OONTKTKUTIONS OF AMERICAN ARCHEOLOGY TO HUMAN IflSTOin'. 558 



the slen(]or l)o<>iniiin<>s of (li(> savajic staire up to its greatest expan- 

 sion at tilt' iHvsent (lay. Tlic same litiurc may stand Avitli equal pro- 

 priety for the career of a single p('()|)li' oi' nation llial has i-eache<l 

 the hii^hest limit of culture. In the diagram, the heiiinnings of 

 cultural develo})ment are re})resented at the base of the ligiire hv a 

 few slender threads of activity. In savao-ery these thi-eads nndtiply 

 slowly into a considei-able number and, with ever accelei-ated i-apiditv. 

 divide and subdivide in l)arbarism and civilization. e.\])andin<r with 

 marvelous rapidity in the hori/on of enlightennicnl. \\'hile this 

 expanding figure may be regarded as expressing the growth of human 

 culture, it may also symbolize the develoijment of the i-ace in popula- 

 tion and in i^hysical perfection. 



The figure indicated by B may stand for the career of peoples of the 

 lowest existing order of culture, such as the Fuegians or Andama- 

 nese — peoples which can contribute to general history only within a 

 very limited range, since their cai-eer traverses only the lower half 

 of the field of savagery. It is to be noted, however, that these lowly 

 l^eoples can contribute much more fully to the history of this partic- 

 \dar stage of progress than can any of the nations that have ])assed 

 this stage and have risen to higher levels. 



The field covered by the 'American race is outlined in ('. Uncer- 

 tain and indefinite in the beginning stages, the traces being hardly 

 legible on account of the absence of written records and the insuffi- 

 ciency of archeological ivsearch, it develops upward, stopi)ing just 

 short of the level of civilization. Many strands of culture had ap- 

 peared and had grown strong, but writing had not been fully achieved 

 and other arts peculiar to civilization had not made their aj)pearaiu-e. 

 It is within this field that Americanists pursue their studies and make 

 their contributions to the history of the race and of developing civili- 

 zation. Above this stage they find nothing and below it only meager 

 and uncertain traces of the beginning stages of human culture. The 

 archeoiogist finds wdthin this limited American field, however, exten- 

 sive phenomena relating to the various branches of barbai'ian activity, 

 especially to such as leave their traces in material form. I*rominent 

 among these branches are agriculture, hunting, fishing, quarrying, and 

 mining. The shaping of implements and utensils, the building arts, 

 metallurgy, sculpture, ceramics, the textile arts, the graphic arts and 

 writing, Avar, games, culinary arts, religious arts, personal adornment, 

 the decorative arts, etc. These groups of phenomena, as exhibited in 

 America, have been the subject of earnest study by a large number of 

 scholars and already a great body of data relating to them has been 

 collected and an extensive literature is in existence. A few of the 

 more instructive of these groups may be l)riefly reviewed. 



Quarrying and mining. — Much of the history of the activities con- 

 cerned in the acquisition of the raw materials of subsistence and the 



