166 THE CLIFF RUINS OF CANYON DE CHELLY (ETH. ANN. 16 
brought from a distance, sometimes a very long distance. The Tusa- 
yan claim that some of the timbers used in the construction of the 
mission buildings, which were established prior to the insurrection of 
1680, were brought on the backs of men from San Francisco moun- 
tains, a distance of over 100 miles, and references to the transportation 
of timber over long distances are not uncommon in Pueblo traditions. 
In De Chelly great difficulty must have been experienced in procuring 
an adequate supply, as in that portion of the canyon where most of the 
ruins occur no suitable trees grow. Doubtless in many cases, where 
the location under overhanging cliffs permitted, roofs were dispensed 
with, but this alone would not account for the dearth of timber found 
in the ruins. If we suppose the canyon to have been the scene of a 
number of occupancies instead of one, the absence of timber work, as 
well as the much obliterated appearance of some of the ruins, would 
be explained, for the material would be used more than once, perhaps 
several times. The Navaho would not use the timber in cliff ruins 
under any circumstances, and they would rather starve than eat food 
cooked with it. Many of the cliff outlooks, being occupied only during 
the farming season and being also fairly well sheltered, were probably 
roofless. 
Timber was used as an aid to masonry construction in two ways—as 
a foundation and as a tie. Many instances can be seen where the walls 
rest on beams, running, not with them, but across them. These beams 
were placed directly on the rock, and the front walls rested partly on 
their ends and partly on the rock itself. Plate Lit shows the end of 
one of these beams. In nine cases out of ten the beams do not appear 
to have served any useful end, but perhaps if the walls were removed 
down to the foundations the purpose would be clear. Sometimes a 
beam was placed on the rock in the line of the wall above it. The 
single or separate room occupying the western end of the upper cave 
in the Casa Blanca ruin is an example of this use. The front wall rests 
on beams, as shown in plate xLy1. Some of the back adobe walls in 
the eastern part of the upper ruin rest on timbers, and instances of this 
feature are not uncommon in other parts of the canyon. The south- 
eastern corner of the tower in Mummy Cave ruin in Del Muerto rested 
on timbers apparently laid over a small cavity or hole in the rock. The 
timber was not strong enough to support the weight placed upon it, and 
consequently gave way, letting the corner of the tower fall out. 
Cross walls were sometimes tied to front or back walls by timbers 
built into them, but this method, of which fine examples can be seen in 
the Chaco ruins, was but slightly practiced here. Timber was used 
also to prevent the slipping of walls on sloping sites, being placed ver- 
tically and built into the masonry; But as this use is a constructive 
expedient it is discussed under that head. 
STORAGE AND BURIAL CISTS 
Facilities for the storage of grain and other produce are essential 
in the pueblo system of horticulture, as in any other. As a result, 
storage cists are found everywhere. In the modern pueblos the inner 
