Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1922-10-20
More Data About Cliff Dwellers
By Frederic J. Haskin.

Washington, Oct. 2o--The disoov-
cry OF tobacco pipes IN the ruins Of the
Colorado ollff-dwelllngs, this summer.
by DR.. j. Walter Fewke~. chief of the
Bureau of American Ethnology. adds
another bit TO the accumulation OF data
on which archeologi~ts are building
up the history Of the prehstoric peo-
pie that inhabited the area now set
aside an the Mesa Verde National
Park. 1t had not been known before
that tho cliff -dwellers knew tho solace
Of that weed which Columbus discov-
cred the West Indian eavages smok
ing three hundred years after the
cliff ff-dwellers attained the summit of
their civilization.
Each SUMMERTIME Government ex
plorers eXcavate in the ruins OF Meea
Verde cnly during the summers
adds more TO the knowledge OF these
remarkable people. 1t u possible now
20 give their civilization an approx
mate date. We know fairly veil now
how and why they rose % stand so
much higher in intelligence and IN
tribal achievement than the savage
tribes that surrounded them. We have
a good idea OF their communal life.
What brought them 70 disaster. where
they went. and whether they have
left defendants. are st!ll matters Of
] conjecture, but investigations Is going
IN in the direction that may some
/ day give a complete picture Of the
! cliff dwellers.
! Enough Is known now. however. to
! make 1t certain that theirs was much
the highest culture developed in pre-
historic times on this continent north
Of the Rio Grande. South Of what
, is now the Mexican border there were
other Indian civilizations even high
er-thcse OF the Aztecs in Mexico, the
| Mayas in Central America and the
| Incas in South America. But the
culture OF the cliff -dweners was a de-
velopment independent of these others
The cliff jewellers were probably a
| timid, unadventurous people; and
according to DR.. Fewkes, they knew
little OF the world outside radius OF
a hundred miles or so from their owr
narrow province. There was proba-
bly, no communication between then
and the AZtecs to the south.
The opening OF automobile roads ii
the Mesa Verde Park and the increase
in recent years OF automobile touring
have made the magnificent ruins o
the cliff-dwellings familiar to thous
ands of Americans. We are called {
young nation, yet IN these anc!en
structures we have antiquities which
in age rival those Of northern Europe
Thousands of Americans lloking at tn.
ruins of the Clff Palace. the Sun Tenn
pie, the Spruce Tree House. and othel
remains must have wondered wha
sort of people they We're who coul,
build structures of such dura bilit,
and imposing size while all about then
stretched a oontinent peopled Will
men of their own racial blood but wht
nevertheless had never been able I,
rise above the plane of naked sava
gerry.
Indian Corn Clyilizlng influence.
The spade of the archeologist
gradually revealing the cliff peopl
% us. Year after year the excayatini
goes on, more structures are uncov
, cred, and the museums at Washington
and elsewhere are further enriched b
implements. utensils. ornaments. an
r other artifacts taken from the site
OF these buildings. Along with thes
: discoveries come new deductions abor
the cliff-dwellers themselves.
According TO DIR. Fewkas, the nnaiz
piant--lndian corn-explains the su
perior civilization of the cliff-dweller
A small-statured, unwarlike people.
the first place they found in this III
promising region of wind-swept car
yon and tableland refuge from Il
e stronger and more warlike tribes WI
preempted the regions of plenty. II