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POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY 



hardly any trace of regularity in the interments further than 

 this : the bodies were buried singly and, roughly speaking, in an 



irregular double circle 

 about the center of the 

 ranch eria ; they were 

 also buried without 

 previous mutilation or 

 separation, each skele- 

 ton being complete. 

 This is again a piece of 

 negative evidence go- 

 ing to prove that can- 

 nibalism was not prac- 

 ticed within the tribe ; 

 nor in our excavations 

 were any human bones 

 found broken for mar- 

 row, or in any situa- 

 tion indicating that 

 they formed a part of 

 the food supply for 

 the Robles Rancheria. 

 Layers of ashes and bits 

 of charcoal were found 

 irregularly throughout 

 every excavation made 

 for a skeleton, but 

 since they were also 

 found throughout the 

 length of a trench run 

 toward the center of the mound, we concluded that they had no 

 special connection with the burial, although it must be added 

 that a few skeletons showed traces of partial burning. 



The posture of the buried Indians is shown by Fig. 2, from a 

 photograph taken before the skeleton was removed. This pos- 

 ture is common among our North American Indians, and results 

 apparently from the attempt to compress the body into the 

 smallest possible space for burial. Each skeleton excavated 

 showed traces of this posture, except the irregular group to the 

 southwest of the mound, where the bones were found in a very 

 confused state, and where one large and complete skeleton was 

 found interred at full length on its back. No traces of any cov- 

 ering for the body were discovered. Among the skeletons re- 

 moved one of exceptional interest was very carefully taken out 

 by Mr. Edward Hughes. It was the skeleton of a very old Indian, 

 whose vertebrae had grown together so as to cause a terrible de- 



Fr 



