Relics of the Ancient Indian Culture - Santa Cruz Sentinel, 12 Jul 1907

Relics of the Ancient Indian Culture

BERKELEY, July 11. - The suburban trains from Berkeley to San Francisco pass several times hourly through a little station called Emeryville; but few passengers as they casually observe through the car windows the pavilion-crowned mound there located, have any conception of the archaeological significance of this relic of ancient Indian culture. Yet this and other similar mounds are almost the only witnesses of a primitive stage of culture which once obtained among the inhabitants of the locality. An interesting one hundred page bulletin by Dr. Max Uhle, just issued by the University of California press, is therefore a timely and welcome publication. The valuable data therein set forth is the result of several years' excavation instituted in 1902 by Professor Merriam and the writer of the bulletin, with funds generously provided by Mrs. Phoebe A. Hearst. The mound, which was probably first observed by the famous traveler, Fages, in 1774, now forms a conspicuous feature of the recreation grounds known as Shellmound park. This location was selected that the inhabitants might avail themselves of the fresh water flowing in the nearby creek known as Temescal. The mound like others, was not, as is often erroneously stated, a burial ground, but rather the site for dwelling places or abodes for the living. There are indeed, indications of some few burials having been made in the vicinity, but these are to be explained by the fact that many tribes of a low grade of civilization follow the custom of burying their dead underneath their feet in the ground upon which they live, in order to protect the graves against disturbance, and also to enjoy the protection of the spirits of the dead against their enemies.

Make Excavations. 

Dr. Uhle and Prof. Merriam commenced their work with an excavation on the western slope of the mound facing the bay. From this point they made at the outset a lateral cutting; the trench thus started was continued underground by a tunnel whose terminal point sank twelve feet below the level of the bay. The porosity of the soil compelled the scientists to timber and sheath the sides of the tunnel, while the constant flow of water rendered resort to a small hand pump necessary. Following the completion of the tunnel an upper vertical cut was made to provide a view of all the strata contained in the mound, which were ten in number. Among the constituents of the mound may be mentioned shells, of which oyster, mussels and clams predominate; bones of a large number of animals, among them deer, elk, sea-otter, beaver, squirrel, rabbit, wild cat, wolf, bear, sea lion, whale, turtle, etc.; fire-places, known by beds several feet in length, consisting of charcoal and yellowish ashes, which were evidently employed by the Indians in the preparation of food; and human remains and relics, including the bones of men, and various artifacts.

Ten graves containing skeletons were found in the process of excavation, showing that during certain periods the custom of burial underneath the dwelling places was observed. A large number of calcined specimens indicated that the inhabitants of this region practiced cremation of their dead, burying all personal belongings with the body. It was customary also to throw a liberal supply of shell fish into the fire as food for the departed on their long journey into the next world. The preparation of the graves was not elaborate. A simple pit sufficed, and if any covering was employed, it must have been of perishable materials, for there are now no remnants. The bottom of the grave was arranged somewhat like a bed, there being first of all a layer of charcoal from one-half to one inch thick, and above that another layer of iron oxide. Upon this the body, with the the knees drawn up, was laid upon its side, clothed with wrappings and surrounded by personal ornaments, and in exceptional cases with utensils or implements. For burial the body was entirely covered with red earth which settled down upon the bones after decomposition and is still adhering to them in some cases like a thick crust.

Age of Mounds. 

The age of the mound is a matter of considerable interest. It is evident that the people living there depended for food upon shells, and in all probability were not agriculturists but fishermen, with perhaps hunting as a secondary occupation. Their implements were of the rudest kind, and it seems likely that their period was, roughly speaking, that of the stone age. Zoological, geological and anthropological facts do not preclude the possibility of an age numbering many centuries; neither do they prove it. Taking into account other factors it may be stated that so many and so enormous shell mounds must have taken centuries in their construction. Even the complete development of this peculiar mode of existence must have taken ages. It is therefore impossible to assume that the origin of the shell mounds represents a historical development of more than a thousand, possibly many thousand years; they may, however, have been inhabited almost to the threshold of modern times. The various forms of implements, and the diverse methods of burial observed in the different strata are indicative of an extended series of cultural stages.

Among the artifacts unearthed at the Emeryville mound are the following: Mortars, flat stones, pestles, hammer-like stones, tobacco pipes, utensils of bone, horn and the teeth of animals. The bulletin is profusely illustrated with carefully prepared cuts.

Relics of the Ancient Indian Culture, part 1 shellmound 12 Jul 1907, Fri Santa Cruz Sentinel (Santa Cruz, California) Newspapers.com

Relics of the Ancient Indian Culture, part 2 shellmound 12 Jul 1907, Fri Santa Cruz Sentinel (Santa Cruz, California) Newspapers.com