Chapter V: Part 5

The pendant shown in Fig. 91 is nearly of disk form and made of haliotis shell. It is perforated at the more convex edge and was found with one very much like it in grave No. 34 (5) of an infant in a rock-slide near the mouth of Cherry Creek. One was near the head and the other near the pelvis. Another specimen and a fragment of still another (202-8257a, b) and several other small fragments of decomposed shell (202-8258) were found near the lower jaw in grave No. 37 (8) in a rock-slide near the mouth of Cherry Creek.

The pendant or nose ornament shown in Fig. 92 is made of shell which in its much decomposed condition appears to be haliotis. This object was found on the lower jaw of a very much decomposed skeleton of a child in the same grave. The fact that a piece of copper, apparently factory-rolled, (202 8251) was found inside the broken skull suggests that this grave was modern. The object is nearly circular in outline, although slightly wider than high. The sides have disintegrated or were rounded off, to a rather sharp edge. There were apparently three perforations near the upper edge of the object, and it is broken so that it is impossible to see whether they were perforations for suspension or were made merely as a means of cutting out a portion of the shell in such a way that it could be clasped on to the septum of the nose. Portions of this specimen and several other shell objects, found in the same grave were of a peculiar pink color.

The shell shown in Fig. 93 was found near the neck at the south side of an adult skeleton in grave No. 12 (7) covered with pebbles in the bluff on the north side of the Naches River about 12 miles above its mouth. It has two perforations and what appears to have been a third perforation now broken out. A somewhat similar circular shell pendant which appears to have been made from the shell of the oyster was found with this and is shown in Fig. 94. One of these pendants was at the south shoulder, the other at the south side of the skull. A piece of wood in this grave suggests that it may not be an old one and that these disks may have been obtained from traders. The grave was apparently unique. The lower part of the inner decoration on each side of the face shown in Fig. 121 probably represents a shell pendant for the ear or hair. Disks of haliotis shells were used as ear pendants in the Nez Perce region to the east.[283]

[283] Spinden, p. 220.

_Bracelets._ Bracelets are shown in Figs. 95 and 96. The one shown in Fig. 95 represents four of about the same size, all made of copper and from the arm of the skeleton found in grave No. 34 (5) of an infant in a rock-slide near the mouth of Cherry Creek. The presence of glass beads in this grave suggests that the bracelets may be of drawn copper. They are not made of wire but seem to be rolled out of rather thick sheet copper. The edges of the fold are somewhat irregular but I do not consider that this proves the material to be native copper. The bracelet shown in Fig. 96 is one of three made of iron found in grave No. 31 (2) of a child in a rock-slide near the mouth of Cherry Creek. The use of armlets of skin decorated with shells or quills is suggested by the incisions on the arms of the costumed human figure made of antler shown in Fig. 121. In the Nez Perce region to the east arm and leg bands were worn[284] while in the Thompson area dentalium shells were sometimes fastened parallel to each other on arm bands.

[284] Spinden, p. 219.

_A Costumed Human Figure._ A costumed human figure made of antler[285] is shown in Fig. 121. It was found in grave No. 25[286] in a dome of volcanic ash near Tampico. There was nothing to indicate that the grave was recent and so this gives an idea of the costume, but possibly merely of ceremonial costume as formerly worn in this region. It apparently shows a feather headdress like that of the present Indians of the region and as far east as the Dakotas; the hair dressed and ornamented with dentalium shells, the arms, body, legs and feet apparently bare and ornamented with ceremonial paintings and about the waist a fringed apron. The general style of the costume indicated is unlike that of the northwest coast but resembles that of the plateaus to the south and the Plains to the east. Above the face is a zigzag line which may represent tattooing, painting or a head-ring. Spinden says that tattooing was not practised in the Nez Perce region to the east[287] but Teit reports it as practised in the Thompson River region[288] where he supposed that when applied to the wrists the custom was derived from the coast tribes.[289] Head-rings among the Thompson River Indians were decorated with dentalium shells.[290] In the Nez Perce region[291] the face and body were painted, red and yellow being much used for this purpose. In the Thompson River area[292] the face and body were painted with several shades of red, head-bands being painted across the brows.

[285] Cf. p. 127.

[286] See Plate X.

[287] Spinden, p. 222.

[288] Teit (a), pp. 228 and 321.

[289] See Report of the British Association for the Advancement of
Science, 1890 p. 590.

[290] Teit, (a), 351.

[291] Spinden, p. 222.

[292] _Ibid._, pp. 228 and 268.

The zigzag is a common form of decoration of the head-bands among the Sioux. Above the zigzag arranged in a semi-circular row, are certain oblong forms which indicate feathers. The middle form, however, is marked with a circle. Both above and below this row are three incised lines forming an ark. Based on the outer one of these incisions are isosceles triangles slightly in relief. If these triangles represent the feathers of the headdress, they are certainly in the correct position. Between them are incised arks forming hachure parallel to the arks previously mentioned. Two of these extend above the tips of the triangles. Beyond this, much of the object is missing, but to the right may be seen a surface similar to the areas interpreted later on as hair ornaments. Further evidence of the use of such a headdress is offered by the red and white pictographs and by the petroglyphs of this region, samples of which are shown in Plates XI, XIV-XVI.

On each side of the face is what is apparently a hair ornament, perhaps made of buckskin, which was attached to the rolled up braids or curls of the front hair on each side of the head and hung down as in this representation. The three horizontal bands of vertical lines apparently represent dentalium shells although they may be intended for tubular copper or bone beads, while the oval figure at the bottom of each of these flaps probably represents a pendant of haliotis shell. Shell ornaments in the Thompson River region were sometimes of similar proportions and shape. Such hair ornaments were used until recently in the Thompson River region to the north where they were of different types and differed in the richness and style of their ornamentation. One of the common styles was to cover the flap of buckskin thickly with rows of the largest dentalia placed vertically side by side. Mr. James Teit informs me that the outer portion of the figure, bearing five bands of vertical lines, evidently represents part of the headdress and the buckskin flaps such as were worn in the Thompson River region attached to the sides of the head-bands. These were ornamented generally with dentalia among the women and more commonly with designs embroidered with quills or made with paint among the men. In the Nez Perce region[293] ear pendants in the form of disks were made from haliotis shells and strings of dentalia were hung from the ears or fastened to the braids of hair and dentalia and small pieces of copper were attached to the dresses of women. These vertical bands, however, may represent the lines of attachment of additional hair by means of glue covered with lime in which manner the hair is dressed by some Plains tribes. Below the nose are faint suggestions of an ornament possibly similar to the shell pendant shown in Fig. 92.

[293] Spinden, p. 220.

The two ridges, extending from near the chin to the shoulders, seem to indicate collar bones. The body is thin and narrows downward. Paint or tattooing, representing the ribs, or the ribs themselves, are indicated by ridges. There are horizontal hachure on the body above the waist. The arms are separated from the body by incisions made from both the front and the back, and the outer edges of the object, being rounded off, are like portions of a carving. A bracelet, band, or figure painted or tattooed, on the apparently bare arm is indicated in the middle of each by vertical hachure connecting pairs of parallel lines. The vertical arrangement of lines of the horizontal band suggests that these were arm bands, bearing vertically arranged copper or shell beads, if not dentalium shells similar to those which are supposed to be represented by the bands of vertical lines on the headdress on each side of the face. Mr. Teit considers the bands around the elbows as representing armlets of skin embroidered with dentalia or quills like those formerly used in the Thompson River region, although the Indians there were in the habit of painting their bodies in imitation of clothing. Head-bands were painted across the brows, fringed kilts or aprons around the middle and upper part of the legs and fringed short leggings along the lower part of the legs. The fringes were represented as long. Imitations of wristlets, armlets and anklets were also painted on the body. As before mentioned, arm and leg bands were worn by the Nez Perce Indians[294] and as indicated by the previously described specimens, bracelets were worn in the Yakima area. At the wrist is a slight horizontal incision, where the hand expands somewhat sidewise. The fingers and thumb are separated by four vertical incisions. Below these and extending across the body are four horizontal lines, the space between the two in the middle being slightly wider than the other two spaces. These lines seem to indicate the upper edge of an apron which is covered by vertical hachure.

[294] Spinden, p. 219.

The legs begin at the bottom of the apron from which they are set off by two horizontal incisions. The apron at the outline of the object projects slightly beyond them. On each leg are five incised isosceles triangles,--three at the top and two at the bottom, with their long points extending towards the knees. At each side of the lower triangles is one line which seems to represent a continuation of the designs around the legs. On each triangle are horizontal hachure. On both knees are faint traces of two concentric incisions, forming figures with rounded corners and bulging sides. Between these are radiating hachure. Close inside is a concentric incised line and there may be seen two parallel lines, nearly horizontal, above the right knee and one below it, and one above the left knee. The triangles may be considered as pointing from these concentric designs rather than towards them, and in that case the lines, suggesting the continuation of the design around the leg, appear at the top instead of the bottom. It does not seem probable that these triangles represent part of a circular design radiating from the knees, the sides of which are folded around the legs, but rather that the two series of triangles extend horizontally. The incisions on the legs probably represent painting or tattooing, since the designs seem to be horizontal and to extend all around the legs, while on leggings the patterns are usually vertical and on a flap at the outer side of the leg, the knee being disregarded. Catlin[295] figures paintings on the arms and legs of the Mandan similar to the patterns on this carving. The custom is not rare, especially in connection with elaborate ceremonial costumes such as are no doubt represented by this figure. The vertical incisions on the feet probably represent the toes, or designs painted or tattooed on the feet. These lines argue against any idea that the feet are encased in moccasins, unless bead or quill work on, or improbable wrinkles in, the moccasins are indicated by them. Porcupine quills, embroidery, beadwork and painting on moccasins were used in the general plateau region of which this is a part.[296]

[295] Catlin, Plates V and VI.

[296] Lewis, p. 190.

Lewis suggests[297] that the tribes depending largely on the hunt, would be better supplied with skins for clothing than those subsisting generally on fish, and that in most of the plateau region, the scanty vegetation makes clothing from plant materials difficult, if not practically out of the question. In this connection, it will be remembered that this carving of antler which gives us our general archaeological information regarding ancient costume, comes from the higher or hunting region of the valley. It will also be remembered that sage brush and other plant materials were used for clothing in the Thompson River region to the north, where the vegetation is nearly as scanty as in the Yakima Valley.

[297] Lewis, p. 189.

Perhaps some suggestion as to the sex of the individual which this figure was intended to represent may be gleaned from the fact that in the Nez Perce region the costume of the men differed greatly from that of the women. The former wore moccasins, leggings, breech clout, shirt, blanket, and also the war-bonnet, while the latter wore moccasins, a long loose gown and a fez-shaped cap made of basketry, also occasionally leggings and less decoration on their costume than on that of the men. The ornamentation consisted of fringes, bead and quill work, shells, elk teeth, beads, and copper.[298] The men's clothing was decorated with fringes, and some with beads, porcupine quills and paint. Considering this figure from these facts it would seem that it was clearly intended to represent a man.

[298] Spinden, p. 216.

Some feathers of the flicker (202-8243) were found in grave No. 34 (3) in a rock-slide near the mouth of Cherry Creek. One of them had bound to its tip a little piece of fabric, another a bit of fur. These may have been part of a costume or ceremonial paraphernalia.

Of the different articles of clothing worn by the Nez Perce, Lewis says,[299] "These are formed of various skins and are in all respects like those particularly described of the Shoshones." Along the Columbia, the similarity was not so complete,[300] but as far down as the Upper Chinook many articles described as similar to those of the Shoshone were found.[301] All these, however, they declared were, obtained by trade from other tribes and from those who sometimes visit the Missouri.[302] According to Lewis,[303] the clothing and equipment of the Shoshone living on Lemhi and Salmon Rivers in Idaho were much the same as the Plains type, and it is quite probable that they had formerly lived farther east. There are two certain indications that this extensive introduction of eastern clothing took place about the time of Lewis and Clark's visit. When they went down the Columbia in 1805, they found the women wore quite a different dress, consisting merely of a breech clout of buckskin with occasionally the addition of a small robe of skin.[304] This is exactly the same dress as was worn by the Chinook women above the mouth of the Willamette.[305] When these explorers returned up the Columbia the following year they found the Indians particularly the women, much better dressed, and in the eastern or Shoshone style.[306] A few years later, Cox[307] mentioned the older type of dress as found only among a few miserable tribes along the Columbia, above the mouth of the Yakima.[308]

[299] Lewis and Clark, V, p. 30.

[300] _Ibid._, III, p. 125, IV, p. 317.

[301] _Ibid._, IV, pp. 239, 284, 289.

[302] _Ibid._, IV, 303.

[303] Lewis, p. 188.

[304] Lewis and Clark, III, pp. 125-137, and 143.

[305] Lewis, p. 189.

[306] Lewis and Clark, IV, pp. 322 and 337.

[307] Cox, p. 229.

[308] Lewis, pp. 188-189.

_Deformation._ All of the skulls secured in this area by our party showed antero-posterior deformation, although not so extreme as is found in the Lower Columbia region. Accompanying this in many cases was a concave depression in the anterior parietal region. The flattening of the head was practised to a limited extent by tribes living along the Columbia River above the Chinook, but limited, according to Lewis, almost entirely to the women, and gradually died out towards the east.[309]

[309] Lewis, p. 150; Lewis and Clark, III, pp. 125 and 137; IV, p.
324; Hale. p. 213; Whitman, pp. 91 and 95 (1891).

GAMES, AMUSEMENTS AND NARCOTICS.

_Games._ Dice made of beaver teeth or woodchuck teeth, such as were found in the Thompson River region,[310] but which were not found in the shell heaps of the Lower Fraser, or in fact, in any of those of the coast of Washington or British Columbia, were absent among our finds in this region although a beaver tooth was seen in the cremation rectangle No. 21 (16) near the mouth of the Naches River.

[310] Smith, (d), Fig. 100; (c), p. 428.

A number of small tubes, made of bone which may have been used in gambling, were found here. Four of them, about 42 mm. long and 9 mm. in diameter, with the ends ground squarely across, but with the edges somewhat rounded possibly by wear, were found in the east northeastern part of the bottom of grave No. 10 (5) in a rock-slide on the north side of the Naches River about half a mile above its mouth. Fig. 97 shows one of two other bone tubes of similar size and shape, the ends ground somewhat more perfectly flat, which were found in grave No. 1, in the rock-slide on the north side of the Yakima Ridge to the southeast of the Yakima River. Another bone tube from this same grave (Fig. 98) is 43 mm. long and 12 mm. in diameter, and the ends are ground off flat. This bears nine about equi-distant incised lines, which run around it in such a way that the lower end of each line is on the opposite side of the bone from its upper end. It is charred. Such bone tubes were found at Lytton,[311] in pouches in the graves, in other parts of the Thompson River region[312] to the north and in the shell heaps of the Lower Fraser River[313] to the west. In the Nez Perce region dice and gaming pieces were commonly made of bone.[314] Cylindrical sections of the long bone of the deer were used in gambling,[315] and whistles were made of the long bones of the sand hill crane.[316]

[311] Smith, (d), p. 154.

[312] Teit, (a), p. 275.

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

[314] Spinden, p. 189.

[315] Spinden, p. 254.

[316] Spinden, p. 189.

The perforated cylinder shown in Fig. 99, made of serpentine is 44 mm. long and 8 mm. in diameter, rounded at the edges and was found in about the centre of grave No. 10 (5). There are five small pits about equi-distant from each other around this cylinder near the top, and four near the bottom. There are two transverse incised lines just below the five pits, and there is an incision about 12 mm. above the bottom of the specimen, below which the diameter is perhaps half a mm. greater than at the top. Near the middle of the object it is pierced by a hole which tapers from each end. While this object also may have been used in gambling, it seems possible that it may be an amulet.

_Narcotics._ Pipes of seven distinct types were found in this region; a tube, a simple bowl, a disk with both bowl and stem made in the periphery, an elbow form, a modern inlaid pipe similar to the typical form of the catlinite pipe of the Plains, a tomahawk-pipe in stone, and a pipe carved in the art of the North Pacific coast.

A tubular pipe made of steatite is shown in Fig. 100. It was collected by Mr. Frank N. McCandless from the Yakima Indians. Mr. McCandless says the stone differs from that found at the head of Wenatchee Lake, which is sometimes used for pipes in this region. This pipe is No. 215 in his collection deposited in the Ferry Museum in the City Hall at Tacoma. It is 51 mm. long and the bowl has been broken off irregularly, about half of it apparently having been broken away. The bowl flares rather more abruptly than is the case in the pipes usually found either in this region or that of the Thompson River. In this respect it resembles the tubular pipes made of steatite, found on the coast of British Columbia.[317] In outline, it is nearly straight, while most pipes of this type have bowls convexly curved in a form characteristic of the type found in the interior of British Columbia and of Washington. The bowl has been gouged out. There is a ridge or ring around the pipe where the bowl meets the stem. Oblique incisions slanting downward from left to right, at an angle of about 45°, mark this ridge, making it suggest a twisted cord. The end of the stem is similarly marked. These lines are again mentioned under art on p. 125. The stem expands from the ridge to the end. The outline of the stem is rather straight or slightly concave, while most pipes of this type have more slender or nearly cylindrical stems. The interior of the stem was apparently formed by whittling. The pipe is stained by tobacco which suggests that while it may be old, it has nevertheless been recently smoked.[318] In the Nez Perce region to the east the earliest form of pipe, according to Spinden, was doubtless the straight tubular type.[319] One of the pipes figured by him has a flange for a mouthpiece similar to those found in the Thompson River region, and this flange is perforated near one end. This particular type of pipe is also found in Oregon.[320] A pipe of this type, but which much more nearly resembles the typical form of tubular pipe of this region, especially the shorter specimens, is reproduced in Fig. 101 from Lewis and Clark.[321] This specimen which is made of green stone and has a stem, was seen among the Shoshone Indians at the headwaters of the Lemhi River, Idaho, by Lewis, August thirteenth, 1805. It marks the eastern limits of the occurrence of this type of pipe, so far as I am aware at present, the short forms having been found at Fulford Harbor, North Saanich, Sidney[322] and Port Hammond,[323] on the southern coast of British Columbia, Damon[324] on the coast of Washington, Lytton[325] in the interior of British Columbia, Umatilla[326] and Blalock Island,[327] near Umatilla, both in the interior of Washington. In the Journal for Tuesday, August 13, 1805, Lewis refers to this pipe, as follows:--"the chief then lit his pipe at the fire kindled in this little magic circle ... pointed the stem to the four cardinal points of the heavens first beginning at the East and ending with the North. He now presented the pipe to me, as if desirous that I should smoke, but when I reached my hand to receive it, he drew it back and repeated the same c[e]remony three times, after which he pointed the stem first to the heavens then to the center of the magic circle smoked himself with three whifs and held the pipe until I took as many as I thought proper; he then held it to each of the white persons and then gave it to be consumed by his warriors. This pipe was made of a dense semi-transparent green stone very highly polished about 2-1/2 inches long and of an oval figure, the bowl being in the same direction with the stem. A small piece of birned clay is placed in the bottom of the bowl to seperate the tobacco from the end of the stem and is of an irregularly rounded figure not fitting the tube perfectly close in order that the smoke may pass. This is the form of the pipe. Their tobacco is of the same kind of that used by the Minnetares Mandans and Ricares of the Missouri. The Shoshonees do not cultivate this plant, but obtain it from the Rocky mountain Indians and some of the bands of their own nation who live further south."[328]

[317] Smith, (a), Figs. 48 and 55; (b), Fig. 139.

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

[319] Spinden, p. 188, Figs. 4 and 5, Plate IX.

[320] Moorehead, Fig. 457, p. 316, Figs. 9, 17, 22 and 25.

[321] Lewis and Clark, II, p. 342.

[322] Smith, (b), Fig. 139.

[323] Smith, (a), Fig. 48.

[324] Smith, (b), Fig. 139.

[325] Smith, (h), p. 34.

[326] _Ibid._, Fig. 7.

[327] _Ibid._, p. 36.

[328] Lewis and Clark. II, p. 341.

Mr. James Teit informs me that a flange like the end of a spool at the mouth of the stem of a tubular pipe, makes it of a type which seems to him peculiarly characteristic of the Thompson River region. In some cases this peculiarity is carried over into the stems of pipes of the modern or elbow type, which have wooden stems, as is shown in Fig. 102. Mr. Teit has never seen or heard of tubular pipes from the Thompson River region with holes through the flanges. It seems possible that the hole in such specimens as one from Umatilla, Oregon,[329] may have been made for the attachment of ornaments or symbolic material such as feathers or for a cleaner. Ornaments were sometimes attached to pipes of the elbow type in the Thompson River region. This was done by tying in a hole bored through the hatchet-shaped piece underneath the shank close to the elbow. Pipes of the simple bowl type often had an extension at the foot of the bowl, sometimes perforated, to which ornaments could be attached. On the other hand, the hole may have been to facilitate attaching the pipe to its wooden stem. The pipes that have been perforated through the flange,[330] however, seem to have too small a bore for a wooden stem; yet, a pipe of this type with a wooden stem has been shown in Fig. 101. One reason given Mr. Teit by the Indians for the making of the flange or other thickening at the mouth of the pipe stem was to prevent the string used in attaching the pipe to the wooden stem slipping off. According to all of them, wooden stems were always used with tubular pipes as with elbow and simple bowl pipes; for a person cannot smoke any kind of stone pipe more than a few draws before it becomes too hot for the lips. To Mr. Teit's mind, no matter how small the bore of the pipe, a regular stem must have been used for smoking.

[329] Smith, (h), Fig. 7a.

[330] Smith, (h), Fig. 4.

Some tubular pipes are said to have had a flange around the mouth of the bowl, similar to that on elbow pipes as in Fig. 103; but this flange meets the body of the bowl with an even curve. Mr. Teit does not distinctly remember having seen such flanged tubular pipe bowls among the Thompson River Indians who gave him this information, but he saw one specimen at least, of the elbow type with flanged bowl. He further states that to his knowledge there is only one part of the country where the semi-transparent green steatite is obtained; that is, on the west side of the Fraser River, over twenty miles north of Lytton, which as is well known is at the mouth of the Thompson River. This stone, when polished and used, takes on a much darker hue than its original color. The fire may be seen through the stone of the pipes when smoked in the dark. The bluish gray steatite is the most commonly employed and it turns black when polished and used. The Thompson River Indians can usually tell from what part of the country the stone comes of which any particular pipe is made.

The tubular form of pipe is remembered by the old Indians to have been in use in the Thompson River region, although not so common as the simple pipe bowls and elbow pipes, and one was seen in use in eastern Washington as late as 1896.[331] On the other hand, no simple pipe bowls known to be such, or elbow pipes have been seen among archaeological finds. The bowl and elbow pipes are affiliated with forms found farther east. This fact suggests that the tubular pipe was supplanted recently by bowl and elbow forms brought in from the southeast, or at least from the east. The westward movement of tribes due to the encroachment of our settlements may have brought them, or some of them, and they may be patterned after pipes seen in the hands of fur traders and their Indian employees. The tubular pipe made of steatite, shown in Fig. 104, was purchased from Mr. W. Z. York of Old Yakima (Old Town), who secured it from Shaw-wa-way, an Indian known as "Young Chief Aleck," who lives on a ranch three miles south of Old Yakima. This Indian is known to have frequently visited the Okanogon region and it is possible that he secured the pipe, decorated as it is, or got the idea for this particular sort of decoration from that region. This is suggested by the fact that this particular kind of decoration is common, especially on more recent ornaments, in the Thompson River region, the people of which in turn frequently visited the Okanogon country. The bowl of the pipe is cut squarely across at the end where the outer edge has been rounded. It is of the typical shape of this form of pipes, and has been hollowed out by gouging contra-screw-wise. It meets the stem abruptly and the latter is slightly larger than the base of the bowl, so that it seems to be separated from it. The stem is very short and cylindrical and the end is cut squarely off; but it is bevelled on each side so that about one third of the end is left and the bevelled surfaces extend over half the length of the stem. This beveling may have been to form the mouthpiece; but it seems more likely that the pipe had a long stem similar to those found in the Thompson River region.[332] This seems to have been broken off obliquely near the bowl, then cut squarely across, and the other side bevelled to give bilateral symmetry because one of these bevelled surfaces appears as if it had been broken and then only slightly smoothed; both of these surfaces and the square end of the stem seem to have been more recently cut than the rest of the pipe. These three surfaces seem less polished and as if they were made with a steel knife. The bore of the stem measures 5 mm. in diameter. A portion of the bowl is decorated by incised lines into which red paint has been daubed, suggesting that it was recently applied; while the design itself, which is further described on p. 131 under the section of art, is of figures which suggest that it was made lately. Possibly the pipe is old, but was recently broken and decorated with the incised design and paint.

[331] Teit, (a), p. 300.

[332] Smith, (d), Figs. 103, 104 and 111; (c), Figs. 37 1a, b.

The fragment of a sculptured tubular pipe made of steatite shown in Fig. 105 is apparently about half of the original object. It was found in an Indian grave about a quarter of a mile from the bank of the Yakima River at a point about nine miles above its mouth, in August 1902, by Mr. W. F. Sonderman of Kennewick. Mr. Sonderman's collection from the immediate vicinity contained glass beads, a metallic handle and buttons, as well as chipped points. As the contents of the three graves from which he obtained this collection, during the construction of an irrigation canal were mixed, it seems that this pipe may belong to the same period as that of the glass beads and other objects of European manufacture and consequently may be modern, although it may be an old specimen, deposited in a modern grave. The general form of the pipe was thought to be that of a cone. The portion towards the front of the carving, however, is somewhat longer than that towards the rear, and the back is nearly flat, although this may be caused simply by the carving. The bore is somewhat smaller at the mouth of the bowl than lower down. It was apparently gouged out. Some traces of dirt, perhaps the remains of the material smoked in the pipe may be seen towards its larger opening. The carving, which represents a human form, is further described under the section of art on p. 135. As the tubular form of pipe seems to be common to this region, as well as to the Thompson River region, further north, it would seem that this specimen may be a variation from the type or merely one of these pipes made by an artist. It may be that such sculptured forms of this type of pipe may not be found in the Thompson River region, and that the carving of tubular pipes in this way may be characteristic of the Yakima region, although the style of art suggests that found in the Thompson River region and more especially in the Lillooet Valley.

Only one specimen of the second or simple bowl type was seen by us in the whole region. It is shown in Fig. 106, and was found near the head of Priest Rapids by a boy from whom Mrs. J. B. Davidson obtained it for her collection. She afterwards presented it to our expedition. It is made of schistose rock, apparently limestone, of gray color with lighter veins. The object is oval in section, slightly longer than it is wide, and a little wider than it is thick being 32 mm. long, 29 mm. wide, and 15 mm. thick. If slightly flatter, this pipe would resemble in shape the third type. The inside of the bowl which was apparently gouged out, is 13 mm. in diameter; while the opening for the stem seems to have been drilled. This opening is 7 mm. in diameter. The rim of the bowl is flattened, and this flat surface resembles that of the part of a hammerstone used for pecking. This style of pipe somewhat resembles some of the pipes used by the Thompson River Indians of the present day and together with elbow pipes, supplemented the tubular pipe in that region. This suggests them to be more modern than the tubular pipes in this region where also they are not as numerous. The type is not found among the archaeological remains in the Thompson region, but Mr. Teit sent one simple bowl pipe to the Museum from a very old grave at Spuzzum besides two from the Thompson Indians.[333] The absence of this form of pipe among archaeological specimens from the areas to the north and west suggests that the culture of this region is somewhat more closely related to that further east than are the cultures of the areas further north and west. The pipe is ornamented with a circle and dot design again mentioned under the section of art on p. 131.[334]

[333] Teit, (a), Figs. 275 and 276.

[334] Museum negative no. 44505, 6-6.

Specimens of the third or disk-shaped type are shown in Figs. 107, 108 and 109. The first, made of sandstone, is from the Snake River Indians, was a part of Mr. D. W. Owen's collection, and was presented by him to our expedition. It is nearly of the form of a disk but has slightly bulging sides, 52 mm. long, 49 mm. wide, and 19 mm. thick. The mouth of the bowl is 13 mm. in diameter; while the opening for the stem, at right angles to it, is 9 mm. in diameter. The convex appearance of the sides or ends of the disk is due to the beveling of these surfaces near their edges. On each of these sides is an incised design. These are again mentioned under the section of art on p. 125. The second specimen, shown in Fig. 108, is oval in outline with slightly convex sides. The object is made of blue stone and was found in the Yakima Valley. It is about 52 mm. long, 41 mm. wide, and 19 mm. thick. Parallel scratches on the surface suggest that it was brought into shape by grinding with a piece of sandstone, although these marks may be interpreted as those made with a file. The opening in the bowl tapers evenly towards its base, from one of the longer edges of the discoid; while the somewhat longer drilling for the stem from one of the shorter edges of the disk, at right angles to the bore of the bowl, is of nearly the same diameter throughout. The specimen is in the collection of Mr. Louis O. Janeck of North Yakima.[335] The third specimen of this type which is shown in Fig. 109 is No. 155 in the collection of Mr. Janeck, and was also found in the Yakima Valley. It is made of stone resembling quartzite in appearance and is of a waxy, yellowish brown color. It is nearly circular in outline, almost flat on the rim, and the sides are somewhat convex. It is 45 mm. long by 40 mm. wide and 19 mm. thick. The bore of the bowl is 16 mm. in diameter at the mouth, and is somewhat larger than that of the stem, which is 10 mm. in diameter at its end, and at right angles to the bowl. Each bore tapers from its outer opening to the point of juncture. In the Nez Perce region to the east near Asotin city, this disk-shaped type of pipe is found.[336] Mr. Fay Cooper Cole of the Field Museum of Natural History believes the Tlingit have a variation of this type of pipe and that it is also found in California. Its occurrence in Oregon is mentioned by Moorehead.[337]

[335] Museum negative no. 41503, 6-4.

[336] Spinden, p. 189, Fig. 6, Plate IX.

[337] Moorehead, Fig. 27, p. 316.

The fourth or rectangular bowl type is shown in Figs. 110, 111 and 112. The first shows the axis of the bowl and that of the stein, at nearly, if not exactly, a right angle. The specimen is in the collection of Mr. York, and is made of soft grit or sandstone. The outer opening of the bowl is somewhat larger than that of the stem. There was a band around the bowl, made up of a single thickness of thread which is not shown in the figure.

The second of these specimens, shown in Fig. 111, is a simple elbow pipe with the angle between the axis of the bowl and the stem, slightly greater than 90 degrees. It is also in the collection of Mr. York and is made of steatite, which he calls Wenatchee pipe stone. The outer opening of the bowl is slightly larger than that of the stem. The third specimen, shown in Fig. 112, is also of the simple elbow type and the axis of the bowl is nearly at right angles to that of the stem. It is in the collection of Mr. York, and is made of soft grit or sandstone of a yellowish gray color. In the Thompson River region to the north, according to Mr. Teit, there seems to be little doubt but that the tubular pipe has been supplanted by the simple bowl and elbow types.[338] This change may have been brought about by the copying of the early trader's pipes but Mr. Teit believes it more likely to have come from influence from the southeast, passed from tribe to tribe about the same time as the advent of the horse or a little later. The Thompson River Indians tell him that the tubular pipe continued to be the one in common use as long as native tobacco only was used, but after the introduction of manufactured tobacco the elbow type came to be exclusively used because very much better adapted for holding the latter kind of tobacco. In the Nez Perce region to the east, pipes with rectangular bowls were found.[339] One of these bowls has an incised design representing a tomahawk, which with the character of other incisions on it suggest that it is modern. Only two finds of elbow pipes have been reported on the coast. These,[340] which were of fragments, were said by Mr. Edmond Croft to have been found by him in a shell heap near Markham on Grey's Harbor, Washington. They are made of fine-grained sandstone of a gray color. Both were apparently intended to be used with a wooden stem and one of them has a ventral mid-rib from the mouth of the stem nearly to the base of the bowl which reminds one somewhat of a similar appendage on the pipe from the Yakima Valley shown in Fig. 113 and one from the Thompson Indians.[341] My supposition has been that they reached the coast recently from this general region possibly by way of the Columbia or were taken there by employees of the fur companies in early historic times.

[338] Teit, (a), Figs. 271 and 306.

[339] Spinden, p. 188, Figs. 7 and 8, Plate IX.

[340] Smith, (b). Fig. 140.

[341] Teit. (a), Fig. 306.

The fifth type is illustrated by the specimen shown in Fig. 128. It is the only specimen of this type which I have seen from the region. It is now in the collection of Mrs. Jay Lynch at Fort Simcoe who obtained it from Chief Moses. It is made of black steatite which Mrs. Lynch calls Wenatchee pipe stone, inlaid with white metal and has a wooden stem. It is comparatively modern as is shown by the presence of inlaid white metal. The mouth of the bowl is 18 mm. in diameter, but tapers suddenly, the rest of the bowl cavity being nearly cylindrical. The opening for the wooden stem is 11 mm. in diameter, and also tapers suddenly to a nearly even bore. It is of the same form as many of the pipes made of red pipe stone (catlinite). This form of pipe is found throughout the Minnesota-Dakota region. This specimen, however, bears four carvings, which together with the inlaid white metal design are further mentioned under the section of art on pp. 118 and 135. It would seem that this type of pipe belongs to the region further east, and as no ancient pipe of this form has been found in this whole region, as well as from the fact that this specimen marks the most westerly occurrence of this form, so far as we know, we may conclude that it was introduced from the east in comparatively modern times. The type of carving, however, may be of more local origin. The bringing together of several animal forms may be associated with the idea of the totem poles found to the west; but no more so than the wooden pipe stems of the Plains which the general character of the carving more closely resembles.[342] In this connection, it may be well to remember that in the Nez Perce region, catlinite for pipes seems to have been acquired from the Plains tribes.[343] A pipe made from stone found in the Cascade Mountains of Washington, is in the collection of Mr. C. G. Ridout, of Chelan, Washington, who states that it has a representation of a bear and a man on the shaft back of the bowl.

[342] Museum negative no. 44508, 6-9, 6-10, 6-11.

[343] Spinden, p. 188.

A specimen of the sixth type is shown in Fig. 113. It is the only one of this style which I have seen in the whole region, and was obtained from a Yakima Indian. It is in the collection of Mr. McCandless. It is made of steatite, which Mr. McCandless calls "sandstone from the northern part of Wenatchee Lake." The form of the pipe seems to be a conventionalized tomahawk pipe. The bowl is circular in section and somewhat urn-shaped and rests upon the part that is drilled for the stem and which is rather square in cross section with slightly convex sides. Projecting from the lower part of this is the form which represents the tomahawk blade. It is wider at its convex edges than where it joins the base of the stem part. Its three edges are flat, and it is of about equal thickness throughout. The pipe is somewhat stained by tobacco. It seems likely that this was modelled after the metal hatchet, tomahawk or tomahawk pipe, introduced by the traders,[344] being a rather modern pipe, since such objects do not seem to have been used in early times in the great plateau region according to Lewis.[345]

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

[345] Lewis, p. 190.

The seventh type is illustrated in Fig. 127. The specimen is the only one of the style which I have seen from this whole region and so closely resembles in its carving the work of the Kwakiutl, Haida and Tsimshian Indians of the coast to the northwest, that I am inclined to believe it was brought in as a gift or by trade. The material is apparently soft slate, but is rather light in color, possibly having been burned. Its appearance suggests that it is the same as that used by the Haida Indians on the Queen Charlotte Islands, for the carving of such things as dishes, miniature totem poles, and pipes. The pipe is made up of carvings representing among other things a bird, a human form and a human face, which are more fully described under the section of art on p. 136. This specimen was found two feet deep in earth at one side of a grave in a little hillside on Toppenish Creek, four miles southeast of Fort Simcoe. Above the earth were rocks, and the grave was marked by a circle of stones. In the grave were found elk teeth, and a sea shell, filled with a blue powder, evidently paint, and covered with what appears to be gut or a bladder-like skin. What is described as a silver coin, afterwards lost, was found with this pipe. It is possible that it may have been a silver disk or medal. The bowl of the pipe, which was gouged out, is in the middle of the carving, and the tube for the reception of the stem projects from the end under the human form. The upper part of the human figure is broken off. A hole was drilled in the opposite end of the pipe through the lower part of the bird form, but if it had any connection with the bowl, this is not now discernible.[346] The specimen shown in Fig. 59 and considered as a mat presser reminds one of an unfinished pipe.

[346] Museum negative no. 44509, 6-9, 6-10, 6-11.

ART.

The graphic and plastic art of the early people of this region is illustrated by pictographic line paintings in red and white on the basaltic columns of the cliffs;[347] petroglyphs of the same general style pecked into similar cliffs; incised designs on stone, bone, antler and dentalium shells, and carvings both incised and pecked in stone. Some of the objects found are colored by red ochre or have it rubbed into the lines of their incised designs. Examples of graphic art seem to be more common than those of plastic art.

[347] A few of which were figured and described in Smith, (g), pp.
195-203, and abstracted in The Scientific American Supplement, pp.
23876-8, Vol. LVIII, No. 1490, July 23, 1904, and in Records of the
Past, pp. 119-127, Vol. IV, Part IV, April, 1905.

The paintings and pecked designs on cliffs are more or less geometric although pictographic in character. The incised designs are still more geometric and include the circle and dot commonly found in the Thompson River region.[348] This design is also common on modern objects from the coast of British Columbia and Washington, but was not there present among archaeological finds. Lewis[349] states that according to the early writers, in the general area of which this is a part, porcupine quills were much used for decorating articles of clothing and that later, beads were used for this purpose. The modern designs are largely floral. Among the Nez Perce, floral and plant designs in beadwork are particularly common although some geometric designs occur, as on belts, the decoration of which is largely geometric, as squares, triangles and similar figures.[350] Lewis[351] believes that the designs of the general region were originally geometric and that some of the modern geometric designs are survivals, while others suggest eastern influence. He further states that floral designs are found among the Salish tribes but to a much less extent. We found no floral designs among the archaeological specimens in the Yakima area. Some of the incised work, on certain of the carvings is of good technique, and artistic execution. This is noticeable in the object made of antler, carved on one surface to represent a human figure in costume, shown in Fig. 121 and on the dish shown in Fig. 116. Inlaying with white metal was practised in comparatively modern times. Animal heads are represented by the specialization of knobs on pestles, an animal form by a mortar and human forms by some of the pictographs, and petroglyphs, the incised antler figure and several of the pipes.

[348] Smith, (c), Figs. 360b and 378; (d), Figs. 109, 110 and 111.

[349] Lewis, p. 191.

[350] Spinden, p. 236.

[351] Lewis, p. 191.

Many of the representations are realistic, others are highly conventional. Some conventional representations are explained by similar figures. For instance, the radiating lines of the pictographs shown in Plate XVI are probably explained satisfactorily by similar figures in Plate XI, Fig. 2, such radiations on the costumed figure in antler shown in Fig. 121 or by the feather headdresses worn by the present natives. Spinden states that in the Nez Perce region, realistic figures are probably of recent origin.[352] One of the carvings is clearly of the art of the northwest coast, from which the object or the artist who executed it must have come. Some of the pictographic-geometric and conventional figures probably represent guardian spirits and illustrate dreams done in symbols. A few art forms are evenly spaced on objects but only a few are distorted to fit the shape of the field. Pictographic symbols and conventional figures may be placed in groups to form designs as in the arrangement of the circles and dots on the pipe shown in Fig. 106.

[352] Spinden, p. 236.

In general, the art of the region tends toward line work of geometric and a slightly pictographic nature. It shows little resemblance to that of the coast, but a strong relationship to that of the Plains. The decorative art of the Nez Perce region includes motives from the Plains and also from the Pacific Coast.[353] Some of their designs partake strongly of motives from the Plains, while here in the Yakima Valley there are perhaps more examples of coast art and still much influence from the Plains. Spinden says that in early times the Nez Perce were very poor in decorative ideas and that the richness and variety found in their modern art may be ascribed to the absorbing of ideas from other cultures. This is perhaps equally true of the Yakima region where the influence of coast art in proportion to that from the Plains is perhaps greater than in the Nez Perce region.

[353] Spinden, p. 233.