68 ANNUAL REPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 1926 
was continued at ruined village sites of the Santa Ines, Ojai, and 
Simi Valleys and at several of these sites extensive excavations were 
made revealing an earlier and later coast Indian culture. Picto- 
graphs were discovered and photographed; also rocks which were 
“first people” petrified, and which figure in Indian legends still 
extant. Spirit footprints on the rocks, both of moccasined and bare 
feet, made by these “ first people ” when the earth was still soft and 
muddy, were found at several places and photographed. At San 
Marcos the bowlders on a hillside represent the warriors of a mythic 
battle; some are standing with the blood from wounds running down 
their sides, seen as stains on the rock. A curious medicine rock was 
also visited, the size of a man and standing erect and surrounded 
at least at the present time by a bunch of opuntia cactus which keeps 
the curious at a respectful distance. At Rincon were photographed 
a couple of tall bowlders which stand six feet apart. To have good 
luck in hunting, so that one would be able to jump successfully among 
the rocks in the mountains, it was the custom for Indian boys to 
spring from one to the other of these bowlders. They also were 
called “ medicine.” 
Mr. Harrington also discovered at Rincon the ruins of a medicine 
house formerly used by the island wizards for secret ceremonies. 
An enormous bowlder is supported on several rocks forming a nat- 
ural cave, still smudged on the interior by the smoke of ancient fires. 
In front of this chamber on the east is a circular corral or parapet 
18 feet in diameter and rising to a height of 3 feet. From the 
top of this stone wall rafters had formerly extended to the roof of 
the cave chamber, and on these thatch had been placed. It is 
believed by the Indians that if a person comes upon this place by 
mistake, thunder, lightning, and rain will immediately result. 
The construction of a Mission Indian house by one of the few 
survivors who still know how to make them was next attempted 
under the direction of Mr. Harrington, and an excellent series of 
photographs was obtained, showing the house in all the successive 
stages of building. The jacal is slightly elliptical in shape, with 
the door, less than 4 feet high, at one end. Door leaves, both of 
woven tules and of jarilla, were constructed. The diameter of the 
structure is 13 feet, and it is only 7 feet high, with an unduly 
ample smokehole at the top. 
Post holes a step apart and the same distance in depth were dug 
with a short bar of willow, the earth being scooped out with the 
hand. ‘Tall and slender willow poles were selected with the greatest 
care from a place where the growth was thick. These poles were 
burnt down. Eight of them were first erected in the post holes, 
forming a Greek cross. Opposite pairs of poles were then arched 
and lashed together with yucca tyings. Only after the complete 
