﻿72 
  ANNUAL 
  REPORT 
  SMITHSONIAN 
  INSTITUTION, 
  1927 
  

  

  Three 
  of 
  the 
  caves 
  showed 
  evidences 
  of 
  an 
  occupation 
  extending 
  

   over 
  a 
  considerable 
  period, 
  judging 
  from 
  the 
  amount 
  of 
  debris 
  and 
  

   ash 
  on 
  the 
  floors. 
  In 
  the 
  course 
  of 
  two 
  hours' 
  digging. 
  12 
  sandals, 
  

   a 
  number 
  of 
  spear 
  shafts, 
  a 
  fragment 
  of 
  netting, 
  several 
  pieces 
  of 
  

   cord, 
  portions 
  of 
  rabbit 
  sticks, 
  a 
  few 
  beads, 
  and 
  two 
  potsherds 
  were 
  

   found. 
  

  

  The 
  sandals 
  are 
  of 
  a 
  rare 
  and 
  interesting 
  form 
  which 
  is 
  not 
  com- 
  

   mon 
  in 
  the 
  better-known 
  portions 
  of 
  the 
  Southwest. 
  A 
  loop 
  of 
  yucca 
  

   was 
  twisted 
  to 
  form 
  the 
  edges 
  of 
  the 
  sole 
  and 
  yucca 
  leaves 
  woven 
  

   back 
  and 
  forth 
  across 
  this 
  framework. 
  Similar 
  specimens 
  have 
  been 
  

   found 
  in 
  caves 
  in 
  portions 
  of 
  west 
  Texas, 
  east 
  of 
  the 
  present 
  site, 
  

   and 
  at 
  one 
  or 
  two 
  places 
  in 
  the 
  Mimbres 
  Valley. 
  Two 
  strands 
  of 
  

   twisted 
  yucca 
  leaves 
  were 
  fastened 
  together 
  at 
  the 
  toe, 
  running 
  back 
  

   about 
  halfway 
  on 
  either 
  side. 
  The 
  sandal 
  was 
  presumably 
  held 
  in 
  

   place 
  by 
  passing 
  the 
  toe 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  " 
  tie 
  " 
  between 
  two 
  toes. 
  

   The 
  spear 
  shafts 
  were 
  rather 
  elaborately 
  decorated 
  with 
  streamers 
  of 
  

   yucca 
  fiber. 
  In 
  some 
  instances 
  a 
  small 
  stone 
  point 
  was 
  used; 
  in 
  

   others 
  a 
  hardened 
  wood 
  point. 
  

  

  On 
  May 
  13 
  Doctor 
  Roberts 
  left 
  El 
  Baso 
  for 
  the 
  Chaco 
  Canyon 
  in 
  

   northwestern 
  New 
  Mexico, 
  where 
  excavation 
  was 
  begun 
  on 
  some 
  

   slab 
  houses 
  on 
  the 
  top 
  of 
  the 
  south 
  rim 
  of 
  the 
  canyon 
  9 
  miles 
  east 
  of 
  

   Pueblo 
  Bonito 
  and 
  Chetro 
  Kettle. 
  Between 
  May 
  17 
  and 
  June 
  30, 
  

   12 
  houses, 
  20 
  storage 
  cists, 
  and 
  1 
  large 
  kiva 
  were 
  excavated. 
  

  

  All 
  of 
  the 
  houses 
  proved 
  to 
  be 
  of 
  the 
  semisubterranean 
  single- 
  

   room 
  variety, 
  rectangular 
  or 
  slightly 
  oval 
  in 
  shape, 
  averaging 
  about 
  

   15 
  feet 
  in 
  length 
  by 
  about 
  10 
  feet 
  in 
  width. 
  They 
  were 
  excavated 
  

   214 
  to 
  3 
  feet 
  deep 
  and 
  found 
  to 
  be 
  lined 
  with 
  large 
  slabs 
  of 
  stone, 
  

   the 
  whole 
  covered 
  with 
  a 
  pole, 
  brush, 
  and 
  plaster 
  superstructure 
  

   supported 
  on 
  four 
  poles 
  in 
  the 
  interior 
  of 
  the 
  house. 
  In 
  practically 
  

   all 
  cases 
  there 
  was 
  a 
  small 
  opening 
  to 
  the 
  south, 
  possibly 
  a 
  door. 
  

   Many 
  of 
  the 
  features 
  of 
  these 
  houses 
  are 
  similar 
  to 
  those 
  which 
  

   are 
  found 
  in, 
  and 
  considered 
  characteristic 
  of, 
  the 
  highly 
  developed 
  

   kivas 
  or 
  ceremonial 
  room.s 
  of 
  the 
  communal 
  dwellings 
  of 
  later 
  

   periods. 
  The 
  storage 
  cists 
  were 
  small 
  oval 
  or 
  circular 
  pits 
  about 
  2^ 
  

   feet 
  deep, 
  lined 
  with 
  stone 
  slabs. 
  Houses 
  and 
  storage 
  cists 
  were 
  

   grouped 
  about 
  the 
  kiva, 
  v/hich 
  is 
  the 
  first 
  of 
  its 
  type 
  to 
  be 
  excavated 
  

   in 
  the 
  Southwest. 
  The 
  front 
  of 
  the 
  banquette 
  and 
  the 
  wall 
  of 
  the 
  

   kiva 
  were 
  made 
  of 
  large 
  slabs 
  of 
  stone 
  ; 
  the 
  latter 
  were 
  covered 
  with 
  

   a 
  thick 
  coating 
  of 
  adobe 
  plaster. 
  

  

  Potsherds 
  and 
  other 
  objects 
  of 
  the 
  material 
  culture 
  of 
  the 
  builders 
  

   of 
  this 
  slab-house 
  village 
  are 
  scarce. 
  The 
  fragments 
  of 
  pottery 
  

   found, 
  however, 
  are 
  of 
  the 
  type 
  which 
  in 
  southwestern 
  archeology 
  

   has 
  been 
  given 
  the 
  term 
  " 
  post-Basket 
  Maker." 
  Doctor 
  Roberts 
  be- 
  

   lieves 
  them 
  to 
  be 
  from 
  a 
  late 
  phase 
  of 
  the 
  post-Basket 
  Maker 
  culture. 
  

  

  