Part 17

Grave No. 15. Cremation circle excavated on June 10, 11 and 12. Shown from the east in photograph No. 44494, 5-7. It is 56 feet west of grave No. 14 and further up the terrace. The outside circle of stones measured 15 feet north and south by 15 feet east and west. The next circle of stones measured 9 feet north and south by 9 feet east and west. The space inside the stone circle measured 7 feet north and south by 7 feet east and west. The depth varied from 2 feet 6 inches in the east and south parts to 4 feet in the north and west parts below all of which was a pitching layer of basaltic rocks. The three rings of stones surrounded a hollow. The inner row was about 12 inches lower than the outer ring. Several boulders were found in the grave. Ashes and lava composed the grave soil. The whole cremation circle seemed to have been the burned remains of a communal or family depository for the dead, probably a hut like an underground winter house walled around the edge of the roof with stones. Two skeletons were found on the bottom, apparently not burned, but much decayed. They were discarded. Numbers 202-8175 to 202-8182 were found in this grave.

202-8175. Charcoal was abundant but most of it was found about 14 inches deep.

202-8176. Broken and charred human bones of about twelve individuals were found throughout the grave in a space about 8 by 5 feet beginning at the east inner ring of stones and extending beyond the second circle on the west. They were found from 8 inches deep to parts of the bottom.

202-8177. Dentalium shells were very abundant.

202-8178. Engraved dentalium shells (Fig. 118).

202-8179. Several kinds of shell ornaments were found in the northern and northwestern parts of the grave.

202-8180. Several burned pieces of shell.

202-8181. One piece of metal, probably copper.

202-8182. Several pieces of shell of different kinds.

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Grave No. 16. Shallow cremation circle, 13 feet north and south by 14 east and west (outside); 5 feet north and south by 7 feet east and west (inside). Charred human bones of a child about 10 years old were found.

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Grave No. 17. Cremation circle situated 58 feet west from grave No. 15 and 46 feet west from grave No. 16. Its diameter was 13 feet east and west by 14 feet north and south outside of all stones. The diameter was 5 feet east and west by 6 feet north and south inside. At the middle of the stone ring the diameter was 9 feet. The middle of the excavation was 3 feet deep in volcanic ash. No evidence of burning was found among the bones except the presence of charcoal at a depth of four feet. Parts of at least four skeletons, one adult, and children were found, all much broken and separated. The bones were mostly in the southwestern end of the excavation. No skull bones were found except a lower jaw, while in grave No. 13 most of the pieces found were of skulls. Numbers 202-8183 to 202-8185 were found here.

202-8183. Three shell ornaments found in the northeastern part of the grave.

202-8184. Two dentalium shells found in the western part of the excavation. These were the only two found in the whole grave.

202-8185. Piece of copper found in the northwestern part of the grave.

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Grave No. 18. Cremation circle situated 84 feet south of grave No. 14. This grave had possibly been rifled. The stone circle was 15 feet in diameter outside and 9 feet in diameter inside. The excavation was 2 feet, 6 inches to 3 feet 6 inches deep. Excavation 7 feet by 6 feet. Some fragments of human bones were found on the surface. There were more stones mixed in the earth than in the graves previously excavated here; viz: Nos. 13 to 17. Ashes were abundant especially at the bottom. Many pieces of much broken human bones were found but not as many as were seen in grave No. 15 and they were less burned than in that grave. Numbers 202-8186 to 202-8187 were found in this grave.

202-8186. Two engraved dentalium shells.

202-8187. Two dentalium shells of which one was crushed and discarded. A broken flat shell ornament which we also discarded, was found here.

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Graves Nos. 19-20. These cremation circles were of the usual construction, showed nothing new and contained no specimens.

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Grave No. 21. Cremation rectangle last explored on the terrace near the mouth of the Naches River and situated 300 feet northwest from the two bridges. The rectangular enclosure was bounded by a single row of stones, but on the south several rows were placed outside to conform with the slope of the hill covering a semi-circular area, while on the west was a second row of marking stones. It was 12 feet long north and south by 8 feet wide east and west and 3 feet, 6 inches deep. Part of a child's skull, two scapulae, two tibiae, and a piece of a femur of another child; bones of a young adult; a small piece of skull and part of a femur of an adult were found. All the bones were in a poor state of preservation. Numbers 202-8188 to 202-8189 were found in this grave.

202-8188. Dentalium shells.

202-8189. A shell ornament was found in this excavation. A piece of beaver tooth and several pieces of decayed cedar were also found and discarded.

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99-4321. See grave No. 25.

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Grave No. 22. Rock-slide grave located near the top of the slide and above the flume on the southern side of the Yakima Ridge on the northern side of the Yakima River about a mile eastward from the mouth of the Naches River. Traces of wrappings of stitched rush matting were seen in the grave.

99-4322. Adult skeleton, partly bleached, flexed on back, head north as shown in situ after removing covering rocks in photograph (no. 44516, 7-6 from the south by west), Plate VIII, Fig. 2 (pp. 15 and 142).

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Grave No. 23. A grave 600 feet up on the plateau south of Oak Spring Canon, in a dome-shaped mound of volcanic ash left by the wind. It was not like a rock-slide grave. Somewhat angular stones unlike rock-slide material among which were no pebbles, formed a rectangular pile, 15 feet long by 12 feet wide. The grave contained many stones, several modern beads, evidently part of a rosary, two dentalium shells and a human lower jaw, but all were discarded.

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Grave No. 24. This grave was located in a dome of volcanic ash on the hill or plateau north of the Ahtanum River and northwest of Mr. A. D. Eglin's house near Tampico. It was marked by a rectangular group of rough and wind smoothed rocks (not rock-slide or river pebble) which extended down as in the crude cairns, 6 feet northeast and southwest by 4 feet wide northwest and southeast, the vault being 5 feet by 3 feet. Numbers 99-4323 and 202-8190 were found in this grave.

99-4323. A skeleton of a child found in a very much decomposed condition. Some of the bones showed anchylosis. The skull was found in the southwest of the grave with part of the pelvis, two humerii and a scapula. The rest of the skeleton was scattered, the lower jaw being in the northwest corner of the grave with the femora, tibiae and fibulae. The skull faced northeast and rested on the occiput.

202-8190. Bone point found at the side of the skull.

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99-4324. See grave No. 27.

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Grave No. 25. Eglin stone grave located in a volcanic ash knoll left behind by wind and surrounded by 'scab land' on the bottom land about 18 miles up and west of North Yakima or nearly to Tampico, Yakima County, and on the north side of the river road, but east of the north and south branch road which is east of Mr. Sherman Eglin's place; about 600 feet north of the north branch of the Ahtanum river and about 15 feet above the water level. Over the grave was a stone heap of angular basalt about 8 feet in diameter. At a depth of 3 feet, after finding stones all the way down, was a cyst (Negative, nos. 44498, 5-11 and 44499, 5-12, reproduced in Plate X, from the same station looking east), made up of slabs averaging 2 inches in maximum thickness with thin sharp edges about 2 feet by 18 inches and smaller. There were two such cover stones, some at the sides and ends. Sometimes two or three such slabs were found parallel or overlapping. There were no slabs or floor below the skeleton. This grave resembled very much the stone graves of Ohio and Kentucky except that the slabs were not of limestone and there was a pile of rocks over the stone cyst. Numbers 99-4321, and 202-8191 to 202-8195 were found in this grave.

99-4321. In the cyst about on a level with the lower edges of the enclosing slabs was the skeleton of a child about six years old with head west, face north, and the knees flexed on the left side. The skull was slightly deformed by occipital pressure (Plate X).

202-8191. Horizontally under the vertebrae was found an engraved slab of antler in the form of a costumed human figure with the engraved surface up (Fig. 121).

202-8192. Dentalium shells were found under the body, from the neck to the pelvis.

202-8193. Ten engraved dentalium shells (Fig. 117).

202-8194. A bit of bone.

202-8195. Charcoal found in this grave.

The grave (No. 25) and its contents seem to antedate the advent of the white race in this region or at least show no European influence.

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99-4322 to 99-4323. See graves nos. 22 to 24.

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Grave No. 26. Rock-marked grave in a dome left by the wind near the pasture gate on Mr. A. D. Eglin's place and about half a mile north of his house near Tampico. A heap of somewhat angular wind abraded rock some being smooth, (none being river pebbles or rock-slide material) marked the grave and extended below the surface about two feet. Then about 1 foot of earth intervened between them and thin rocks found around the bones of a very young child. The skull was in the northwest end of the grave and was disarticulated. The depth was 4 feet, the length of the excavation 4 feet, and the width 3 feet. The skeleton was found with the head northwest and the pelvis southeast. A grave with outward appearance resembling this except that it had river pebbles among the stones of the pile is shown in Fig. 2, Plate IX, (Negative no. 44497, 5-10 taken from the north of east).

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Grave No. 27. Rock-marked grave in a dome of volcanic ash left by the wind located about half a mile north of Mr. A. D. Eglin's house near Tampico. This grave was like a rude cairn being rudely walled and found filled with earth and stones as well as covered by rocks of which eight or nine weighing about 15 or 20 pounds, showed above the surface of the ground. Its depth was 4 feet, length 5 feet, and its width, 3 feet 6 inches, extending west southwest and east northeast. A little charcoal was found in this grave also.

99-4324. Adult skeleton found flexed on left side, facing northeast.

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Grave No. 28. Rock-slide grave located in a small irregular rock-slide on the north side of Cowiche Creek about 3 miles west of its mouth and about 40 feet above the road. The rocks were piled up in a crescent-shaped ridge on the lower side of the grave. Four sticks about four feet long were found planted upright among the stones. The grave extended east and west. Parts of a human skeleton were found. It was in a flexed position, head west, skull and the bones of the upper part of the body broken and decomposed. The bones of the lower part of the body were well preserved. The skeleton had been wrapped in matting or bark, several pieces of matting being found in the grave as well as parts of a basket. Numbers 202-8196a and 202-8196b were found in this grave.

202-8196a. Chipped point of mottled quartz found near the skull (Plate II, Fig. 3).

202-8196b. Chipped point of white quartz found near the skull (Plate II, Fig. 4).

202-8197. Pestle or roller made of stone from the surface about a mile east of Fort Simcoe. This is of cylindrical shape tapering to both ends but to one more than to the other. Both ends are fractured (Fig. 37).

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Grave No. 29. Rock-marked grave located on a plateau above Wenas Creek near its mouth and about seven miles north of North Yakima. The rocks marking the grave covered a space 6 feet by 4 feet and extended down to the skeleton which was very much broken but not decomposed. No objects other than some charcoal were found in this grave.

All the other graves in the vicinity of the mouth of Wenas Creek seem to have been rifled.

202-8198. Broken ulna of a deer found at the mouth of Wenas Creek about 7 miles north of North Yakima.

Numbers 202-8199 to 202-8204 were found on the surface at the mouth of Wenas Creek.

202-8199. Small chipped point made of red jasper.

202-8200a-c. Three chipped points made of white chert.

202-8201. Broken and burned chipped point made of white chert.

202-8202. Broken triangular chipped point made of white chert.

202-8203. Chipped point made of reddish white chert (Plate II. Fig. 13).

202-8204 a, b. Two chipped pieces of white chalcedony.

Numbers 202-8205a-e to 202-8206f were found in the valley of Wenas Creek, on the surface near where the trail from North Yakima to Ellensburg crosses the creek, about 7 miles north of North Yakima.

202-8205a-e. Five pieces of agate of reddish or amber color.

202-8205f. Agate of whitish color

202-8206a. A chip of stone.

202-8206b-e. Four pieces of stone.

202-8206f. Chip of stone.

Numbers 202-8207 to 202-8209 were found on the surface at the mouth of Wenas Creek.

202-8207. Pestle made of stone.

202-8208. Pestle made of stone.

202-8209. Broken pebble, battered on the side.

202-8210. Fragment of a pestle made of stone of nearly square cross section. Found on the surface three miles north of Clemen's ranch, on Wenas Creek where the trail from North Yakima to Ellensburg crosses.

202-8211. Pestle found about 28 miles north of North Yakima, on the trail to Ellensburg. It was in a dry creek in "Kittitass" Canon. This canon is probably the Manastash not the "Kittitass," as we were told.

ELLENSBURG.

202-8212. Base of a triangular chipped point made of jasper found on the surface near the town reservoir on the ridge east of Ellensburg.

Numbers 202-8213 to 202-8222 were found on the surface of the bottom land west of Cherry Creek, near Ellensburg. The place was a village site and is on the farm of Mr. Bull near where an east and west road crosses the creek, and opposite where the creek touches on the east, the west base of the upland. At this point the creek comes up to the upland from the lowland to the north (p. 12).

202-8213. Chipped boulder.

202-8214. Notched boulder, or net sinker.

202-8215. Battered pebble.

202-8216. Four burned stones.

202-8217. Gritstone, probably a whetstone.

202-8218. Pebble.

202-8219. Unio shells.

202-8220. Six chips.

202-8221. Scraper chipped from chalcedony (Fig. 52).

202-8222. Chipped point of heart shape made of clove brown jasper. (Plate II, Fig. 12).

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Grave No. 30. Stone circle located on the crest of a western extension of the Saddle Mountains on Mr. Bull's farm, east of Cherry Creek and about seven miles south of Ellensburg. The place is east of the village site above-mentioned which is on the bottom land along the west side of the creek at this point. A circular ring of stones, 10 feet in diameter marked the grave. Smaller stones and earth in the middle extended 3 feet 6 inches down to the skeleton. No objects were found except a plentiful supply of charcoal.

99-4325. The bones of an adult human skeleton which appeared as if it had been flexed were found very much out of anatomical order. It lay northeast and southwest in the southeast part of the grave. There was a large hole in the right frontal of the skull which lay facing the northwest. The lower jaw was found on top of the skull with its angle east. Fragments of the tibiae were blackened by fire.

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Grave No. 31. Rock-slide grave located in the rock-slide on the west side of the bluff, a western extension of the Saddle Mountains, east of Cherry Creek and about half a mile southwest of Mr. Bull's house. One small piece of decayed wood was found projecting above the rock-slide, and it was the only indication of the grave, there being no cavity over it. Among the rocks, four more posts were found, one at each corner of the grave. These had evidently rotted off even with the surface, having formerly, no doubt, extended above it. The depth of the grave was from 2 to 3 feet, according to the slope of the hill. Numbers 99-4326 and 202-8223 to 202-8228 were found in this grave.

99-4326. Skeleton of a child with anchylosed neck vertebrae. Some of the bones were bleached. The bones were very much displaced, the skull being found in the middle of the grave and some of the vertebrae being found near the surface, but most of the bones were around the skull. The body dressed and wrapped in matting had been placed between four large boulders.

202-8223. Fragments of leather or skin clothing.

202-8224. Dentalium shells.

202-8225. Glass beads.

202-8226. Three bracelets made of iron (Fig. 96).

202-8227. A bone disk with central perforation (Fig. 80).

202-8228. A bit of a fresh water shell.

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Grave No. 32. Rock-slide grave located about 30 feet south southwest of grave No. 31 and in the same rock-slide. It had the same characteristics but had evidently been disturbed, the skull being missing. No artifacts were found in the grave.

99-4327. Adult skeleton without skull and some bones of a little child. The bones of an adult were found in a heap except the vertebrae which lay extended full length; cervical vertebrae to the north. The bones of one ankle, a tibia, and fibula were diseased. The cervical vertebrae are anchylosed; and one of the ribs is abnormal. The bones of the knees are partly bleached. The bones of the child being found between the ribs and the pelvis suggest that it was foetal.

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Grave No. 33. Rock-slide grave located 40 feet south southwest from grave No. 31 in the same rock-slide with it. There was nothing on the surface to indicate this grave, but below the surface of the slide on the upper side of the grave, were three rows of sticks, about 3 feet long, standing vertically and close to each other. These seemed to be so placed that they would prevent the slide from further movement towards the grave. The grave cavity was 5 feet south southeast by 4 feet east northeast and 4 feet deep on one side, 3 feet on the other, or averaging about 3-1/2 feet deep, and extending into the soil below the slide. Numbers 99-4328 and 202-8229 to 202-8230 were found in this grave.

99-4328. In the bottom of the grave the skeleton of a youth was found. It was in good condition, lying on its back, facing west, but having rolled westward. The legs were flexed so that the femora lay at right angles or to the southeast of the pelvis, and the tibiae and fibulae lay parallel to them. The arms lay extended at the sides of the body with the hands on the pelvis. Three of the arm bones and one pelvis bone are stained by copper. The tibia of a child was found with these.

202-8229. Mat of twined rushes found under the pelvis. The rushes were stitched together in pairs with cord and each pair was twisted once between each stitch (Fig. 71).

202-8230. Open twine matting of rushes held together with cords woven around them, skin with hair on it, and in this were copper beads strung with beads made of dentalium shells on a leather thong (Fig. 72).

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Grave No. 34. Rock-slide grave found 5 feet south southwest of grave No. 32. There were no surface indications of the grave. Posts of decayed wood were found extending from the surface down to about 6 inches from the bottom. The tops appeared to have been cut off and probably never extended above the surface. Numbers 99-4329 and 202-8231 to 202-8246 were found in this grave.

99-4329. The skeleton of a young child with a persistent frontal suture was found at a depth of from 3 to 4 feet with the head east, trunk on back, femora at right angles to tibiae, and fibulae parallel to them, flexed to left or south.

202-8231. Skin with the hair on found on body.

202-8232. Matting.

202-8233. Several rows of beads, some of copper, others of glass and still others of sections of dentalium shells were found at the neck, arms and legs. These are strung on pieces of thong, some of which are wound at the ends. Some of them are on coarse twisted, and others on fine twisted plant fibre (Fig. 74).

202-8234a, b. Two pendants made of haliotis shell were found, one near the head and one at the pelvis (Fig. 91).

202-8235a, b. Two copper pendants were found at the legs, _b_ has a thong in the perforation.

202-8236a-d. Four bracelets made of copper found on the arms (Fig. 95).

202-8237. Teeth of a rodent found in the grave.

202-8238. A square pendant made of copper with a thong and bead made of copper (Fig. 78).

202-8239. A pendant made of copper (Fig. 83).

202-8240. A bit of wood bounding a knot hole.

202-8241. Two dentalium shells.

202-8242. A piece of iron.

202-8243. Woodpecker feathers, some bound at the tips with fabric, one with feather, and fur or moss.

202-8244. A copper ornament found among the rocks over this grave about 1 foot deep.

202-8245. A pendant made of brass with thong and bead made of copper found among the rocks over this grave about 1 foot deep (Fig. 84).

202-8246. A pendant made of copper with thong found about 1 foot deep among the rocks over this grave (Fig. 82).

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