The Coconino sun., 1927-11-25


dous interest.
Many of these groups of ancient
dwellings, are extensive. There is
enough variety in their form to make
the attempt to trace relationship be-
tween the prehistoric inhabitants diff
] fieult and in some cases impossible
Undoubtedly most of these early
] inhabitants, who as far as existing
] tangible evidence is concerned were
. divided chiefly into two classes, those
who lived in cliff dwellings and those
dwelling in pueblos, were agricultural.
That they were not nomadic is proven
by the substantial type Of buildings,
that have to large extent resisted
the ravages of the elements through
!. the centuries down to the present,
most of those that have not been torn
to pieces by questing scientists and
souvenir hunters still being in fair
state of preservation.
However that the inhabitants did
move, likely because of war, perhaps
because of famine or pestilence, is evil
dent in some cases. For instance in
this county, there is evidence that the
inhabitants of the extensive Eden
ruins near Flagstaff migrated to the
Wupatki and surrounding pueblos
some 80 miles northeast of here, then
still farther away to villages on the
other side of the Colorado river; final
ly to the present Hopi Indian villages
scattered along the mesas from 80 to
100 or more miles northeast of Flag
staff
Perhaps they may have been the in
habitants at one time of the Cliff
Dwellings in Walnut Canyon, near
Flagstaff.
In the Casa Grande, Phoenix, Tempe
and Mesa and other points in the Gila
! and Salt River valleys there are ex-
tensive stone house ruins.
In the Verde, valley are great cliff
dwellings,, notably Montezuma's Well
and Montezuma's Castle ESQ named,
though never seen by Montezuma, nor
probably by any of his Aztec tribe).
In Grand Canyon and Oak Greek Can
yon-indeed in practically every 9TH
er canyon in the state-there were
cliff dwellers and the remains of many
of their habitations are still there.
IF all the pueblo and cliff dwellings
were occupied at one time, Arizona
probably had larger population then
] than now Probably, though, there
was in some sections slow migration
from one of the causes noted above
or some other.
From the known relics Of these an
cient peoples there is no evidence in
them to sustain the popular belief
that they enjoyed an advanced civill-
zation, akin to those of ancient Greece
and Rome, for instance. They We're
farmers and huntsmen, peaceful ap-
parently unless forced to defend
themselves. They irrigated their
lands, made pottery, lived very likely
about like their descendants do now,
except that the latter are fast adopt
ing the automobiles, sewing machines
and other modern mechanical inven-
tions of the white man.
Archeologists believe the prehistoric
Indians of whom there is existing evil
dence were closely related to the an
] cestors of the Hopis, Pimas, Zunis,
Z PapagoS and Toltecs of today.
Probably most of the migrations,
which may have been centuries apart,
were from south in a northerly direc-
ton. In their dialects may be traced
Pima, Tanoan and other tribal influ-
ences and it is thought that each of
their clans or Societies" has been
handed down from a separate tribe
The Hopi Snake clans tradition is
that it came from the north, probably
from the San Juan country in south
ern Utah. The Bear clan came from
the east. The Water House and
Squash clans claim the southern cac-
tus lands as their prehistoric home.
An interesting theory is that the
Hopi Indians of Arizona and the Jap
anese are of the same ancestry. Hopl
Indians taken to Australia last year
to appear there in the prologue to
Zane Grey's "Vanishing American"
were assured by japanese they met
that they were from common ORR
gin. The family names were in many
instances identical. The facial and
physical. characteristics are not dis
similar, and their financial shrewd-
ness is a trait they hold in common.
Even as the Japs are the Jews of the
Orient, so are the Hopis the Jews of
the southwestern Indians.
All through the state there are evil
dences of successive flows of human
tides, during indefinite spaces of time,
to be measured by centuries.
The belief that Arizona's prehistoric
J Indians were of Aztec stock probably
started with the early Spanish expe-
ditions into Arizona In 1910, Pedro
de Casteneda, with the Coronado ex-
pedition, named a ruin in northern
Arizona Chichilticalli, in Aztec mean
ing "red house"
Early priests decided there had been
great hostility between the Hopis and
Pimas and that the. latter had won,
forcing the Hopis to migrate toward
the north. Hopi pottery is still to be
found in the south part of the state.
In the Salt River valley nearly 200
miles of ancient Indian irrigation
canals have been traced. One canal
was IL miles long. Another canal sys-
tenn totaled % miles. Altogether about
100000 acres seem to have been un-
der cultivation there, supporting at
least 100000 people.
In all the ancient ruins Of the state
the cemeteries were very close to the
villages, and the dead were buried with
pottery, jewelry, food, ETC., for their
use in the journey to the spirit land.
In some of the southern cemeteries
where child was buried dead dog
was laid beside him. the supposition