Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-08-23
HRDLICKA TRACES
EARLY AMERICANS
TO ALASKAN COAST
tcontinued Prom First Page.l


the most interesting specimens OBJ
tanned. In all, he collected IS boxes
Of material, which now are on their
way TO the Smithsonian. The discov-
cry is considered as q browning achieve
ment Of DR.. Hrdlicka's many Summers
Of exploration in Alaska.
On the site finally chosen for work,
DIR. Hrdlieka reports. excavations from
the first day proved so fruitful that
they were carried on for Is days with
out interruption. Not day elapsed
without some specimen Of thus far
unique nature being discovered, and
some OF these showed remarkable art
hitherto wholly unknown from these
regions. There were many skeletal re-
mains.
THE site in which the excavations
were carried on Is on an elevated,
rocky point, projecting into a bay and
extending both back and laterally so
that 1t covers approximately two acres.
Over this the remains of subterranesn
dwellings and their accumulations of
Kitchen refuse range from approximately
4 to probably over Is feet in depth,
reaching collectively about SOC, 900 cubic
feet OF ashes, shell detritus, rllbhle and
earth, through all Of which are found
OF cultural nature with animal and hu-
man bones
Is Called Prehistoric.
According 10 all indications, this
site is one Of the Oldest yet discovered
in the Far North. Not a trace Of a
white man, wood reduced to streaks Of
formless brown rot. and the consider
able Milling IN OF the dwelling depres-
sions with subsequent burials in these
BY later natives. all point to the con-
cluSion that the site Is prehistoric.
extended fer a relatively long time
backward. The deposits are not homog-
eneous. show several strata, and may
be the result Of repeated occupation.
I was confronted with an enormous
and highly promising task, and at the
same time with a total lack of labor.
The very few whites and natives that
live on the bay were all fishing and the
cannery was short Of labor. Never
theless, as o great favor, they gave me
one OF their dock hands to help for
two weeks, and it was possible to make
four satisfactory irlciSions into the
edges OF the deposits. besides few
trenches and holes in the more central
parts Of the site. It then became i'm
possible to proceed any longer. The
muscles could not stand It. The burial
ground. which must contain many
skeletons, was not discovered. and a
vast amount Of promising material re-
mains to be worked over.
This culture presents considerable
age and individuality, yet it shows re-
lations on one hand with that Of the
Eskimo and on the ether to that Of the
northwest coast The skeletal remains
appear to resemble those OF the Eastern
Aleut, but also show, IL seems, other
interesting characteristics
Signs Of CannibaIism.
This culture shows the first trace in
the Far North of cranial reformation
OF the cradle board variety, but this
was not universal The remains show
numerous and unmistakable signs of
long continued cannibalism
DR.. HFdhcka went to Alaska this
Summer in continuation of his long
search for the trail Of man into the
continent and the FIRST part Of the
season was devoted to exploration of
the Nushagak. Molchatna. Wood and
Kwichak Rivers. penetrating into the
dreary Alaska peninsula and the coun-
try around Lake Hanna. Early in
June he covered in three weeks with
small trapper's boat 500 miles of
the Nushagak River and its tribu-
taries
This region" he said, sis very
sparseiy peopled now, the total popula-
ton reaching barely over 200, most Of
them mixed bloods. But there were
found a good number of old sites, one
OF which, at least, was Of greater extent
than anything seen on more northern
rivers. Az these villages existed, II ap-
pears. TO the Russian and some even
to the American time, the last rem
nants dying out during the Influenza
epidemic Of 1919 The natives now on
these rivers are almost all late-colners.
No part Of this region had ever been
touched by q scientific man and nre-
sented virginia. field for exploration.
The old sites yielded much precious
skeletal material, but all attempts at
archaeological excavation had to be
abandoned, due to complete lack of
labor
Peopled by Uniform Type.
Such skelesal material as was OBJ
, tanned, he says. showed that most Of
the watershed bf the river WIS peopled
By uniform type Of Eskimo popula-