The Bozeman courier. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1919-1954, 1926-03-19
LEARNS ABOUT INDIANS
FROM BRINK OF GRAVE


Washington. p. Harrington, eth
nolOgist OF the Smithsonian institu-
ton, whose discovery In California Of
the skull Of the ancient sO~called Santa
Barbara mar q year ago last SUM-
mer raised anew the question 81 TIE
antiquity OF man on the American con-
tinent, e continuing his explorations
IN California. he Is expected back "a
Washington ln March with new and
valuable chronological and ~areheOfOg-
ical information.
Mr.. Harrington Is one Of the fore
most experts on the languages Of the
American abOrigines. He recently
made q study Of the language OF the
white Indians brought back from
Panama By r. C. Marsh.
Mr.. Harrington has sent word to DR..
J.. Walter Fewkes, chief Of the bureau
Of American %ethnOlOgy, that he is res
cuing rare data from the brink OF the
grave through old and feeble Indian
guides who alone possess any infOrma-
ton Of the ancient village sites WIS.,
tied.
On an expedition into Lost valley
Mr.. Harrington went with Francisco
LaUs on horseback and remained sew
eral days in the mountains, discover
ing rare rancheria~ sitessGnd filing a
space hitherto blank on the a~rcheOlOg-
zeal map OF California.
Guide Very Old and Feeble.
'The Indian Francisco is very old
and feeble" writes Mr. Harrington,
land the trip was very hard on him.
All the information which he gave on
these places was rescued from the
brink Of the grave and there Is no one
else that knows even a fraction Of Il"
Mr.. Harrington visited q place
where the Indians formerly captured
eagles by letting a man down the face
Of a cliff By means Of a rabbit net
woven Of the red mllkWeed fiber.
Another OF Mr.. H~arringtOR's guides
is Angel Cullpe, one hundred and B0uT
years old, who accompanied him on
a trip down the Canada de las Twas
MANY OF the archaeological sites We
visited" writes Mr.. Harrington, "appar-
entity had not been touched since In
dian times and we found without din
Guilty the old hut circles On the sur.
face Of the ground, either marked By
rings Of rocks which were formed By
the Indians clearing the surface 6OI
the circular hut o. by rings Of raised
earth which mark the former walls.
Ancient Village is Found.
"The largest village we discovered
was that known to the Mission In
dians as Milyahu. This differed from
the other sites in being located N
detached rocky hill, which has the az
pearance Of a great towering citadC
when seen from the arroyo. The littl
Indian wigwams, varying in diamete
from fourteen to twenty feet, nest
all over the summit Of this hill an
the circles are as fresh as IL the plaC
had been abandoned yesterday
On a hill on the Santa Maria ranC
near Ramona Mr.. Harrington disco
cred an ancient Indian fOrtihcatiC
wall, which is evidently In much Il
same condition as when It was aba.
dOned. It Is made OF rocks piled
the form Of a parapet I'VE feet or mo.
in height. The wall forms a corr
around the top Of the hill. COmman
ing a fine view Of the valley, It vi
used, according to tradition, as an OF
look.
In Palm canyon he reaped a ri'
harvest in hitherto ~unrecOrded pla.
names and archaeological sites. On tn
trip Juanito RazOn, more than o.
hundred years old, was his guild
They went across the sand wash
and rocky arrOyOs in an automobile
a hard trip. They visited ancient "
ter holes. painted rocks, caves, sacr
stones and magical springs.