Chapter IV: Part 4

_Mat Pressers._ Mat pressers, or objects that are considered to be such, made of stone are commonly found in the area immediately to the south. No objects recognized as such were found by us in the Thompson River region, and from the coast of British Columbia and Washington there is only one. It is made of stone[210] and was found at Cadboro Bay near Victoria. Specimens made of wood are very common among the present natives of the same coast. A ground soapstone object from the Nez Perce region is considered by Spinden an arrow-shaft polisher,[211] but seems to me more likely to be a mat presser of the type found in the region immediately south of the Yakima area.

[210] Smith (b), Fig. 146.

[211] Spinden, Plate VII, Fig. 34.

The object shown in Fig. 59 which may be an unfinished pipe, is of the form of a flattened cylinder, made of steatite and was found at Prosser in the southern part of the area here considered. The surface is marked with incised figures, part of which are illustrated in Fig. 59b and described on p. 124. The groove on one side suggests that it may have been used as a mat presser such as are used to string cat-tails and tule stalks. The cylindrical bore in the top is 25 mm. deep by 10 mm. in diameter and its top is funnel-shaped. The original is in the collection of Mr. Spalding.[212]

[212] Museum negative no. 44504, 6-5.

PROCESSES OF MANUFACTURE.

The processes of manufacture employed in this area as indicated by the archaeological objects found include fracturing by chipping and flaking, pecking or bruising, grinding, polishing, cutting by grooving and breaking, incising, whittling and gouging, and drilling. The materials worked by each of these processes may be seen among the specimens here figured and described. Spinden states[213] that in the Nez Perce area chipped implements were made by the men and that the pecked artifacts were made by the women.

[213] Spinden, p. 185.

LIFE HISTORIES OF MANUFACTURED OBJECTS.

The story of the manufacture of the objects found from the securing of the raw material to their finished and to their worn out and broken condition is not shown completely in the case of more than one class of objects, viz., chipped implements, but in a number of cases the signs of manufacture have not been entirely obliterated and some specimens are figured and described which are undoubtedly in process of manufacture. Plate III, Fig. 1 shows a quarry from which material for the manufacture of chipped implements was obtained. A description of this has been given on p. 16. Here could be seen the hammers, one of which is illustrated in Fig. 40, that were used in breaking up the raw material, and the material in various stages of chipping and flaking together with the waste products. In Plates I and II may be seen the more or less completed chipped implements. If points of antler were used as flakers, they were either not found or recognized by us. According to Mr. Cotton, there are numerous chips within the "fort" mentioned on p. 82. One other example of a series illustrating the life history of an object may be mentioned, namely, that of the pestles. Many oblong pebbles suitable for pestles without being changed from their natural form were seen in both the Yakima and the Columbia Valleys. Other pebbles required but slight shaping to bring them to the required form. Fig. 22 illustrates such a pebble which is in process of shaping by pecking or bruising and Fig. 43 shows a suitable tool for executing the work. After being fully shaped by this process such pestles were polished but the materials used for this purpose, whether sandstones and similar abrasives, the horse tail rush or the bare hand, are not known.

WAR.

_Implements used in Warfare._ The objects considered under hunting on p. 23 _et seq._, such as chipped points for spears, arrows and knives may have served in warfare; so also may bows, mentioned on p. 29. Others that were considered as tools, on p. 57 _et seq._, such as the celt and hand-adze, may have been used as weapons in war times; but there are some objects that were probably useful only in warfare. Prominent among these are the club-heads and clubs, made of stone, shown in Figs. 60-68. No clubs made of copper, antler or whale's bone have been seen by us that are certainly from this region although it will be remembered[214] that such were found in the Thompson River region, lying to the north, that the latter are common on the coast of British Columbia and Washington[215] to the west of this area and that one of whale's bone labeled from the upper Columbia River has been figured in my report on the archaeology of Puget Sound.[216]

[214] Smith (d), Figs. 81 and 82; (c), Fig. 359.

[215] Smith, (b), Figs. 165-171.

[216] Smith (b), Fig. 166d.

_Grooved Pebbles, Club-heads, or Sinkers._ The grooved spheroid pebble, shown in Fig. 60, was found on the Yakima Reservation near Union Gap and is in the collection of Mr. Janeck. There are two encircling grooves which cross each other at nearly right angles. These have been made by pecking. At one intersection of the grooves, the object shows signs of battering such as may have resulted from pounding with it, or such as may have been made to form a pit for the reception of a handle end. It is probably a club-head, net sinker or gaming stone[217] similar to those used in the Thompson River region.[218] In the Nez Perce region[219] to the east unworked river boulders sewed in skin, were used for the heads of war clubs which were sometimes also used in killing game. This kind of club is the same used by the eastern Indians, according to Lewis[220] and was probably introduced. The spheroid specimen made of hard lava, possibly trap, shown in Fig. 61, was found on the Yakima Reservation near Union Gap, and is also in the collection of Mr. Janeck. There are three grooves, marking great circles at right angles to each other. These have been made by pecking. At each pole or the intersection of two of these grooves, at the top and bottom in the illustration, and in each area marked out by the grooves is a pit making a total of ten. In the equatorial grooves are the remains of two parallel strings, each twisted to the right or contra-screw-wise, made up of two strings twisted to the left and remains of a fabric of loose mesh overlying the strings. It measures 70 mm. by 63 mm. by 57 mm.[221] A club-head made of stone with a handle covered with rawhide and horsehair, was seen by us in the collection of Mr. Janeck. The head is grooved, circular in cross section, and has conoid ends. It consequently resembles the stone clubs of the eastern Plains. The objects shown in Figs. 14-16 and considered as sinkers, may have been fastened to handles and used as heads for war clubs or as 'canoe smashers' in warfare.

[217] Smith (d), Fig. 39; (c), p. 440; Teit (a), p. 279.

[218] Museum negative no. 44455, 2-4.

[219] Spinden, pp. 188 and 227, also Fig. 5^5.

[220] Lewis, p. 189.

[221] Museum negative no. 44455, 2-4.

_Stone Clubs._ The club[222] shown in Fig. 62, is made of serpentine. The handle is oval but approaches a lenticular form in cross section. There are eighteen notches across one edge of the knob and eight on the other. The blade is of the characteristic form with lenticular cross section but thicker than the thin type of stone clubs of this form such as are found near the coast.[223] The tip is rather blunt. The reverse is the same as the obverse. It is from Methow River, Okanogan County and here illustrated from a sketch by Mr. Charles C. Willoughby of the original in the Peabody Museum, Harvard University.

[222] First mentioned on p. 414 and Fig. 174a, Smith (b).

[223] Smith (b), Fig. 172a, b.

The club shown in Fig. 63 was found in the Yakima Valley on the west side of the river between Wenas Station and Upper Gap above North Yakima. It is made of serpentine of a mottled yellow, brown and green color. It is 26 mm. long, and of the form of a rather thick, elongated apple seed, with the upper and lower ends cut off. The top is of the form of a symmetrical celt with a dull edge and is bevelled about equally from each side. The handle, which is 22 mm. thick, is the thickest part of the object, rather oval in section and merges into the blade, which is paddle-shaped, lenticular in cross section and terminates in a celt-like end which is dull and bevelled about equally from each side.[224] It is catalogue No. 44 in the collection of Mr. Janeck.[225] A club of this general type has been found as far east as Sand Point, Idaho, the most eastern occurrence, as was mentioned on p. 413 of my "Archaeology of the Gulf of Georgia and Puget Sound," where all the clubs of this type from Northwestern America are discussed. On the west, they seem to range from the Klamath Valley to the head of Puget Sound.

[224] Smith (b), p. 417.

[225] Museum negatives nos. 44453, 2-2, and 44500, 6-1.

The club, shown in Fig. 64[226] is made of stone and has a blade rather lenticular in cross section, but bulging somewhat so that it reminds us of the clubs of the lozenge-shaped cross section.[227] It is 265 mm. long, by 25 mm. thick. The handle is somewhat lenticular, but tends to be hexagonal in section, with rounded corners and meets the blade abruptly. There is a saddle-shaped knob at the top with an incised geometric design in the hollow. The upper part of the right edge of this knob is flat with two incisions across it, while the lower part is rounded. A stone club with similar handle is known from Puget Sound.[228] The specimen is catalogue No. 40 in the collection of Mr. Janeck, and was secured by him from the York collection. It was originally collected from an Indian woman on the Yakima Reservation.[229]

[226] First shown in Smith (b), Fig. 177a.

[227] Smith (b), p. 415.

[228] Smith (b), Fig. 177b.

[229] Museum negatives, nos. 44453, 2-2 and 44500, 6-1.

The club shown in Fig. 65 is made of diabase or allied material and is 338 mm. in length. It is bilaterally symmetrical and the reverse and obverse are alike. The handle is oval in cross section and terminates in a knob from which it is separated by a slight groove. In the top of the knob is a depression as if there had been a hole pecked through the form, tapering from each side, as in the clubs or slave-killers having lozenge-shaped cross section from the coast there[230] the top broken off and the broken edges rounded, as in the club with lozenge-shaped cross section from Copalis on the coast of Washington.[231] But such is not the case; the notch resembles that of the club shown in Fig. 64, slightly the one shown in Fig. 62, both from this region, and one from Burton on Puget Sound.[232] The blade is paddle-shaped like the large end of an apple seed, lenticular in cross section, with a mid-rib on each side which runs out about 10 mm. from the end of the club.[233] It was found on the surface at Union Gap, below Old Yakima, and is in the collection of Mr. Janeck.[234]

[230] Smith (b), Figs. 175 and 176.

[231] _Ibid._, Fig. 175e.

[232] _Ibid._, Fig. 177b.

[233] First mentioned, Smith, (b), p. 416 and Fig. 177c.

[234] Museum negatives, nos. 44453, 2-2, and 44501, 6-2.

The stone club, shown in Fig. 66, was found on the surface at Union Gap, below Old Yakima. It is of a purplish gray lava-like material. The handle is oval in cross section with a knob at the end which is somewhat flattened on each side and slopes towards the rounded top like a blunt symmetrical celt. The blade has convex side edges which are nearly flat and about 18 mm. wide. It is thicker in the middle than at the edges and bears a mid-rib of the shape of a railroad embankment with rounded angles, from the handle to the end. On each side of this mid-rib, the surface is nearly flat. The end of the blade is nearly flat. The specimen is in the collection of Mr. Janeck.[235]

[235] Museum negatives nos. 44453, 2-2, and 44501, 6-2. First
mentioned on p. 416 and figured in Smith, (b), Fig. 177d.

It will be noted that the thin stone clubs found here have no mid-rib. Clubs made of stone, whale's bone or wood with such mid-ribs are unknown from the coast but are found with median decoration in place of a mid-rib,[236] those of whale's bone being common and a thin club made of copper with a median decoration was found at Spuzzum in the interior of Southern British Columbia.[237]

[236] Smith (b), Figs. 173a, b; 169a; 165a, c-g; 166a, b, d-g;
167a-d; 168a, c, d; 169f and 170a.

[237] _Ibid._, Fig. 172d.

_'Slave-killers.'_ A 'slave-killer' or club, made of friable stone shown in Fig. 67, was found on the surface of Union Gap, below Old Yakima. It is in the collection of Mr. Janeck. The object has a blade which sets out from the handle and resembles in shape the typical 'slave-killer' in that it is lozenge-shaped in cross section with bulging sides and rounded angles. The handle is oval or nearly circular in cross section, and slightly larger at the top where there is no knob or perforation as in the typical club of this type.[238] The object is 377 mm. long, 63 mm. wide, and 41 mm. thick.[239] The club or 'slave-killer' made of stone, shown in Fig. 68, was found at Lake Chelan, and is 280 mm. long. It is owned by Mr. C. G. Ridout of Chelan, Chelan County. The handle terminates in a knob, which resembles the form of an animal head. This knob is somewhat heart-shaped, the two lobes possibly representing ears, and the lower tip projects beyond the handle of the object. One side, the larger surface, stands at about 45 degrees to the axis of the club and is bisected by a deep incision, on each side of which are two circles, which probably represent eyes. On either edge of this knob are thirteen incisions. The handle which is nearly circular in cross section, bears four vertical rows of horizontally arranged incisions and expands suddenly edgewise to form the blade which, however, on its upper and lower surfaces is practically continuous with the handle. The blade is nearly circular in cross section and tapers gradually to a rather blunt point. The object is probably a ceremonial implement.

[238] _Ibid._, Figs. 175, 176 and 177e.

[239] First mentioned _ibid._, p. 418. Museum negatives nos. 44453,
2-2 and 44500, 6-1.

The stone objects considered as pestles and shown in Figs. 32 and 35 may have been used as war clubs. The object made of friable stone, shown in Fig. 69 was mentioned on p. 39 us possibly having been used as a pestle and again on p. 65 as being suitable for use as a whetstone. It seems most likely, however, that it served as an implement of war or as a 'slave-killer.' It is roughly of the shape of a cigar. The upper end is nearly flat and circular. From here the object gradually expands for about half its length and then contracts to a point, being nearly circular in cross section throughout. It is 208 mm. long, 38 mm. in maximum diameter, and 19 mm. in diameter at the top. It was found in the Yakima Valley and is in the collection of Mr. Janeck.[240] The object considered as a hand-adze and shown in Fig. 46, may have been used as a 'slave-killer.'

No objects considered as daggers or knives and made of antler were found by us in this region. Although it will be remembered[241] that several, over 200 mm. in length, were found in the Thompson River region.

[240] Museum negative no. 44503, 6-4.

[241] Smith (d), Fig. 80; (c), p. 423 and Fig. 360.

_War Costume._ The costume indicated on the figure carved in antler, described under the section of dress and adornment, p. 100, referred to in the discussion of art on p. 127, and shown in Fig. 121, may be that of a warrior as is suggested by the similarity of the headdress to the war-bonnet of the tribes of the Plains. That the war-bonnet was used in this region is strongly suggested not only by this headdress but also by those represented in the pictographs and petroglyphs as well as by the wearing of it by the modern Indians of this area. This idea is further strengthened by the fact that the war-bonnet is worn in the Nez Perce region to the east,[242] where it has no doubt been used for a long time, although it may originally have been derived from the Plains. The Nez Perce sometimes wore streamers with these war-bonnets. Spinden states that the early Nez Perce war-bonnets differed from the type used by them to-day, and that exact information about them is difficult to obtain.

[242] Spinden, p. 228.

_Fortifications._ A so-called "Indian fort" is situated near Rock Creek about six miles below Rock Lake. It is about a mile south of the ranch of Mr. Frank Turner (p. 54), and shown in the photographs reproduced in Figs. 1[243] and 2[244], Plate VI. These were taken and presented by Mr. J. S. Cotton, then in charge of the cooperative range work at the Washington State Experiment Station at Pullman, who furnished from his notebook all our data on this subject. The "fort" is built on a flat knoll of about fifteen feet in height and with precipitous sides. It is in the form of a circle, being enclosed about four fifths of the way around. The wall is built of flat rocks which are tilted in such a manner that they will glance all projectiles into the air. There were numerous arrow chip pings within the "fort." There are many Indian graves supposed to be very old, two pits believed to mark building sites, and a long line of stones in the vicinity (pp. 140, 54, 29).

[243] From the interior.

[244] From the exterior.

_Wounds._ The skull of skeleton No. 99-4318, found in rock-slide grave No. 10 (5) on the north side of the Naches River half a mile above its mouth, showed where the right side of the orbit had been pierced in such a way that the malar bone was partly severed and repair had taken place, leaving a large anterior lateral projection on the malar bone. One rib had two articular surfaces at the anterior end.

DRESS AND ADORNMENT.

_Skins._ Tanned skin and skin bearing hair of animals, including the deer, and feathers of the woodpecker have been found in the graves and were evidently portions of garments or of pouches; but graves containing these materials are apparently more modern than some of the others. No skins of birds were found by us in this whole region. The scrapers mentioned on page 69 and the hammers as well possibly as the grooved stones mentioned on pages 30 and 75 may have contributed to the making of clothing: the former for scraping skins, the latter for beating and softening them.

Skin (202-8223), resembling buckskin or leather in its decomposed condition, was found in grave No. 31 (2) (99-4326), in the rock-slide near the mouth of Cherry Creek, immediately below Ellensburg. That this grave may not be as ancient as some of the artifacts here described is suggested by the fact that a small piece of a wooden post, not completely decayed, was found projecting from the rock-slide above the grave, and by the presence of four more posts, one at each corner of the grave, extending down from the level of the rock-slide, the upper parts apparently being entirely decomposed. The remains of matting which had been wrapped around the body, glass beads (202-8225) and three bracelets made of iron (202-8226), one of which is shown in Fig. 96, also suggest that this grave was modern, although it must be remembered that in this dry climate, wooden posts, matting and iron resist decomposition for a long time. The form of the garment or other object made up of this skin has not been identified, but pieces of the skin are joined in some places by over-casting with skin thread; in others, with a double skin thong and still in others with some sort of vegetable fibre. A piece of deer skin (202-8230) with the hair on was found in grave No. 37 (4) (99-4328), in the same rock-slide. Here again, the presence of sticks about three feet long, decayed at the tops and arranged in three rows of matting made of reeds (202-8229 and 202-8230, Figs. 71-72), and of beads apparently made of factory-rolled copper, suggest that the entire contents of this grave are modern.

Fragments of skin of a small mammal, with the hair on, which had been stitched along one edge with what appears to be twisted vegetable fibre made into a cord of two strings (202-8231), was found in grave No. 34 (5) (99-4329) in the same rock-slide. Here again were found evidences suggesting the grave to be modern. These consisted of decayed posts cut off at the surface of the slide. Among the other objects in the grave were matting (202-8232), beads (202-8233, Fig. 74), made of what is apparently factory-rolled copper, coarse string and thong, some of which is wound at the ends and pieces of coarse twisted plant fibre upon which some of the beads were strung, two ornaments (202-8234, Fig. 91) made of haliotis shell, two pendants made of what appears to be factory-rolled copper (202-8235), four bracelets apparently made of similar copper (202-8236, Fig. 95), a square pendant (202-8238, Fig. 78), a disk (202-8239, Fig. 83), both of which seem to be made of factory-rolled copper and a piece of iron (202-8242). Among the rocks above the grave were found a copper ornament (202-8244), a brass pendant (202-8245, Fig. 84), with thong and copper bead, and a copper pendant (202-8246, Fig. 82).

_Matting._ Fragments of matting of vegetable fibre sewed or twined with cords made of plant material were found; but only in recent graves. Such graves contained objects introduced into the region since the advent of the whites. These fabrics were probably modern but were in no way affected by the coming of the white man or the materials secured from him, being simply found in these modern graves associated with artifacts made from material secured from the white man. In the old graves they have probably long since decayed. Spindle-whorls were not found. Fig. 70 illustrates the stitch of a piece of matting (202-8391) of a well known type consisting of a single strand warp of rushes pierced at intervals by the weft which is a two-strand string. It is similar to that commonly found in the Thompson River region.[245] This specimen was found in grave No. 38 (1) (99-4333) in a rock-slide on the west side of the Columbia River, near the head of Priest Rapids. The grave was probably modern as is suggested by stakes nearly six feet long which projected about three feet above the surface of the rock-slide and a roll of birch bark[246] (202-8392). The vegetable fibre used in sewing these stalks was probably the same as that used by the present Indians as was thought to be the case in the Thompson River region.[247] Spinden does not mention this simple type of sewed mat as found in the Nez Perce area.[248] Fig. 71 shows a piece of matting (202-8229) of a new type consisting of two strands of what seem to be small stalks of tule, twisted loosely and pierced at each half turn by a cord. The cord is a two-strand string, the vegetable fibre of the individual strands not seeming to be twisted. The interstices are wide. It was found under the pelvis of a skeleton of a youth (99-4228) in a recent grave, No. 33 (4), in a rock-slide near the mouth of Cherry Creek, below Ellensburg. This piece of matting, so far as I am aware, is the first specimen of a new type collected and figured. It was first brought to the attention of students in 1906 through correspondence when Professor Otis T. Mason stated that he had never seen an example, a picture or a description of just that technique. It was shown at the annual exhibition of the New York Academy of Sciences, in December of the same year, but reference to the type was first published in November 1908 by Spinden.[249] In the Thompson River region this type has not been found. Mr. James Teit informs me that he asked all the old Thompson Indian women of the vicinity of Spences Bridge about this type of matting, submitting a model of it to them which I sent him. They all stated that they never saw that particular type made in the Thompson River region and if ever made there it must have been before the memory of those now living. The only pierced matting made there as far as they have ever known is the tule tent mat,[250] but the strands of this were not twisted, being like those shown in Fig. 70. They had a weave similar to this and the same in general effect in the common mat used for beds and on which to sit, known as the floor mat, but the strands were woven and not stitched.[251] Certain rush bags of the Quinault and the Makah resemble this type of matting but the rushes are not pierced.

[245] Teit (a), Fig. 131c.

[246] _Cf._ Smith (d), Fig. 117.

[247] Smith (c), p. 423, Teit (a), p. 188.

[248] Spinden, p. 195.

[249] Spinden, p. 195.

[250] Teit (a), Fig. 131c.

[251] Teit (a), Fig. 131d.

Matting (202-8162) made of tule stalks stitched together with cords twisted to the right, but made of large stalks was found in a recent grave, No. 10 (5) in the rock-slide on the north side of the Naches River, half a mile above its mouth. Part of this was of a similar type and stitched with similar cords and part was of the more common form of sewed matting such as is shown in Fig. 70. This grave had been rifled, and the presence of bark, a portion of a fire drill (202-8157), part of a wooden bow (202-8159), two pieces of a finely woven basket (202-8160) and copper tubes apparently of rolled copper, suggest that it was modern.

Fig. 72 illustrates the technique of a piece of matting of open twine weaving made of rush which was found under the pelvis of the skeleton in grave No. 33 (4) of a youth in a rock-slide near the mouth of Cherry Creek, below Ellensburg. Spinden states that mats were made in the Nez Perce area, of cat-tail stalks held together by two twined cords and that mats were used for house and floor coverings and as sheets upon which to dry berries.[252]

[252] Spinden, p. 195.

The string of all these fragments of matting was too much decayed or fragmentary for determination. It will be remembered that both sewed and woven matting were found in the graves of the Thompson River region,[253] as well as among the living Indians. It seems probable that these mats were made and used one above the other like great shingles for covering the summer house, for beds and for wrapping the dead, while the thinner pieces may have served for garments. Food was probably spread on them to dry and they no doubt served many other purposes. The art of weaving was practised to a considerable extent in the Nez Perce region to the east, although it had very slight development in the Plains area, still further east.[254]

[253] Smith (c), p. 423.

[254] Spinden, p. 190.

Cord made of vegetable fibre (202-8233) found in grave No. 34 (5) (99-4329) in a rock-slide near the mouth of Cherry Creek, below Ellensburg, upon which copper and shell beads were strung was made of two strands, some twisted to the right, others, to the left and in some cases a single cord was used for stringing the beads, while in other cases three cords were used.

A roll of birch bark (202-8392) was found in grave No. 38 (1) (99-4333) in a rock-slide, on the west side of the Columbia River near the head of Priest Rapids. It is the only specimen of this kind that was found by us in the whole area although it will be remembered[255] that such rolls of birch bark were frequently found in graves of the Thompson River region. As stated on p. 84, we considered this grave to be modern.

[255] Smith, (d), Fig. 117.

_Ornaments._ A great variety of ornaments was found, but most of these were in graves considered to be modern. Among the finds which appear to be old, none of them having been found in graves considered to be modern, none of them appearing to be made of commercial material and all of which seem to be of native technique are perforated disks of stone (202-8152), and bone, (202-8227), a perforated and engraved sea shell (202-8388), and haliotis shell from the Pacific Ocean (202-8393), both plain and polished dentalium shells, pendants made of what is apparently haliotis shell, a nose ornament also apparently made of haliotis shell (202-8252), and beads made of shell.

Red and yellow ochre, blue copper clay, and white earth, which may have been used for paint such as was found in the Thompson River region[256] were not seen by us in this area. Although charcoal, which may have been mixed with grease and used for paint, was frequently found there was no evidence of such use.

[256] Smith, (d), p. 150; (c), p. 424.

_Combs._ Only one comb was seen and nowhere throughout the area were found any objects known to have been used as head scratchers such as were not uncommon in the Thompson River region.[257] The comb (Fig. 73) is made of antler and was found where a creek had washed it out of an old grave at Fort Simcoe. The teeth are convex in outline, the back is nearly straight but not quite parallel with the line of the teeth and the ends convex, the rear end being shorter than the other. The nineteen teeth (one perhaps being rather wide to be considered) are set out from each other by grooves on each side of the comb. This edge of the object is somewhat sharpened making the lower end of each tooth resemble the shape of a celt or wedge. Near the back of the comb are three perforations, one in the middle and one at each end, the latter being about equi-distant from both the back and the end of the comb. The hole near the short end of the comb was drilled tapering from the reverse, while the two other holes were drilled tapering part way through from each side, but slightly farther from the reverse than the obverse. The specimen is in the collection of Mrs. Jay Lynch at Fort Simcoe.[258] A comb made of antler was found by us at Lytton[259] but none were seen among archaeological finds from the other parts of the Thompson River region,[260] although wooden combs are found among the Indians there, as in the Nez Perce region where modern combs were made of narrow strips of wood lashed together.[261] A comb of antler was found by us in the main shell heap at Eburne in the Fraser Delta.[262]

[257] Smith, (c), p. 424; Teit (a), p. 312.

[258] Museum negative no. 44510, 6-12.

[259] Smith, (d), Fig. 83.

[260] Smith, (c), p. 424.

[261] Spinden, p. 221.

[262] Smith, (a), Fig. 12.

_Beads._ Among beads, some made of glass are certainly modern. Judging from these glass beads, others found associated with them or with things of white manufacture in the same grave are also modern; while some seem to be old and from sites believed to be ancient. Besides objects truly of the shape of beads, there are others, as for instance the tubes of copper such as are shown in Figs. 74 and 78, some of which were found strung with simple bead forms. Otherwise, they might possibly not have been considered as beads. Fig. 121 suggests how such tubular beads of copper may have been worn on armlets and headdresses. In Fig. 74 are illustrated two fragmentary strings of several types of beads from a number which were found on the neck, arms and legs of a skeleton in grave number 34 (5) in a rock-slide near the mouth of Cherry Creek below Ellensburg. The short cylinders are sections of dentalium shells, longer sections appearing occasionally. The longest cylinders are sheet copper rolled into cylindrical form. The lapping edge, in most of the beads illustrated is irregular and varies in thickness, which suggests that they were beaten out of native copper rather than cut out of factory-rolled copper. Of course this appearance might be given to the latter by beating it. Such rolled beads made of copper are found in the Nez Perce region to the east[263] and in the Thompson River area to the north.[264] These shell and copper beads consequently might be considered ancient from their individual appearance, but on the shorter string are some more or less spherical beads made of glass which of course shows that all these beads were used in comparatively recent times. The beads on the longer string are strung upon coarse plant fiber twisted into a two strand string while the shorter string is upon a much smaller fiber also of two strands which are twisted. Some of the other beads in this lot were strung upon thongs.

[263] Spinden, Plate IX, Figs. 16-18.

[264] Smith, (c), Fig. 371.

The tubular bead shown in Fig. 75 is made of brass, proving conclusively that it is recent. It was found in grave No. 1 of the Yakima ridge, which contained a number of other objects that might characterize the grave as ancient were it not for the presence of brass beads. A smaller but slightly shorter brass bead was found with this. It contained a piece of stick, but this may be merely the remains of a rootlet many of which had penetrated into the grave. The edges of the outer fold as well as the ends of the bead are irregular and thinned out similar to the corresponding parts of the copper beads shown in Fig. 74. This suggests that the brass may have been pounded into sheets by the natives or at least that factory-rolled brass was pounded by them in manufacturing the bead. It also shows that this characteristic of the edges of copper objects, while it may suggest that they were beaten out of native copper and are consequently ancient, does not prove it. Tubular copper beads with short sections of dentalium shell were found mixed all the way from the top to the bottom of grave number 10 (5) in a rock-slide on the north side of the Naches River about half a mile above its mouth. Some of these were slightly larger than those shown in Fig. 74.

The bone tubes shown in Figs. 97 and 98 and those described on p. 105 under games, may possibly have been intended for beads or ornaments. Beads were made of bones of birds in the Nez Perce region to the east.[265] The perforated cylinder made of serpentine or steatite shown in Fig. 99 may also have been used as a bead or ornament instead of for gambling. Shell beads of disk shape such as are shown in Fig. 76 were found in three places. Those figured were among the refuse of a grave in a rock-slide near the head of Priest Rapids. Two were found in grave No. 7 (4) in a rock-slide on the northern side of the Yakima Ridge. A brass button and three glass beads were found with them. Twenty-eight of them were found in the grave of a child in a rock-slide on the west side of the Columbia River near the head of Priest Rapids. All these beads seem to be drilled from both sides or at least each end of the bore is slightly larger than the middle. Somewhat similar disk-shaped beads, apparently made of shell are found in the Nez Perce region to the east,[266] the Thompson area to the north[267] and in the Fraser Delta[268] of the coast country to the west.

[265] Spinden, p. 189.

[266] Spinden, Plate IX, Figs. 12 and 13.

[267] Smith, (d), p. 153; (c), p. 427.

[268] Smith, (a), p. 179.

_Dentalium Shells._ Dentalium shells, some broken or cut into short sections, were found in twelve of the graves of this region. Two of these graves were in domes of volcanic ash and probably old; five of them were cremation circles, also ancient, while five were rock-slide graves of which three were surely modern, and two probably so. It will be seen that the dentalia beads are found in about equal proportions in old and recent graves, there being seven examples of the former and five of the latter. One lot of dentalia found in a cremation circle was charred. None of the dentalia found in the rock-slide graves were incised while in one of the graves in a dome of volcanic ash incised dentalia were found together with the sculptured human form in antler shown in Fig. 121 on which are represented what appear to be dentalium shells forming parts of ear or hair pendants. Incised dentalia were also found in two of the five cremation circles containing dentalium shells. Some of the incised designs on dentalium shells are shown in Figs. 117 and 118. An idea of how the dentalium shells may have been used as ornaments on arm bands and headdresses may be had by reference to Fig. 121 and p. 101. Somewhat similarly incised dentalium shells were found at the large burial place at Kamloops in the southern interior of British Columbia to the north,[269] and in the Nez Perce region to the east bits of engraved dentalium shells are found in the graves of children.[270] Strings of them were hung from the ears or fastened to the braids of hair and dentalia were attached to the dresses of the women.[271] Among antiquities they are found as far east as central Wyoming. There are some dentalium shells decorated with windings along lines somewhat similar in the collections from the Hupa of California. Dentalium shells used as nose ornaments, ear pendants or parts of ornaments and as beads were also found in the Thompson region.[272] A few were found on the coast in the Fraser Delta,[273] but while they are to be seen in collections from living Indians and recent graves they were not found among antiquities elsewhere on the coast of British Columbia and Washington.[274] It seems noteworthy that while the shells are plentiful on the coast where they are used by the modern people they could only have been obtained in the Thompson River region and the Yakima Valley by barter. In the north, they were imported until recently through the Chilcotin country from the region north of Vancouver Island.[275] In the Yakima Valley, however, they were probably brought in by a more southern route and from places further south on the coast. My impression is that the Fraser Valley was not used as a route for the importation.

[269] Smith, (c), Fig. 379.

[270] Spinden, p. 181, Plate IX, Fig. 15.

[271] _Ibid._, p. 220.

[272] Smith, (c), pp. 425 and 427, (d), pp. 134 and 153.

[273] Smith, (a), p. 180.

[274] Smith, (b), pp. 319 and 387.

[275] Smith, (c), p. 408.

_Pendants._ Somewhat circular objects which might possibly be considered as beads are shown in Figs. 77 to 80 and are considered as pendants perforated near the centre. The first is a slightly asymmetrical disk, made of slate, which was found in grave No. 1 in a rock-slide of the Yakima Ridge. It is perforated at the centre with a large hole and at each end with a small hole. These perforations taper from each end and were apparently drilled. On each side there are four conoid pits about equi-distant from each other and the end holes arranged to form an oval about parallel with the edge of the object. On the reverse, there are only two of these pits, one on each side. The disk is 3 mm. thick.

Fig. 78 illustrates a thin square of copper with rounded corners, a thong of skin and a copper bead, found in grave No. 34 (5) of an infant in a rock-slide near the mouth of Cherry Creek below Ellensburg. The hole in the centre of this little pendant has been punched. The presence of glass beads and iron in the same grave suggests that possibly this copper pendant was made of factory-rolled metal.

The object shown in Fig. 79 is a sort of button made of shell attached to which is a metal bead. It was secured from an Indian at Ellensburg and is in the collection of Mr. McCandless.[276] The edge of the shell disk is rounded. There are two perforations through the disk, one a short distance from the centre. The other is in the centre, into which the metal bead is welded. The hole in the bead is parallel to the surface of the shell disk but does not go through the bead.

[276] Museum negative no. 44506, 6-7.

Fig. 80 illustrates a disk of bone about 1 mm. thick found in grave No. 31 (2) of a child in a rock-slide near the mouth of Cherry Creek below Ellensburg. The edge is rounded, the perforation has straight sides and is slightly worn at the ends. This, together with certain faint parallel grooves running diagonally across the grain of the bone suggests that the object may be a portion of a factory-made button.

Pendants perforated at the end or edge are shown in Figs. 81 to 94, arranged according to material, as stone, copper, brass, iron and shell. Fig. 81a illustrates a pendant made of slate which was found with five others in a grave on McNeals Island near the mouth of the Yakima River by Mr. Janeck. It is 52 mm. long, 3 mm. thick by 24 mm. wide. The upper end is narrower than the lower and perforated closer to the end of the object than to the side edges. The perforation tapers from each side and shows striations caused by drilling. The lower end of the pendant is somewhat thicker than the upper end.[277] The pendant shown next in the figure bears the same catalogue number in Mr. Janeck's collection and was one of the same lot of six specimens. It is 70 mm. long by 19 mm. wide and 3 mm. thick, is made of slate and similar to the other five specimens except that it bears six notches spaced about equi-distant from each other on one edge, and that the perforation is irregular, apparently having been broken through rather than drilled. The edges of this pendant are rather flat and the lower end is bevelled off somewhat from each side like a celt. This pendant may have been made to represent the tooth of an animal.[278]

[277] It is No. 45 in the collection of Mr. Janeck and Museum
negative no. 44503, 6-4.

[278] Museum negative no. 44503, 6-4.

A pendant made of steatite and bearing an incised design in which part of the lines and holes are colored with red paint (mercury) is shown in Fig. 119. This was found on the manubrium of an adult skeleton supposed to be that of a man, in a grave covered with rocks on a low ridge about two and a half miles south of Fort Simcoe. The object is not necessarily recent because the coloring matter being mineral may have lasted a long time. In outline, it is of the form of a tall truncated pyramid. It is only about 6 mm. thick and its edges are rounded or somewhat sharp. Across the base of the side shown in Fig. 119a extends a ridge which on the opposite side of the specimen is raised for only a short distance on the left. The Agency physician is of the opinion that the grave was very old and that steatite does not occur near by but that the material must have been brought from Puget Sound. As the character of the art more closely resembles that of the Thompson River region where steatite is frequently found, at least in the form of artifacts, it would seem that the material more likely came from there, if indeed it was not from a nearer source, perhaps in this very valley. The specimen is in the collection of Mrs. Lynch.

Fig. 82 illustrates a long pendant made of copper found about one foot deep among the rocks over grave 34 (5) of an infant in a rock-slide near the mouth of Cherry Creek below Ellensburg. The perforation at the top is punched, which together with the fact that glass beads and a piece of iron were also found in this grave, suggests that the copper is factory-rolled. The edges are rounded and thinned, possibly by disintegration, to almost a cutting edge. The thong by which it was suspended is of skin and attached by being passed through the perforation and looped through a slit in the tip of the thong. Two somewhat similar pendants, (202-8235a, b) made of copper, were found near the legs in this same grave. The first is narrow at the top which is slightly concave in outline, and the perforation is punched. The sides are nearly straight. The lower end is about three times as wide as the top and is deeply concave in the middle and convex in outline from this concavity to the side edges. In each of the concavities is a notch. These suggest that they are worn out perforations from which other pendants may have been suspended. The second pendant is of almost the same size and shape as that shown in Fig. 82. It has a somewhat fluted lower end but this characteristic may be partly the result of worn and decomposed perforations or merely of decomposition. The perforation at the top was punched and still retains a fragment of a leather thong. A small triangular pendant only 18 mm. in length, made of copper, (202-8251) was found inside the skull of a child in grave No. 37 (8) in a rock-slide near the mouth of Cherry Creek. It is perforated near the most acute angle and also through the base. The perforations seem to have been punched and the corners have been rounded, possibly by decomposition. Fig. 83 shows a thin disk-shaped pendant made of copper from the same grave as the one shown in Fig. 82. The perforation near the upper edge is also punched. A fragment of copper (202-8185) was found in the northwestern part of cremation circle No. 17 (12) on the terrace northwest of the mouth of the Naches River. This may be a fragment of a copper ornament. It, and the specimen found in circle No. 15 constitute the only finds of copper which were made in cremation circles. In its decomposed state it does not look like factory-rolled copper and may be native. The other fragment (202-8181) found in cremation circle No. 15 (10) at the same place may be factory-rolled copper. In the Nez Perce area to the east, small pieces of copper were attached to the dresses of women.[279]

[279] Spinden, p. 220.

The pendant shown in Fig. 84, also found near the one shown in Fig. 82 was made of brass. There are two perforations near the upper edge, the larger one of which is not circular, and a perforation tapering more from the concave side than from the other as well as a notch at the lower edge. The peculiarities of these perforations suggest that they were gouged out. The object is slightly concavo-convex. A skin thong is attached to the larger perforation at the upper edge by looping as in the case of the pendant shown in Fig. 82. On this is strung a cylindrical copper bead.

Fig. 85 illustrates a pendant made of iron found in grave No. 35 (6) of a youth in a rock-slide near the mouth of Cherry Creek, below Ellensburg. The next figure represents one of thirteen cone-shaped bangles or pendants also made of iron, found in the same grave. These were made by bending a thin sheet of the metal into the conical form.

The remaining pendants are all made of shell. The one shown in Fig. 87 is a natural olivella shell with the top of the cone missing and found in grave No. 39 (1) of a child in a rock-slide near the head of Priest Rapids. A shell somewhat similar to this made into a bead was found in the Nez Perce region.[280] The pendant shown in Fig. 88 was found in the grave of a child in a rock-slide west of the Columbia River near the head of Priest Rapids. It is made of a small marine clam shell (_Pectunculus_), probably a young _Pectunculus gigantea_. The perforation passes through the apex and has apparently been gouged from the outside. The ribs on the convex surface of the shell have been nearly effaced by grinding or polishing and the hinge also seems to have been smoothed so that only slight scars mark the depths of the teeth. This shell certainly came from the Pacific Coast either in its natural condition or after having been made into this form. It is the only object made of this kind of shell which I have seen in the whole northwest. The pendant shown in Fig. 89 is made of iridescent shell possibly unio but probably haliotis. If the latter, it must have come from the Pacific Coast. It was found in the same grave. This grave contained no objects of white man's manufacture or anything suggesting that it was modern. A list of its contents will be found on p. 169. This pendant is of the form of an isosceles triangle. It is perforated through the more acute angle by a small hole which tapers as if drilled from each side of the object. The edges of the pendant are rather sharp in places and the lower one is concave in outline. This object may be compared with the pendant made of bone, found at Lytton,[281] which was considered to be a sap scraper.[282]

[280] Spinden, Plate IX, Fig. 14.

[281] Smith, (d), Fig. 95.

[282] Smith, (c), p. 441; (b), Fig. 109.

The pendant shown in Fig. 90, from grave No. 37 (8) of a child in a rock-slide near the mouth of Cherry Creek below Ellensburg, is made of haliotis shell which must have come from the coast and is rectangular in outline with slightly worn or rounded corners. The perforation at the top is larger at each end, while the one in the side is much larger on the convex side and only slightly larger on the concave side than in the middle. This perforation has been broken out. A somewhat similar pendant but smaller and with only an end perforation (202-8256) was found together with the shell pendant described on p. 98 near the lower jaw in the same grave. A larger pendant of this general rectangular form, with worn or rounded corners, perforated near the middle of one end, and with a second perforation lower down (202-8254) was found with this. One perforation is larger at one side of the object, the other at the other side. Three somewhat similar pendants or fragments of such pendants, one with the perforation broken out, another with a single perforation and still another with a double perforation like the one just described (202-8183) except two dentalium shells were the only shell ornaments found in cremation circle No. 17 (12) on the flat northwest of the mouth of the Naches River. These were in the northeastern part of the circle. In the northern and northwestern parts of cremation circle No. 15 (10) on this same flat were found a number of such pendants and fragments of pendants which have only one perforation so far as can be identified.

A much decomposed and fragmentary piece of shell, apparently of claw shape with a perforation at the base, several other pieces of similar shape and two triangular pieces of shell (202-8180-82) all of which were apparently burned, were found in cremation circle No. 14 (9) at the same place. A fragment of a shell ornament (202-8189) was also found in cremation circle No. 21 (16) at this place.