﻿NO. lO SMITHSONIAN EXPLORATIONS, I923 10/ 



seeds are first separated from the ])ulp with a rude screen made of 

 small saplings. The pulp of the fruit is then moulded into cakes, put 

 on wooden paddles and held over live coals to hake. After baking the 

 cakes are dried in the sun and stored. The persimmon cakes thus 

 prepared resemble chocolate cakes. A specimen which was furnished 

 by Mo^'-gi-tse-xi is now in the National Museum. The process of 

 preparing the persimmon for preservation is called (^ta-i"-ge ga-xe, 

 making gta-i"'-ge. In the autumn the people go out in groups and 

 camp in the woods to gather persimmons for preserving. 



Wa-to'", the squash, was also cultivated by the Osage. They always 

 raised a sufficient quantity to last till the next season. The pulp of 

 the fruit, after removing the seeds and the skin, is cut into long strips 

 which are hung up for a time to partly dry in the sun. after w^hich 

 they are taken down to be braided or woven into a mat-like shape and 

 hung up for the final drying. When thoroughly dried these woven 

 pieces are packed away in raw hide cases for winter use. The smaller 

 pieces left over are strung together on strips of bark to be dried in the 

 sun and stored. The squash was also counted as a sacred food and 

 was given special mention in the ancient tribal rites. 



A number of other wild plants afiforded the Osage plenty of food, 

 but the corn, squash, water chinkapin and persimmon are valued most 

 because they never fail to yield a dependable supply of food. 



ARCHEOLOGICAL WORK IN CALIFORNIA 



During the past summer the Bureau of American Ethnology has 

 been engaged in cooperative work in California with the Museum of 

 the American Indian ( Heye Foundation) . At the request of Mr. Heye, 

 Mr. John P. Harrington, ethnologist of the Bureau, was detailed to 

 take charge of the exploration of the site of the principal rancheria 

 of the Santa Barbara Indians, which is called the Burton Mound. 

 Several years ago efforts were made to obtain permission to excavate 

 this site, but when the Potter Hotel was erected on it in 1901 all hope 

 was given up, and it was supposed that the opportunity for opening 

 this mound had vanished ; but this hotel was burned a few years ago, 

 and the opportunity to excavate the site was obtained by Mr. Heye 

 from the Ambassador Hotel Corporation. The excavations under the 

 direction of Mr. Harrington for the Heye Museum and the Bureau of 

 American Ethnology were begun early in 'May. 1923, and the first 

 day's work located the position of the cemeterv on the slope leading 

 to the beach. 



