202 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [Bull. 182 



The former constitute the wastage resulting from fashioning stone 

 tools of these various types of stone, while the latter are all unworked 

 particles. 



At the foot of the burial area of burial No. 77 was found a crude 

 line of large granitic rocks which were definitely associated with this 

 burial. This use of stone is not only rare but unique. Whether these 

 stones had some esoteric significance could not be determined, for no 

 other instance of a similar use of stones was found. Since there was 

 no contact between the stones and the human remains they definitely 

 were not placed upon the grave as a marker or to keep predatory 

 creatures from the grave. This is a single cultural trait for which 

 no explanation could be found. 



Also found were large chunks of stone, arranged in either circular, 

 pentagonal, square, or triangular form with the long axes of the stones 

 pointing downward (pi. 76, b, Feature 32) . We called these features 

 "wells'' for want of a better term. These rocks were placed upon 

 others which extended downward to the water table, and in a number 

 of instances, extended well into the water-bearing deposit. The open- 

 ings between these stones measured roughly one foot. 



Now, the question arises : Why should these people have to dig wells 

 when the river was only 50 feet or less away ? Were these wells in use 

 during a drought? Surely the Indians were not particular about the 

 water being clear and free of silt. Again, we have an enigma. 



These features were found scattered fairly uniformly over the area 

 that was investigated. In no instance were there any artifacts or 

 midden found within the throats of any of these features. Fill always 

 consisted of clean sand. Whether these can truly be termed "wells" 

 where drinking water was easily obtainable is highly questionable. 

 Considering the difficulties involved — locating the various large 

 blocks of granitic rocks, lugging them back to this village, digging 

 holes large and deep enough, inserting the rocks into position, and 

 replacing the sandy soil around them without filling in the opening — 

 when water could be had by walking just a short distance to the river's 

 edge, it just does not make sense that an Indian would go to such 

 trouble. Still the question arises — what function did such features 

 jjerf orm ? 



A number of fairly large fire hasins (pi. 76, Feature 50) were 

 found choked with broken stones mixed with powdered charcoal. 

 Most of these features were found 14 inches below the present surface 

 yet high in the overall midden. They averaged around 30 inches in 

 diameter and were basin-shaped in cross section. One hundred and 

 eighty-seven broken stones were counted from one of these basins. 

 The broken stone-charcoal mixture rested upon a compact layer of 

 white wood ash, yet w^e found no sherds, animal bones, or the usual 

 midden scattered in the fill. 



