﻿APPENDIX 
  5 
  

   REPORT 
  ON 
  THE 
  BUREAU 
  OF 
  AMERICAN 
  ETHNOLOGY 
  

  

  Sir: 
  I 
  have 
  the 
  honor 
  to 
  submit 
  the 
  following 
  report 
  on 
  the 
  field 
  

   researches, 
  office 
  work, 
  and 
  other 
  operations 
  of 
  the 
  Bureau 
  of 
  Ameri- 
  

   can 
  Ethnology 
  during 
  the 
  fiscal 
  year 
  ended 
  June 
  30, 
  1943, 
  conducted 
  

   in 
  accordance 
  with 
  the 
  act 
  of 
  Congress 
  of 
  June 
  27, 
  1942, 
  which 
  pro- 
  

   vides 
  "* 
  * 
  * 
  for 
  continuing 
  ethnological 
  researches 
  among 
  the 
  

   American 
  Indians 
  and 
  the 
  natives 
  of 
  Hawaii 
  and 
  the 
  excavation 
  

   and 
  preservation 
  of 
  archeologic 
  remains. 
  * 
  * 
  *" 
  

  

  During 
  the 
  fiscal 
  year, 
  activities 
  concerned 
  with 
  the 
  other 
  American 
  

   republics 
  have 
  been 
  emphasized, 
  and 
  the 
  energies 
  of 
  various 
  staff 
  

   members 
  of 
  the 
  Bureau 
  have 
  been 
  directed 
  to 
  an 
  increasing 
  extent 
  

   to 
  projects 
  bearing 
  on 
  the 
  war 
  effort. 
  In 
  particular, 
  members 
  of 
  the 
  

   Bureau 
  staff 
  have 
  cooperated 
  with 
  the 
  Ethnogeographic 
  Board 
  in 
  

   preparing 
  information 
  for 
  the 
  armed 
  services, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  expected 
  that 
  

   efforts 
  in 
  this 
  direction 
  will 
  increase 
  as 
  the 
  war 
  continues. 
  

  

  SYSTEMATIC 
  RESEARCHES 
  

  

  On 
  January 
  13, 
  1943, 
  M. 
  W. 
  Stirling, 
  Chief 
  of 
  the 
  Bureau, 
  left 
  

   Washington 
  on 
  the 
  fifth 
  National 
  Geographic 
  Society-Smithsonian 
  

   Institution 
  archeological 
  expedition 
  to 
  southern 
  Mexico. 
  Excavations 
  

   were 
  continued 
  at 
  the 
  site 
  of 
  La 
  Venta 
  in 
  southern 
  Tabasco 
  and 
  re- 
  

   sulted 
  in 
  the 
  discovery 
  of 
  numerous 
  new 
  details 
  of 
  construction 
  of 
  

   the 
  rectangular 
  stone-fenced 
  enclosure, 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  central 
  features 
  of 
  

   the 
  site. 
  Three 
  rich 
  burials 
  of 
  important 
  personages 
  were 
  uncovered 
  

   containing 
  offerings 
  principally 
  of 
  jade 
  of 
  unusually 
  high 
  quality. 
  

   Two 
  mosaic 
  floors 
  in 
  the 
  form 
  of 
  jaguar 
  masks 
  made 
  of 
  polished 
  

   green 
  serpentine 
  were 
  discovered, 
  one 
  at 
  a 
  depth 
  of 
  more 
  than 
  20 
  feet. 
  

   During 
  the 
  course 
  of 
  the 
  work 
  an 
  exploration 
  trip 
  was 
  made 
  up 
  the 
  

   Rio 
  de 
  las 
  Playas, 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  headwater 
  streams 
  of 
  the 
  Tonala 
  River, 
  in 
  

   order 
  to 
  verify 
  the 
  existence 
  of 
  a 
  ruin 
  in 
  this 
  vicinity. 
  The 
  collections 
  

   obtained 
  during 
  the 
  course 
  of 
  excavations 
  at 
  La 
  Venta 
  were 
  shipped 
  

   to 
  the 
  National 
  Museum 
  in 
  Mexico 
  City. 
  Mr. 
  Stirling 
  was 
  assisted 
  

   throughout 
  the 
  season 
  by 
  Dr. 
  Waldo 
  R. 
  Wedel, 
  of 
  the 
  division 
  of 
  

   archeology 
  of 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  National 
  Museum. 
  

  

  During 
  the 
  course 
  of 
  the 
  fiscal 
  year 
  Mr. 
  Stirling 
  contributed 
  to 
  the 
  

   War 
  Background 
  Studies 
  of 
  the 
  Smithsonian 
  Institution 
  an 
  article 
  

   entitled 
  "Native 
  Peoples 
  of 
  New 
  Guinea," 
  which 
  was 
  published 
  as 
  

  

  47 
  

  

  