The Archaeology of the Yakima Valley Part 14

[284] Spinden, p. 219.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 95 (202-8236b). Bracelet made of Copper. From arm of skeleton No. 34 (5) of an infant in a rock-slide near the mouth of Cherry Creek, below Ellensburg. 1/2 nat. size.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 96 (202-8226). Bracelet made of Iron. From grave No.

31 (2) of a child in a rock-slide near the mouth of Cherry Creek, below Ellensburg. 1/2 nat. size.]

_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 sh.e.l.ls, the arms, body, legs and feet apparently bare and ornamented with ceremonial paintings and about the waist a fringed ap.r.o.n. 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 sh.e.l.ls.[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 a.s.sociation 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 sh.e.l.ls 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 sh.e.l.l. Sh.e.l.l 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 sh.e.l.ls 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 sh.e.l.l 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 sh.e.l.l beads, if not dentalium sh.e.l.ls 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 ap.r.o.ns 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 s.p.a.ce between the two in the middle being slightly wider than the other two s.p.a.ces. These lines seem to indicate the upper edge of an ap.r.o.n which is covered by vertical hachure.

[294] Spinden, p. 219.

The legs begin at the bottom of the ap.r.o.n from which they are set off by two horizontal incisions. The ap.r.o.n 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 s.e.x 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, s.h.i.+rt, 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, sh.e.l.ls, 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, c.o.x[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] c.o.x, 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, AMUs.e.m.e.nTS 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 sh.e.l.l heaps of the Lower Fraser, or in fact, in any of those of the coast of Was.h.i.+ngton 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 sh.e.l.l 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]