Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1941-04-12

Of seven smaller stone structures, all
Of which come in contact with the
perimeter except the most southerly
one which stands several feet away,
although it is met by an extension Of
one of the spokeS beyond the rim OF
the wheel Each of these smaller stone
structures is circular at the base with
the exception of the easternmost,
which is SquariSh, and unlike the 9TH
ers. has a covering of stone slabs and
an opening on the outer side through
which entrance may be gained by
crawling"
Medicine Wheel Mystery
What was this medicine wheel?
What primitive race built ton a
lonely mountain top?
Three phases Of human history, be-
fore the knowledge and use Of metals,
are often Observation-Disclosures, there IS
the so-called Eolithic age dawn Of
stone implements), then the Palace
lithic age (old stone implements), and
finally an age in which the implements
are frequently well finished and pol
lshed (Neolithic age).
At some period there seems to have
been a special type of Neolithic cul- |
ture widely distributed in the world
which had a group Of features so |
curious and so unlikely to have been |
Independently developed in different |
regions Of the earth, as to compel us
to believe that it was in effect one
culture. 1t reached through all regions |
inhabited by the brunei Mediterranean |
race, and beyond through India-up /
the Pacific coast of China, and 1t f
spread at last across the Pacific and
10 Mexico and Peru. 1t was a coastal
culture not reaching deeply inland.
This peculiar development Of the
Neolithic culture was called Neolithic
(sun stone culture because Of the sun
worship and the megalthS. stone
structures) and included many odd
practices of which megalithic move
nentS, artificial reformation OF the
heads of the young by bandages TATTOO
ng and the use of the symbol known as
he sWastika for good luck, will serve as
examples This odd little symbol (the
wastika) spins gaily around the world;
t seems incredible that men would
nave invented and made a pet of 1t
vice over
Travelled by Canoes
For thousands of years from $4,000
o 1000 B. c. such a Heliolithic-
Ieolithic culture and its brownish pos
eSSors may have been oozing around
he world through the warmer regions
irifting by canoes often across wide
tretches of sea. 1t was the highest
ulture in the world 1t migrated Slow
Y age by age. 1t must have been
preading up the Pacific coast and
lcross the island stepping stones to
America, long after it had passed on
nto other developments in the areas
# its origin.
It will be of interest here to give
brief account of the life of the
European Neolithic people probably
n = or1fo faafcrc 4I1n
appearance of metals. We get our light
lpon that life from various sources. ]
hey scattered their refuse about, and {
n some places (e. g. on the Danish
oaSt) it accumulated in great heaps, !
-nown as the kitchen-middens
These early kitchen-midden people
we're among the most barbaric of Neo-
ithic peoples and had no domesticated :
lnimal except the dog. They dressed I
hiefly in skins. There is reason to [
believe that they set great store by I
heir hair, wearing 1t in large shocks
With pins of bone Their chief tool
md weapon was the ak; next the bow
md arrow The arrowheads were Of !
lint, beautifully made, and were lashed
lightly to the shaft. They killed and !
tie red deer and roe deer, bison and
yild boar. Oddly enough they do not
eem to have eaten the hare, although
was available as food. They are sup
,osed to have avoided eating it, as ,,
ONE savages are said to avoid eating
to this day, because they feared that ,,
he flesh of so timid a creature might
make them, by sort of infection,
owardly.
IuriaI of Dead
These people have also left us other
about their lives, in graves.
hey buried their dead, often with or
aments, weapons and food; they used
lot of colors in the burial and evil
entity painted the body. From that one
lay infer that they painted their
odies during life. Paint was a big ,
actor in their lives. They were invet- :
rate painters; they used black, brown, !
ed, yellow and white pigments. OF all 7
lodern races none have shown so pic
1rial a disposition, the nearest ap-
roach to 1t has been among. the
merican Indians.
RnCRECC MANI