208 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [Bull. 179 



would result in breakage. The complete specimens probably averaged 

 over 8 cm. in length. 



One incomplete specimen, carved and polished from deer or elk ant- 

 ler, is obviously a gambling device. Its outline is a symmetrical long 

 slender ellipse, and it is also elliptical in cross section. One surface is 

 smooth and plain, while the other is covered with an estimated nmnber 

 of 18 small shallow pits that were drilled into the surface. It is esti- 

 mated that the die had an original length of 8.5 cm. and a width of 2 

 cm. 



The only ornaments of non-European manufacture that could be 

 found were two small shell beads. One of these was a short section of 

 Dentalium from the Pacific Ocean ; the other was a small disk from 

 river mussel shell and drilled slightly off center. Because of their 

 small size, both of these ornaments could have been lost during the 

 occupation. They were not associated with the late burials in the site. 



The European trade goods were restricted to a depth of only 1 foot 

 below the surface. The other 2i^ to 3 feet apparently dated from pre- 

 contact times. Of the four glass beads found in the midden, three 

 were of the cylindrical type that is believed to be the earliest in the 

 region. The other was shaped like a doughnut and was identical with 

 those beads found in the burials and those recovered in the ruins of 

 Fort Walla AValla (Garth, 1952 b). There were two bits of sheet 

 copper, one an irregular flat fragment and the other a rolled tubular 

 bead. Another copper object is believed to be a stud used for joining 

 leather harness of some sort. The last item of European origin was a 

 broken fragment of a clay pipestem. 



The small assortment of trade goods is nevertheless significant, since 

 it is highly indicative of a time relationship with site 45-BN-o on 

 Berrian's Island. The aboriginal artifacts are also very similar. 



BURIAL CUSTOMS 



The burials at the Wallula site constitute a minor problem. Their 

 presence, before being robbed, was clear because of the numbers of 

 small human bones and ornaments left behind. About all there is on 

 which to speculate is the large collection of glass and porcelain beads 

 that was salvaged. The group of beads differs considerably from 

 those found in the graves at 45-BN-3. The latter were nearly all blue 

 and white, the blue beads constituting 64 percent of the total. Most 

 of them were of cylindrical shape, although there was considerable 

 variation. Site 45-BN-3 and its trade material is believed to date 

 from the middle and late 1700's and possibly in the early 1800's (Os- 

 borne.^ The dating appears to be upheld by the Wallula site where 

 the earliest trade goods are identical to those from Berrian's Island. 



• See footnote 3, p. 164. 



