ABT. 11 PREHISTORIC PIT HOUSE VILLAGE SITE KRIEGER O 



incorporated on surfaces of horn, wood, bone, and stone; substitution 

 of the bowl for the tubular stone pipe, and the entire absence of jade 

 celts and of ornamental objects of copper was noted in some of the 

 ancient cemeteries excavated by the writer along the lower and mid- 

 dle portions of the Snake Kiver Valley. Ancient basketry designs 

 also varied in the two areas. 



Investigations at the better known early centers of Indian popu- 

 lation at The Dalles by the department of anthropology of the Uni- 

 versity of California have led to the discovery of objects and of art 

 designs similar to those of the wooded area of the lower Columbia 

 Basin, although many surface finds of a varied nature have been 

 made there. All of the upper plateau tribes had recourse to the 

 salmon and other varieties of fish in the Columbia and tributary 

 streams and derived in this manner a plentiful food supply. Groups 

 from each of the plateau tribes visited well-known fishing grounds at 

 the several rapids and falls. It is therefore possible to make minor 

 comparisons of the various kinds of abandoned fishing equipment, 

 pestles, bowls, kitchen middens, and other implements and domestic 

 equipment left by these groups at the place of their temporary 

 encampment. Due to the temporary nature of hunting and fishing 

 camps, the large subsurface deposits of charcoal, kitchen refuse, arrow 

 points, canoe parts, and other fragmentary objects found in the vicin- 

 ity of these great trading and fishing centers afford no reliable indi- 

 cation of age. The impermanent and unstratified character of the 

 soil in the shifting beach or low river bench in which such deposits 

 are found is less likely to yield important archeological results than 

 are the permanent winter village sites, with their ruins of abandoned 

 pit houses and adjacent cemeteries. 



The falls and gorge of the Columbia Kiver where this stream breaks 

 through the Cascade Mountains marks the beginning of the wooded 

 area of the lower river valley. The early aboriginal inhabitants of 

 this region possessed a distinct type of culture which was based prin- 

 cipally on the use of wood in their arts and crafts, while the tribes 

 occupying the middle and upper river were expert in the utilization 

 of stone, horn, and bone. Realistic carvings of human figurines in 

 wood and bone, and curvilinear surface etchings on wood, bone, and 

 stone characterize the lower valley, while a more formal, conventional 

 rectihnear design executed chiefly on antler and stone distinguish the 

 art of the arid middle Columbia Valley. 



Traces of Indian occupation are in process of rapid obliteration by 

 the plow which is to-day the most productive excavator of antiquities. 

 Of the many sites inspected by the writer, excavation was undertaken 

 at eight. The largest collection of material exhumed, such as ceremo- 

 nial burial offerings and skeletal remains, was obtained from the pre- 

 historic pit house village site and cemetery at Wahluke, Grant County, 



