18%.] ^'^O [Gushing. 



the interments still remained undisturbed. Accordingly I forthwith 

 engaged workmen to excavate it systematically and thoroughly — a labor 

 that occupied several weeks. During its progress, however, we encoun- 

 tered the remains of more than six hundred skeletons. These, with 

 notable exceptions — probably those of chiefs and head men — had been 

 dismembered previouslj^ to interment, but were distributed in distinct 

 groups that I regarded as communal or totemic and phratral, and of 

 exceeding interest ; for they seemed to indicate that the burial-mound 

 had been regarded by its builders as a tribal settlement, a sort of "Little 

 City of their Dead," and that if so, it might be looked on as still, in a 

 measure, representing the distribution and relations of the clans and 

 phratries in an actual village or tribal settlement of these people when 

 living. Moreover, in the minor disposition of the skeletons that had 

 not been scattered, but had been buried in packs, or else entire and 

 extended, in sherd-lined graves or wooden cists within and around each 

 of these groups, it seemed possible to still trace somewhat of the relative 

 ranks of individuals in these groups, and not a few of the social customs 

 and religious beliefs of the ancient builders. This possibility was still 

 further borne out by the fact that with the skeletal remains were associ- 

 ated, in ditiering ways, many superb examples of pottery and sacrificial 

 potsherds, and numerous stone, shell and bone iitensils, weapons, and 

 ornaments. That the SafFord mound was tj'pical was conclusively 

 shown when we were permitted hj Captain Hope, of Anclote, to exca- 

 vate a similar, although larger and higher mound, on land of his at 

 Finley Hammock, some nine miles to the northwestward of Tarpon 

 Springs, and when we found there also, abundant similar interments 

 and relics of like kinds, similarly distributed. 



Of all the art remains we recovered from these two mounds, none 

 possessed greater interest than the pottery. Considerable numbers of 

 unusual forms were found, including terra-cotta drums, tall, very ornate 

 cups or vases, and small flat -bottomed bowls, decorated by means of 

 etched and carved lines, some of these carved designs being maskoidal 

 in character, and obviously derived, as were the stamped and otherwise 

 wrought surface designs on countless sherds in the collection, from 

 woodenware forms and designs. By far the most interesting class of 

 this pottery was, however, such of it as had been decorated by puncta- 

 tion— literally by tattooing — not merely, I judged, in imitation of tat- 

 tooed totemic designs on the persons of those who had made and used 

 it, — but in an effort to veritably transfer or reproduce these designs ; 

 so that in studying them I recognized much in regard to the totemic 

 organization, and still more in relation to the mythic concepts of their 

 makers. I also perceived in these significances and designs, some of 

 Avhich correlated perfectly with those shown on the paintings of Florida 

 Indians given me by my lamented friend, the late Doctor G. Brown 

 Goode, and reproduced from water colors made by the Limner of Lau- 

 donnier's Expedition to Florida more than three hundred years ago — 



