ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT XXXIX 



are necessarily carried forward in the field, wliile the field 

 material is elaborated in the office. Accordingly, the field 

 work and the office work are treated together except in so far 

 as the former may be considered exploratory, when it commonly 

 relates to different lines of primary research. 



EXPLORATION 



At the beginning of the fiscal year Dr J. Walter Fewkes 

 was in the field in Arizona, having completed during June a 

 reconnoissance of the little-known countrv includino- the north- 

 eastern extension of the Mogollon escarpment about the head- 

 waters of Rio Verde. He repaired early in July to Holbrook, 

 and proceeded to explore the ruined villages of northeastern 

 Arizona. After a more or less successful reconnoissance, extend- 

 ing over a considerable district, he chose for detailed work the 

 ruin known as Sikyatki. Here he was joined by Jlr F. W. 

 Hodge. It was ascertained throug-h tradition and literary 

 record that the ruin represented a wholly prehistonc village; 

 and excavations were begun with the certainty that all mate- 

 rial exhumed would, for this reason, be of especial value in 

 indicating the aboriginal condition of the pueblo builders of 

 this district. The anticipations were fully realized in the 

 results. In all of the abundant material exhumed and duly 

 transferred to the United States National Museum no trace of 

 intrusive accultural art was found; every piece was clearly 

 prehistoric; and the collection was the richest both in quantity 

 of material and the quality of the ware and its symbolic deco- 

 ration thus far obtained in this countrA'. While it is especially 

 rich in decorated pottery, many other ai-ticles illustrating prim- 

 itive handicraft and customs were obtained, together with a 

 sufficient amount of somatic material — crania, etc. — to i-eveal 

 the prominent physical characteristics of the ancient people. 

 Extensive collections were made also in the ancient ruin of 

 Awatobi. Dr Fewkes' operations were brought to a close 

 toward the end of August, when he returned to Washington 

 with his collections, comprising seventeen boxes from Sikyatki 

 and Awatobi, and three from the ruins on the headwaters of 

 Rio Verde. 



