing two sticks, the use of stone
implements, and generally of the bow
and arrow and spear. You might ex-
pect a tribe with human intelligence
to discover these things independent
ly wherever they were placed. But
outside of these most primitive in
ventions, there is nothing in COM
mon between the original American
stock and the races of Europe and
Asia"
Certain sculptured figures found
among the Maya remains in Guate-
mala and elsewhere have almond
eyed features and placidity of ex-
preston which have suggested the
portraits of Buddha, giving rise to
the theory that Buddhist missionar-
les arrived here LOO or 1900 years
ago and influenced the trend of Maya
art. On this Mr.. Heye said:
Swastika an Ancient Symbol
cit has been suggested that there
was a Japanese element here, carry
ing over an Oriental culture to Cen
trail America, but I think it is more
likely that the resemblance of these
to Buddha or Japanese
figures is accidental. The Maya art
lists probably were attempting to de-
pict people as they saw them, with
out any influence found abroad.
Another argument which has been
put forward in favor of a relation
ship between the American Indians
and Asiatic and European races is
the finding in many parts of the
world of the Swastika or good luck
sign, cross with the arms bent at
right angles. This has been found
cut in stone by late Stone Age men
in Sweden The symbol has been dug
up among the ruins of Troy, and re-
ported in India and Africa, as we'll as
in many parts of the American con-
tinent
cit is probably, however, a decora-
tive design, which peoples in many
parts of the world would hit on in
dependently," said Mr.. Heye. 1T
does not constitute a proof of iden-
tity of culture. 1t is simple enough
to have been originated independent
ly in many parts of the world"
Regarding the theory of the Asia
tic expedition of the American Mu
scum of Natural History, that the
human race and most of the prevail
ing types of animal life were devel-
oped on the Cob Desert, west of
China, and north of India, Mr.. Heye
said:
"That is one of the greatest ex-
petitions ever sent out of any coun-
try, and will produce results of the
utmost value. The study of American
Indians on the western hemisphere
has produced no real evidence which
either supports or contradicts the
theory that the human race develop