Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-01-18
SITE OF CULTURED
INDIANS LOCATED
Grand Village of the Natchez
Believed Found Through
Bits of Pottery.
BY THOMAS R. HENRY.


Scattered by the plows of its con-
querors for nearly 200 years, only pot
terry fragments and arrowheads are left
to mark the site of one of the highest
cultures of the New World before the
coming of the white men.
Henry B. Collins, jr., ethnologist of
the Smithsonian Institution, has just
returned from Western Mississippi,
where, following trail of broken bits
of pots, he located what was probably
the site of the Grand Village" of the
Natchez Indians. This was on st.
Catharines Greek, tributary of the
Mississippi, near the present city of
NatcheZ. 1t was intimately associated
with one of the bloodiest episodes in
American history.
The important result of this work,
Collins says, is the identification of
definite type of Natchez pottery, by
which it may be possible to locate other
sites of this strange people, practically
exterminated since 1880, whose social
and religious system excited the wonder
of the French explorers and who had
attained a degree of civilization little
below that of the Pueblo Indians of the
Southwest. But they lived in wooden
houses, which would not stand the
ravages of centuries. Collins and his
associates were able to connect the pot
terry fragments with historical records
by means of gun flints and pieces of
early ironwork found on the site.
Told Indians to Move.
Like a New World siege of Troy
were the events, as described by the
ethnologist, which led to the deStruc-
ton of this aboriginal capital in 1929.
The French had established a large
settlement on the present site of
Natchez. After two minor outbreaks
they finally had come to fairly peace
able relations with their neighborS.
Then the command of the French gar
rison was taken over by an exceptional
ly stupid commander, a martinez sent
from Europe, who was continually in
trouble with his own officers.
This man Chopart, it is related,
wanted a plantation of his own, but
found most of the good land near the
settlement already cultivated by others.
The one exception was the site of the
"Grand Village" and the Sacred Temple
of the Sum-" whose darkned interior
could not even be profaned by any one
not a direct descendant of the sun
itself, according to the Indian tradi-
ton. So Chopart bluntly told the In
dams to move.
While the order astounded and dis
mayed the Indians, they pretended to
comply, for they were no match for
the trained musket-armed soldiers of
the French. Some time later under
various pretexts the Indians assembled
at the fort and suddenly without warn
ing maSsacred the entire male popula-
ton of approximately $50 and took the
women and children as hostages. APP
parently they treated them well.
But this was the signal for the ex-
termination of the NatcheZ. Pursued
by the vengeful French, they were
driven into the swamps, the women
Yecaptured and the red men slain in
great numbers. Some escaped into
Louisiana, where other encounters with
the French took place, while others
Joined with the Chickasaws, Cherokees
and Greeks and disappeared from his
tory.
Had Human Sacrifices.
The special interest in finding out all
that is possible concerning the NatcheZ.
Collins SAYS, lies in the highly compli-
Gated social system described by French
priests and explorers. With highly
developed culture they were among the
most bloodthirsty of all Indians. HUI
man sacrifices were common.
They had a rigid caste system.
Highest in rank were the Suns" the
hereditary ruling families, believed by
the Indians to be direct descendants
of the sun, which they worshiped.
Next In order after the Suns came the
Mobiles, "the honored people" and the
"Stinkards," or slaves and commoners.
But it was always possible even for
Stinkard to advance at least one degree
in caste by sacrificing one of his chill
dren or by having a relative volunteer
for sacrifice at the funeral of a Sun"
Thus some spiritual relationship was
established between the poor man and
the departed chieftain.
Collins was unable to find any rem
nant of the "sun temple"-the place
of the eternal fire and of the sacred
pearls-which excited the wonder OF
the French missionaries.
The recovery of further information
concerning the NatcheZ, other than
that preserved by the French, will be