mation of the garments and the images, without any special other 

 signihcance attache I to the fire itself. 



With the San Nicolas islanders the kindling of four fires 

 at the cardinal points would indicate a well determined symhol- 

 ical and ritualistic purpose, rationally accounted for by Algon- 

 quin anil Yurok traditions. This burial custom is different from 

 the one of ihe coast region lying nearest the Santa Catalina 

 group of islands, variant also to the practices of other islands 

 l}ing north or south of Santa Catalina, San Clemente and San 

 Nicolas. 



While tlie use of four symbolic fires can be adduced to 

 Yurok influence, since the Santa Catalina islanders were known 

 to have voyaged northward as far as Monterey Cay and may 

 have come in frequent contact with the tribes of that region, the 

 use of the quartz crystal is associated with the Dieguenos and 

 the Luisenos cultures. 



J. P. Harrington in recent reports concerning his observa- 

 tions on that symbolical object, satisfactorily explains its employ- 

 ment in the mortuary practices of the Santa Cat-^lina Indians. 

 He states that it was mounted on a ceremonial staff of bone or 

 wood, and sometimes carried immounted. In Diegueno it was 

 called "kutatawi," and "paviut" in Luiseno. It was believed to 

 have been born of the Earth as were the First People. Not a 

 niade thing but one of original creation, which possessed the 

 power of rending asunder the hardest substances. It was also 

 endowed with the magic potency to open for its possessor the 

 wav through auv obstacle made of rock or wood, becominii', 

 therefore, an ideal symbolic object in mortuary ritualism. 



This new evidence would seem to confirm the claim that a 

 highly developed center of culture olitained on this particular 

 group of islands partalang of but strongly deferentiated from 

 that of the tribes on neighboring islands or surrounding shores. 



This theory is sustained by the finding, in the Imrial sites 

 imearthed, of steatite bowls, incised and inlaid with bird-bone 

 sections arranged in geometrical patterns and set in asphaltum ; 

 carved ornaments and small figures of foxes, ground squirrels, 

 whales, flying fishes and dolphins, togetlier with highly finished 

 implements of slate and other stone n-'a'-erial, carved bird-bone 

 beads, wampum from the purple hinge of the norrissia norrissii 

 shell, and numerous abalone shell ornaments of" artistic forms 



Of the burial sites on the mainland thus far explored, the 

 artifects found (]o not generally show the same higli character 

 of craftsmanshij). When objects of uiuisually fine fcrm and 

 finish are found, they are usually of steatite, indicating that they 

 were verv probablv obtained in exchange from the Santa Cata- 

 lina artificers, as this material comes exclusively from the Santa 

 Catalina quarries, and is not known to exist elsewhere on the 

 Coast. 



These recent finds of the Southwest Museum Expedition 



14 



