FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   6   7   8   9   10   11   12   13   14   15   16   17   18   19   20   21   22   23   24   25   26   27   28   29   30  
31   32   33   34   35   36   37   >>  
l"--from the front of the fissure, thus exposing a few bones, which lay sun-bleached on the talus slope (Annual Report, 1888, p. 127). THE BURIALS The small cave at Bahia de Los Angeles contained at least seven burials: six adults and "fragments of one or more infants" (Annual Report, 1888, p. 128). These burials were extended with an east-west orientation corresponding to the axis of the fissure; the foot bones were to the west, at the mouth of the cave, and the crania were in the tapered interior. The published report does not indicate whether placement was prone or supine. According to the Report the burials had been placed on a layer of sewn rush matting (139533[1]; see "Matting"), of which three bundles were collected. [1] Numbers throughout this paper refer to catalogue numbers of the United States National Museum unless otherwise specified. The artifacts described here were found in direct association with the skeletons. There are few details as to actual associations. However, three hairnets (139534) were found on three of the crania. To date, the use of small caves for the specific purpose of burial appears to be characteristic only of the extreme south of Baja California, in the Cape Region. Interments there were customarily secondary, although primary burials, usually flexed, do occur (Massey, MS 1). In the extensive area that lies between Bahia de Los Angeles and the Cape Region, excavations have failed to produce cave cemeteries. To judge from published reports, such a custom was rare elsewhere in western North America. A variety of artifacts accompanied the burials, but while the range of types is large, the number of any one type is small. Preservation of all specimens is generally good. We are fortunate in having perishable pieces--netting, matting, cloth, and wood. Certain general categories of items, such as household utensils and remains of foodstuffs, are absent and unreported. ARTIFACTS STONE _Tubular stone pipes._--Two tubular sandstone pipes were recovered from the cave. They are dissimilar in size, and, in some particulars, in manufacture. The larger specimen (139563; pl. 12, _e_) is a ground sandstone tube, 29.8 cm. long. In shape it tapers very gradually from the broad bowl end to the narrower mouth end. The conical bowl is 3.5 cm. deep; the mouth end has a depth of 1.6 cm. A small (4 mm.) drilled hole connects the two ends. The mouth end is filled b
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   6   7   8   9   10   11   12   13   14   15   16   17   18   19   20   21   22   23   24   25   26   27   28   29   30  
31   32   33   34   35   36   37   >>  



Top keywords:
burials
 
Report
 

published

 

crania

 

sandstone

 

matting

 

Angeles

 

Annual

 

fissure

 
artifacts

Region
 

Certain

 

specimens

 

categories

 

general

 
fortunate
 

perishable

 

Preservation

 
pieces
 

netting


generally

 

America

 

cemeteries

 

reports

 
custom
 

produce

 

failed

 

excavations

 

western

 

number


variety
 
accompanied
 
narrower
 

conical

 

gradually

 
tapers
 

connects

 

filled

 

drilled

 
Tubular

tubular

 
recovered
 

ARTIFACTS

 

remains

 

utensils

 
foodstuffs
 
absent
 
unreported
 

dissimilar

 
139563