48
THE SUNDAY' OREGOXIAN, PORTLAND, 3IAY 6," 1906.
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iPROmABLYTfiEZOlJDEST
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BXVER, Colo.. Mav 1. (Special "Cor
respondence of The Sunday Ore
gonlan.) A race whose civilization
antedates the oldest evidences of human
life revealed by excavation In the old
world: whose social,' domestic and na
tlonal lives had reached a point of which
only the most enthusiastic of modern re
formers dream; who had discarded money
and who knew nothing of the evils It
carries with It; whose women wem su
preme In their sphere, and who led a life
of brotherly love and communion which
sociologists declare the civilization of the
future will adopt.
These are soma of the disclosures made
jy Professor Edgar L. Hewett, fellow of
tnj American Institute of Archaeology
and one of the foremost ethnologists of
the wrld, who has 3ust returned from
n Investigation of the ancient cliff dwel
lings In the Mesa Verde of Southwestern
Colorado.
A bill was passed by the Senate a few
days ago, setting aside the Mesa Verde
aa a National park, on account of Its re
markable curiosity and the need for pres-
rrvatlon of Its marvelous ruins. The.
House will undoubtedly pass the same
nxwsure this month.
Future study of these remnants of pre
historic days may, scientists declare,
prove that here waa the dawn of civili
sation end that It was these cliff dwellers
who. forced to abandon their homes by
climatic and geological changes, later
spread throughout the world and popu
lated it. Already the Investigations, so
far extremely superficial, have furnished
the strongest of evidence that these peo
ple were not deecendants or offshoots of
another and older people, but that they
themselves were the original root of the
family tree.
Of What Race?
Professor Hewett Is working with might
end main to have the ruins placed in
Federal control. He realizes their pre
clousness and the fact that nowhere on
the globe Is their duplicate. The entire
world may be startled when excavations
are made in the Mesa Verde if they are
ever allowed. Hlddon beneath the soil of
thousands upon thousands of years, are
relics of a people around whom clings a
black cloak of mystery. Professor Hew
ett has a life work ahead. It is to as
certain whether or not the Cliff Dwellers
were1 of the red. black, white or Mon
golian race. Peoples who lived in caves
or dug holes for themselves In cliffs, are
found in Colorado, Utah, New Mexico,
and one or two other sections. But the
Cliff Dwellers of the Mesa Verde seem to
have been a class by themselves the first
of the first. In order to ascertain
whether or not these primitive men and
women existed at the same period and
belonged to the same tribe, the most ex
haustive researches must toe made by
Professor Hewett. They include the
measurement of skeletons, comparison
with whatever relics may be encoun
tered, deductions drawn from modes of
life, and examinations of the earliest rec
ords of America and Asia.
' Gigantic Undertaking.
It is a tremendous undertaking. But
science cries for its prosecution. The
world must know who and what were
these prehistoric beings, .it will require
years to obtain a crumb of absolute fact.
But science will count each crumb a Jewel
and history may eventually undergo a
radical revision.
Some months ago. Professor Hewett
recommended, in an address before the
American Anthropological Association, In
part as follows:
' '. . . That the President of the
l'nlted . States shall be authorized in his
discretion to declare by public proclama
tion, historic landmarks, historic and pre
historic structures, and other objects
to the smalolst area compatible with the
of historic or scientific Interest that are
situated upon the lands owned or con
trolled by the Government, to be Na
tional monuments, and to reserve as a
part thereof, parcels of land, the limits
nf which in all cases should be confined
to the smallest area compatlable with the
proper care and management of the ob
jects to be protected. ..."
The recommendations were subsequently
unanimously adopted by a Joint session
of the Archaeological Institute of Amer
ica and the American Anthropological As
sociation and embodied In a bill which
was Introduced by Hon. John h Laeey
of Iowa. A resolution was also passed,
urging the creation of the Mesa Verde
National Park In Colorado. These meas
ures will be passed by Congress. Kach
has gone through one branch. The Mesa
Verde proposition recently went through
the Senate and the House will act favor
ably thereon before the close of the ses
sion. So It is that the Government will finally,
at this very lata day, when vandals have
almost ruined the homes of Cliff Dwellers,
assume control of the relics and preserve
them until Father Time completes a work
almost nnlshed. 'Phat the Federal au
thorities did not, many years ago. have
brought to their attention the priceless
evidences of a prehistoric race and their
bearing on the history of the human
family, seems a matter of wonderment
among scientists who have visited the
Mesa Verde and gasped at its marvels..
Skilled In Masonry,
Within the limits of Colorado and
extending over into Utah, Arizona and
New Mexico are the remains of this
sedentary people. They were skillful
to a degree in masonry. They loved
ornamentation. Their ideas were em
braced in symbolic characters. They
found themselves on arid plains and
mesas crossed by small rivers with
narrow flood plains. They built them
selves permanent homes. The element
of defense entered. No one knows,
however, that there was any reason
for defense that they were not the
tlrst. However, they wanted protec
tion. They were not skilled In the
offensive; only the defens)ve. It seems.
They went into secluded canyons with
great, overhanging cliffs, under which
they reasoned they could well build
their houses. The geology of the
country lent Itself admirably to the
needs of this primitive man. There
were many monstrous ledges of sand
stone extending over the canyons and
forming: very deep recesses, with level
floors, This made an excellent place
for the colony. The habitations would
be protected from the elements In
fact, the climax of home building In
primitive America, at least, was there.
Nowhere else did the art of construct
ing houses of stone attain such a high
plane as In the Mesa Verde. The sci
entist today can hardly Imagine a
stronger defensive site than the homes
.of the cliff dwellers. Some of them
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No. 1. One of the square towers -which
will . collapse soon unless
steps are taken to strengthen It.
No. X. ' A view of Cliff Palaee,
showing the thick walls and the
tower at either end.
No. S. A view of Cliff Palace, one
of the villages where hundreds of
the cliff dwellers were gathered.
No. 4. Sacred altar, one of which
was In every house.
No. B. One of the cliff dwellings,
showing the walls extending clear to
the roof of the overhanging cliff.
No. 6. . One of the round towers,
which Is still In a fair state of pres
ervation. '
- ' ' - ' '
with 1000 or 20S0 feet of" solid wall
above, and stuck away many hundreds
of feet to the rear. . These cliff dwell
ers could be reached only by a solitary
perilous trail, and one man could have
withstood an army, and a handful of
men a host. The builders adopted a
strongly defensive class of homes, not
trusting all to mere location. ' They
learned to construct a wall , with the
greatest possible strength. Their
round form of wall was very highly de
veloped. Sometimes their structures
would present an entire circular front.
Some had circular towers, . perfectly
built for defensive purposes. These
towers would often be built right up
to the ledga overhead,- making a fort
of -almost Invincible features.
In these secure dwellings and in
communities which offered the great
est possible scope for the development
of their peculiar traits, the clifT dwell
ers perfected a civilization and a so
ciological code which reforms of the
present day declare must have been
almost Ideal,
Where Women Keigned.
It was here that woman's supremacy
in her own sphere reached its highest
development. The men attended to
the fields and crops and built the little
fotresses for their families. But.
once constructed, the homes were ruled
absolutely by the women. And pleasant-
homes they were. Scrupulously
clean, sanitary and well ventilated,
they furnished ample scope for the de
velopment of a beautiful domestic life.
The woman ruled the home and hus
banded the supplies. She reared the
family and molded the character of
her children. 1,'nlike the present-day
customs, a man seeking the hand of
one' of the fair cliff" dwellers in mar
riage asked the consent of his loved
one"s mother. If she was willing, the
wedding took place. And then,- in
stead of tearing the young girl away,
taking her far from her friends and
relatives, and forolng her, while still
Inexperienced, to take up the respon
sibilities of managing" a house, the
groom took up his residence at the
home of the bride's parents. After a
year orso, when the girl was accus
tomed to the new life, the couple
would seek a residence of their own
and take up life by themselves.
Perfect In Physique. ,
The cliff dwellers were a remark
able people in the perfection of thetr
u
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must marry outside his own clan or
community. This was done In order
that there might not be even the most
remote connections of one family In
marriage. The result was that the
cliff dweller was a sound specimen
physically and ' mentally, and disease
was unknown among them.
.'- Children took the name of the moth
er instead of that of the father.. No
where has there ever been such rever
ence for the mother-right. Polygamy
was unknown,' and the marriage rela
tion was considered far more sacred
than it is today.
There was "no frenzied finance among
the cliff dwellers. The great necessi
ties, wood and water, were held in
common. They furnish the. only ex
ample known to history of a really
successful communistic mode of life.
Money was discarded, and research
shows that as the cllft dwellers devel
oped all mediums -of exchange van
ished. The result was a pure and simple
life, in which crime was unknown and
Jails unnecessary. There were no po
litical spoils to fight over, and the
community officers acted merely for
the honor the positions bestowed upon
them.
The cliff dwellers were not large
men and women. They had no need of
great strength because of their peace
ful life. They were, however, wiry and
strong. They were capable of great
feats of endurance and able to handle
Immensfl pieces of stone for their
building operations. But the intellect
was always supreme, and they delight
ed more in excelling in the arts and
In mental feats than in displays of
strength. .
Their Religion.
Religion, it is believed was : the most
marked characteristic feature of the cliff
dwellers, and when they left their homes
and settled in Mexico. It became almost a
mania. 'While the Aztecs made frequent
sacrifices of life to propitiate tneir gods,
there is no evidence of the worship of
the clitl-dwellers taking such a turn. .
In one room of, each house, .called the
kalva, there was an altar on which tne
sacred rites were daily performed. Under
which represented the opening through
which the human soul passed from the
lower world into life. Somewhat similar
to the belief of the modern redmen that
there Is a happy hunting-ground was the
hope of the . cliff-dwellers . for eternal
happiness after death In ' the Lake of
Shipapu. ""-Those who led the right life.'
they thought, would be rewarded by the
great -creator.
The dress of tfie cliff-dwellers was sim
ple and artistic. A remarkable cloth,
made from turkey feathers and . raboii.
fur, which was strong and durable and
served for both Winter and Summer, was
the material for their clothes. Their pro
cess for making this cloth is unknown,
and will probably remain one of the lost
arts: '.,.".
It Is believed that climatic changes, due
to the great geological mutations, caused
the cliff-dwellers to abandon their resi
dences. It Is known that there was, ages
ago, plenty of water in the region where
they made their homes, with which to ir
rigate their lands. Now the country Is
largely arid and would not furnish sus
tenance for a community of any. size.
Investigations may reveai that after
leaving their homes the cliff-dwellers em
igrated to all parts of the earth, and stu
dents say traces of their Influence are
to be found not only in the American" In
dian, but in the Esquimaux and the Mon
golians. While there is as yet nothing definite
on the subject, it is believed that these
remarkable dwellings have been in exist
ence for hundreds upon hundreds of cen
turies. They represent a civilization older
even than that of the tnaldeans, -whose
prehistoric ruins have until - now been
considered the most ancient In exist
ence. . Future Revelations.
, Just what future excavations will re
veal Is hard to predict.' The Mesa Verde
country and other regions of , Southern
Colorado, New . Mexico, Arizona and
Southern Utah are known to contain hun
dreds of thousands of the ruins of the
cliff-dwellings. Many of them have with
out a doubt been buried by geological
changes and the winds of centuries. But
in the canons of the Me?a Verde these
changes have bPn less violent than in
jvere buUt 1000. fee above the yalleytsnecles. It .was ' a .law, "j.uat. . man altar .was a hols called the saJijaujLoUjei regions. awL.jUia locmaUoa of the.
country is such - that the dwellings have
had almost perfect protection from the
elements. Scientists do not care to ven
ture an opinion as to how old these re
mains may really be, but they are con
fident that they are the oiuest ever un
earthed. The Spaniards, when they first
explored the district west of the Mis
sissippi River. 400 years ago, found in
Northern .New- Mexico the .remains of
huge Irrigating canals wuich must have
been constructed centuries and centuries
ago. They showed great engineering skill
and have since been put into use by set
tlers in the country.
But, old as these ancient canals were.
It is certain they were built by a people
who lived long after the cliff-dwellers
had left their homes, and were no doubt
built by offshoot of the cliff-dwellers,
who adapted themselves to conditions,
and wTho took this means of rendering the
arid land fertile.
It was in the ceramic art and in archi
tecture that the cliff-dwellers excelled. So
far as has been discovered, their liter
ature was not extensive and consisted for
the most part of myths and folklore
handed down from one generation to an-
large number of these myths. In which
the plumed serpent and the water-god
figured most prominently. There were
no regular schools, so far as can, be
learned, and the children received their
education at home.
Among the more noteworthy ruing of
the Mesa Verde should be mentioned Cliff
Palace, consisting, really, of several
buildings covering - a span of approxi
mately 300 feet. Some, of - the towers In
this village extend flush to the ledge
overhead, forming the room. This palace
shows that the deterioration of the dwell
ings Is no longer, due . to vandalism.
Many of the walls are falling of their
own weight.- -
Balcony house is another Interesting
ruin. In front of the building Is a sheer
precipice. The overhanging ledge comes
close to the tops of the houses, and only
one opening at the rear permits free ac
cess. The walls of this house are per
fectly smooth, made thus by rude stone
tools. This dwelling presents an excel
lent piec.i of primitive masonry. The
cement used, which is almost as hard as
the stone itself, was strengthened, by gyp
sum.
, xcavAtions iutvjs rveal4 LJUi a. Jspiv ffea'hpuaetfce. dojjrvJ . ilule-Xartiis aa,
ways, . ordinarily the small rectangular
openings, often had a depression at the
bottom, making the opening larger. This.
In the opinion of those who have studied
the curiosity. ' was to allqw the entrance
of wood-carriers, who carried , fuel on
their backs. By .stepping through the
opening with the depression, these loads
of wood would not strike. the roof of the
doorway.
The Mound Town Cliff Palace is in a
fairly good state of preservation. The
walls remain intact, despite former van
dalism. The stones are Irregular, but are
dressed smooth. Native sandstone was
used. ' : .
Another interesting relic is the interior
of a council chamber. This was a- room
for ceremonials and often prepared for
social dances. It was subterranean. A
bench 15 feet deep , extended all around
the chamber. - Pilasters we're erected st
intervals. A stone altar 30 inches high Is
Just back of a deep hole under the floor,
through whfch the evil spirits were sup
posed to flee. A similar altar is in use
today among the Pueblos.
If the present plans are carried out and
the bills Introduced pass Congress, as It
Is believed they will, the ruins of the
cliff-dwellers will be preserved In a great
reservation that will furnish pleasure
and profit to thousands In the years to
come. The section to be made a reserva
tion comprises almost as many natural
wonders as does Yellowstone National
Park, and the latter contains nothing of
so much interest to the student of arch
aeology as the cliff-dwelllnga.
There Is a flourishing society in Colo
rado, composed largely of , women and
styled the Colorado Cllff-Dwelllngs Asso
ciation, which has Interested itself In the
preservation of the ruins. It , wanted a
state reservation. It is almost certain,
however, that this plan will be defeated,
and that this wonderfully 'interesting re
gion will be made a National reservation.
A Little Farther On.
Chicago Tribune,
juit a little farther on waits a wondrous
morning- dawn.
When the boughs will break In blossoms
as a flag Is lifted up;
When the grass, will rise and run with the
laughter of the sun
And the sky will seem to poor ns wine
from out a magic cup;
And we'll sine beeauso of knowing all the
songs the wind Is blowing.
And the earth will be the gladder for the
dreary days agone.
Then we'll catch the murmured words in
the singing of the birds.
When the earth has rolled to Springtimt
Just a little farther on.
For the good old arth it knows where the
robin and the rose
Walt to set our hearts to leaping for the
beauty of the day,
An'd It knows the necromence of the violets
that dance
To the music of the brooklet that once
more is loosed In play. -Ho.
the blossom petals drifting in the breese
forever shifting.
And the forests flaming- greener for thetr
battle with the snows!
Then we'll catch the melodies of the waking
honey bees,
For the good old earth is rolling to the
robin and the rose.
Bhot your eyes, and you may dream of the
dandelion's gleam
Where the careless hand of Springtime has
been spilling all Its gold,
While the meadow over night flings aside
the Wintry blight
And Its carpet smooth as velvet is by '
fairy hands unroLled. -Then
we'll know the tang and tingle of the
blossom ecenta that mingle.
And we'll tate the Joy of living in the
wondrous morning dswn.
For we're swinging to live wiles of the
singing and the smiles.
10 tne piBsrunrss 01 . spring uzn- -Just s
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