Evening star., 1935-09-29
Florida's Past Revealed
Idol, Long Buried; May Challenge Theory
of Sun Worship.
Ry MARY LOUISE MARKLEY,

Assistant FLORIDA Stete ArcneoiosiSt'
~ NE of the most interesting
finds that has been unearthed
during the past 20 or 80
~ years in North American
archaeology was discovered only last
month at Wacissa, in jefferson County,
Fla, in an old burial mound OF the
ancient Apalache Indians. FL
The Florida Archaeological Survey Is
new State department, created by
the last legislature, and the State
Archeologist started a survey OF the
village sites of the State last July.
The first project was near Wacissa and
the party was composed OF 20 Florida
college and university students under
the Emergency Relief Administration
Summer student employment program.
The sites were near the line OF travel
used by De Soto in 1889, and 1t was
hored that something could be learned
of this intrepid adventurer that had
not been found in his diary.
While little of value was unearthed
that would prove de Soto had been
through this area, a small figure in
stone was brought to light in what Is
known as the Cnkrich mound, which
it is thought, may overturn many ex-
isting theories relative to the re-
ligious beliefs of the Florida aboridine.
Examined by Stirling.
M. w. Stirling, chief of the Bureau
of American ethnology of the Smith
sonian Institution, when shown the
figure, said after an intensive study:
1T is possible that the figurine
could have been used as an idol; 1t has
been worn smooth with handling.
Possibly it was carried by the medicine
man in buckskin bag"
A cast of the idol is being made for
exhibition at the National Museum.
1T has been thought that all the
Florida aborigines were sunworshipers
but there is a possibility that they
may have had some other god" DR..
Stirling said. Again there is the
thought that the figure might repre-
sent the sun. But if this is not the
case and we do not have to alter
our views of the early Indian religion,
you still have in the little stone figure
just about the only specimen of any
kind or description that tends to show
what the aborigine looked like at that
time"
I searched through the National
Museum of the Smithsonian here, and
could find nothing similar to it. The
little Florida idol, as shown in the
accompanying photographs. reveals
true character. 1t is a work of art
and the fact that the native artist
had only the crudest of flint tools with
which to express himself makes it even
more remarkable.
Trace of Mexican Culture.
Henry B. Collins, jr., assistant cura-
tor, division of ethnology, of the
Smithsonian Institution, after EXAM
lining the statue, saw its possible orr
gin as Mexico or possibly Central
America"
There is a trace of the Mexican
culture, or at least influence in the
WaciSsa flgurine, and 1t would be in
teresting, indeed, to know Just how
much influence the AZtecs, Toltecs
or even the Mayans of Yucatan might
have had on the Florida. culture. Ver-
non Lamme, the Florida State arch
eologist, does not believe, along with
most ethnologists, that all aboriginal
culture in North America came from
Asia across the Bering Sea. Laniane
tends toward the belief that there is
an early American culture which crept
slowly up from the Antilles and from
as far to the South as Panama and
South, America. This find at Wacissa
seems to substantiate this view. !