SECRETARY'S REPORT 39 



1953. Among these have been a rapid decline in the use of the Black- 

 feet language by the Indians, the virtual disappearance of living links 

 between the traditional buffalo-hunting culture and the present, the 

 probable discontinuance of the tribal sun dance in 1959, the transfer- 

 ence of Indian education from Indian Service schools to public 

 schools of the State of Montana, and the abolition of Indian prohibi- 

 tion followed by the opening of several taverns in the town of Brown- 

 ing. Mr. Ewers obtained pertinent information which enabled him 

 to bring up to date liis studies of the history of the Blackfeet arts 

 and crafts. 



During the last half of August and early September Mendel L. 

 Peterson, head curator of armed forces history, explored underwater 

 sites in Bermuda. He took part in an investigation of four ship- 

 wreck sites, three of which dated from the 17th century and the 

 fourth from the early 19th century. A collection of several hundred 

 objects was recovered and forwarded to the Smithsonian. The most 

 interesting wreck site examined is believed to be that of the San 

 Antonio^ a ship of the Spanish treasure fleet which was wrecked on 

 the southwestern reefs of Bermuda in 1621. Outstanding among the 

 hundreds of objects recovered are two wine jars of different shape and 

 size in perfect condition. Both are of extremely rare types. Addi- 

 tional items recovered were money cowries, blue glass trade beads, 

 tanbark, tanned leather, a very large number of red-ware shards, 

 Talavera shards, and some jars of numerous shapes. Among the 

 ordnance materials found were solid iron shot of two sizes, an ex- 

 tremely rare stone shot, small spheroid pebbles used in swivel guns, 

 and three varieties of wire musket shot believed to be unique. A sec- 

 ond ship investigated was the Sea Venture^ which was wrecked in 

 1609 and resulted in the settlement of Bermuda. There is no doubt 

 about the identity of this ship ; an irrefutable chain of evidence has 

 been discovered on the site, and the location of the wreck and circum- 

 stances of its stranding coincide perfectly with eyewitness accounts 

 of the event. The two remaining ships are the Virginia Merchant, 

 destroyed in 1660, and the Caesar, an English merchant ship bound 

 for Baltimore that struck reefs southwest of Bermuda in 1818. 



EXHIBITIONS 



In the introductory statement of this Eeport the work completed 

 in the Smithsonian's exhibits-modernization in the past 8 years has 

 been summarized. Twenty-two National Museum halls are described 

 in some detail in that recapitulation. It therefore seems appropriate 

 here to record only a few additional details that pertain particularly 

 to events of the past year. 



During the year six modernized exhibition halls were opened to 

 the public. 



626325—62 4 



