Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1958-01-23
Beduty at Your Back Door
Here S How to Find
Indian Burial Ground
BY Roy Lee Yinger

In the last four or five years many persons
have asked me hundreds of questions about the
American Indian: what tribes lived in Maryland,
what were the names of these tribes, how many
were there in tribe, where were these tribes
located, and so forth These are all good ques
TONS and easily answered. The most frequently
asked question has been: how do you go about
finding the exact spot where these Indians are
buried?
There was time not too long ago. when l,
too puzzled over this question And, will admit,
it took a lot of prying, adroit questioning and
whole lot of Imagination and thought before l
ever arrived at the right answer.
There are several reasons why it is difficult
to learn how to go about discovering the burial
grounds of the Indian. do not know of any
books or pamphlets on the subject. do know,
however, that the student archaeologist = the
person striving for his degree in archaeology, has
any number of textbooks on the subject sub
ject which is not to be discussed with the mex
perenced, amateur archaeologist.
Why is this? The answer should be fairly
obvious. The neophyte archaeologist, when he is
lucky enough to find an Indian grave, pounces on
it with much the same elation as If he had dis
covered gold mine. If his shovel lays bare, say
the femur bone, he digs feverishly around 1t I'M
til it can be wrested from the earth, and then with
the same large shovel he spades around trying
to find the tibia Not knowing because no one
has told him) just exactly where the tiba should
be- half the time this bone is cut in half or NUT
Hated until 1t is almost worthless for scientific
study. The same haphazard digging goes on I'M
til all of the bones gotten out. This is almost
pure vandalism nothing at all has been ac-
complished the poor Indian should not have
been bothered at all.
At one Indian burial grounds Il have been
nj ut h,lnd
been disinterred in this manner. Not only were
the bones taken out with abandon but worse,
no effort was made to keep separate the individual
skeletons. Today all repose in a tumble in
large shed.
For this reason, of late, l have been hesitant
to try to tell anyone just how to find burial
ground do not mind telling my friends where
the Indian had a camp site" because they would
never find an Indian burial at this spot. The
Maryland Indian buried in the ground, usually
in the earth floor of his tepee, in his permanent
village only for here the body was safe from
rowing beasts of prey; here no stones were needed
atop the grave to protect 1t.
Personally, l do not object to anyone going
out and trying to find an Indian burial ground.
1 think it is exciting and interesting. And, for
the first time in limited space article, shall
violate cardinal principle: shall tell you where
you are most likely to find the exact spot where
the Indian is buried. BUT, would counsel you
first - If you find a grave treat it with more
than average care and concern in that what you
might find therein could be of incalculabe value
from scientific standpoint; second, all topsoil
for at least 16 square feet should be carefully
moved until the burial is reached; at this point
the shovel is to be discarded and small trowels,
ice picks and whisk brooms are to be used in
stead; third using extreme caution so as not to
disturb the bones or to lose any valuable artfacts
which were possessions of the Indians, the entire
skeleton is laid bare. When this is DONE pic
ture Is taken of the skeleton remains. Field notes
are next in order - measurements of the body,
position of the body Is it flexed (bundle) burial
or is 1t laid out straight - in which direction does
1t face? Then, and not until then should the
bones be carefully, even gingerly, removed. Each
grave exhumation should be bundled separately
and given number which is quite necessary if
future study of the bones is contemplated.
If ysu are sincerely interested in finding an
Indian burial ground, here is what you have to
do:
Locate, first of all a permanent Indian viii
lage. You won't find too many of them. You
will know that you have found a permanent vii
lage by one thing and one alone - you will find
lots and lots of fragmentary pottery which has
been turned up by the pillow of the farmer. I'm
less you find almost an enormous amount of
this fictile material on the surface you won't
even be near an Indian village. For the Indian
had to have pots to cook In. And he didn't set
that clay pot, however strong it might have been
with the impregnation of crushed oyster and mus
sci shells or fine grit atop camp fire. He first
filled the pot with water and he got the water
hot by dropping info II small heated stones Nat