The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1934-07-26
GOLDEN RELICS
OF OLD PEOPLE
Find in Panama Has Stirred
Archeologists.

Four or five years ago several poor
and ignorant natives were polling
their way In a canoe up the Rio
Grande de Cocle, a large river in
western Panama about 90 miles
south of the Panama canal The dry
season had lowered the river. AS
the small craft made its way up
stream, the keen eyes of one of the
natives noted something glittering In
the bank.
In a few minutes greedy hands
were tearing at the soil, for they had
found pieces of gold. The fact that
the gold articles were objects Of art
beaten into curious and beautiful
shapes by hands long dead, did not
interest the natives. But 1t did in
terest scientists. When word Of the
find came to the Peabody museum
of Harvard university, party Of
Psychologists went down to investi.
gate. The scientists worked In Sc
cret for three years, and have now
returned with a store of gold OBJ
jects worth a kings ransom. In the
opinion of DR.. S. K. Lothrop, leader
Of the expedition, they represent the
art of a civilization in Panama that
has hitherto been unknown to sci
ence.
The chance which brought scien-
lists to the spot was due to shift
In the bed of the Rio de Cocle. In
changing it's course the stream cut
through an ancient burying place.
The gold ornaments which excited
the interest Of the natives were part
Of the funeral dress of some long
forgotten chieftain, buried not only
with his richest possessions Of metal
and pottery, but surrounded also by
his wives, retainers, servants and
slaves.
The abundance of similar finds
made by the Peabody museum party
in its three-year sojourn in Panama
was almost without precedent. De-
scribing the results of the expedition
recently in the New York Times
Magazine, Doctor Lothrop reported
that from one grave alone, measur-
ing no more than II by IA feet, more
than 1000 objects were removed.
The grave contained score of
bodies, laid out in rows upon massive
stone slabs. Piled over and around
the bones were 90 different objects
Of gold, including four heavy pend
ants, set with semi-precious stones,
six gold necklaces containing thou
sands of beads. four large and heav-
lily embossed golden discs, twenty.
p eight discs about 3 inches wide which
had once been sewn on q shirt, four
pairs of gold cuffs and twenty-four
rods of gold with decorated tips, for
insertion in the ears.
There were 225 pottery vessels,
both for domestic service and for re-
ligious offerings. There were %
stone axes and chisels, five gold CHS
els, q stone knives, 100 stone arrow
points, nine mirrors of hematite set
In limestone discs, pendants and
beads of agate, statuettes carved
from the ribs of the manatee or sea
q cow, some of them overlaid with
gold; wild boars' tusks set In gold,
sting-ray spines and saw-fish teeth
used as spear points, sharks tooth
necklaces, crystals. gilded copper or
naments and many other objects.
"Such a list gives but pale pic
ture of the reality" said Doctor
Lothrop. "Gold does not tarnish In
the earth and 1t appeared cleaning
in the sun as our knives and brushes
removed the accumulated layers of
dirt. Intricate designs beaten in high
relief met the eye; huge breastplates