Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1932-01-18
CLUE TO COLUMBUS
!. LANDING SOUGHT.
Smithsonian Expert Will
Start for Bahamas to
Make Study.
VINO welcomed Columbus to the New

2 VINO welcomed Columbus to the New
World?
Just where did he first step foot on
the soil of America?
Herbert w. Krieger, curator Of eth
nology of the Smithsonian Institution
and expert on West Indian archeology,
Is leaving this week on an expedition
to the seldom visited San Salvador and
Cat islands in the Bahamas in an eff
fort to answer the first of these ques-
tons. incidentally, he hopes for some
archaeological clue-although the hope
is slim-which will locate the actual
landing place Of the great navigator.
Columbus was given friendly
greeting by the Indians, following their
first shock. He took several Of them
with him as interpreters when he
sailed away and. lured by their stories
of gold to the southwark, Skirted the
northern coast of Cuba westward I'M
til his new friends no longer under
stood the language Of the people. The
implication, Krieger says, is that these
people were Arawaks or members Of the
general Arawak stock. The Cuban
coast people, whose tongue they evil
IDENTITY understood, are known to have
been Arawaks On the other hand,
according to Krieger, it is entirely pos
sible that they were an unrelated peo-
ple. possibly closely connected with the
Florida Indians and that Arawak was
a sort of trading language understood
all over this part of the West Indies.
Island ThickIy Populated.
The island where Columbus landed
apparently was quite thickly populated.
1t is possible that some remains OF the
culture. by which the people can be
identified, still can be located. There
Is some uncertainty as to which island
was the actual scene Of Columbus
landing. The present island of San
Salvador Watling Island on English
n1aps-appears to have the best claim
TO this honor, but the landing may
have taken place on the larger Cat Is
land, a few miles to the northwest.
This was called San Salvador on old
maps. In order to have landed there
Columbus must have sailed within sight
of Waiting Island. Krieger will visit
both places.
Because Columbus remained only
short time at his first landing place
1t is improbable that anything can be
found which will make it possible to
settle the question. Last Winter the
Smithsonian archeologist was able to
identify partially the place on the
Northern coast Of Haiti where one
of the discoverers ships was wrecked.
Published descriptions of the In
dams who met Columbus Krieger says,
afford little clue to their identity. They
were described as having fine high
foreheads" and as entirely naked, with
painted bodies" The foreheadS would
have been the result of cranial defor-
nation widely practiced in the West
Indies. Although the Arawaks pos
sessed looms, nakedneSs was the ordi-
nary condition and painting Of the
bodies was common.
Linking Up Patterns.
Krieger is engaged In linking up,
wherever possible, the West Indian cul-
ture pattern with those of North and
South America. One of his most ex-
tensive studies, that Of primitive West
Indian pottery designs, has just been
completed. One of his notable findings,
Just announced by the Smithsonian, is
of primitive engineering comparable to
that of the Mississippi Mound Builders,
in the mountainous interior of Santo
Domingo. Superficial examination of
these mounds, Kreiger says, might lead
TO the conclusion that here was an out
post of the mound builders. But while
the North American indians reared
their structures as memorials to the
dead the West Indian Arawaks ap-
parently were concerned only with the
pleasures OF the living. The mounds
contain no human burialS and the only
arttfacts found are parts Of tools dis
carded by workmen.
The mounds are found in the form of
parallel entertainments, from to 10 feet
high and about 20 feet wide at the base
They are remarkably uniform, averag-
ing slightly less than 800 feet in length
With their use as cemeteries excluded,
Krieger says, the most probable expla-
nation is that they constituted the
boundaries of stadiums and ampithe-
aters for native ceremonies and athletic
contests. AS they always are parallel,
the sports must have taken place in
the cleared space between them. This
Is normally about $50 feet wide, or about
half the length OF the mounds them
selves.
Another curious structure observed
by Krieger was a circle of upright
stones, 300 feet In diameter, surround
ing a fat space. There are two en-
frances at opposite sides of the circle.
AT the exact center stands plain stone
pillar. The impression Immediately is
gained, Krieger says, of some prehis-
toric race track, modern even to the
placing of a stand for the judges.
The Arawak Indians responsible for
these stadiums, Krieger points out, were
an advanced agricultural people, but he
found evidence that they were pre-
ceded by a race of primitive, non