""'fowk^'e''^] conclusions 73 



refers to the elevation instead of to the length of the chain. These 

 romantic but incorrect translations of Indian words are common. For 

 example, ''Kentucky," which is nearly always interpreted "Dark and 

 bloody ground," is almost certainly derived from an Iroquoian word con- 

 veying the idea " a place where the grazing is good " — at least, the word 

 having that meaning is almost identical in sound with "Kentucky," 

 while there is no Indian word with anything like the popular meaning 

 thatbeai'S the slightest resemblance to it.' 



The Alleghany mountains, in this part of the range at any rate, seem 

 to have been a dividing line between theeastern and the western Indians. 

 South l)ranch and Shenandoah valleys w^ere the great thoroughfares 

 within modern times, and may long have been so, between the north 

 and south, for the one- while the others followed Tygart Valley and 

 New river. 



There is nowhere any evidence of an ancient Or long-continued occu- 

 pancy of this region by the Indians; on the contrary, the archeologic 

 discoveries are in accord with the historical and traditional statements 

 that more than one stock or people were in the habit of resorting to 

 this country. The village sites, as would, be expected, are along the 

 principal watercourses, in fertile bottoms easily tilled, and the ceme- 

 teries are at the same spots. The stone mounds, on the contrary, are 

 scattered at random, with no other apparent object in their location 

 than the selection of a commanding outlook. It is not to be supposed 

 that any people would carry their dead to an inconvenient spot and bury 

 them in a manner so different from that in which most of their inter- 

 ments were made. There is not, however, sufficient diversity in these 

 graves to permit a classification that would attribute particular forms 

 to certain tribes. 



It is worthy of note that many of the pipes and most of the gorgets 

 found in this section, whether in the earth or stone mounds, very 

 closely resemble in style, finish, and material those considered typical 

 of the mound-building tribes of Ohio. It would be of interest to know 

 whether this coincidence is accidental, or whether it may result from 

 communication between the different peoples. If the latter, it would 

 have the effect of reducing considerably the length of time that is gen- 

 erally supposed to have elapsed since the construction of the western 

 mounds. 



'Commnuieateil by Mr J. N'. B. Hewitt. 



