﻿AN 
  ERIE 
  INDIAN 
  VILLAGE 
  AND 
  BURIAL 
  SITE 
  47 
  1 
  

  

  lectors 
  who 
  with 
  a 
  single 
  passion 
  — 
  ■ 
  a 
  greed 
  for 
  relics 
  — 
  have 
  spaded 
  

   over 
  sites, 
  overturned 
  mounds 
  and 
  desecrated 
  graves, 
  merely 
  to 
  

   gratify 
  their 
  desire 
  to 
  find 
  some 
  new 
  curiosity 
  and 
  add 
  it 
  to 
  their 
  

   collection. 
  Such 
  collectors 
  have 
  seldom 
  preserved 
  in 
  writing 
  the 
  

   circumstances 
  of 
  the 
  find 
  or 
  even 
  the 
  most 
  meager 
  information, 
  and 
  

   their 
  collections 
  are 
  usually 
  only 
  a 
  heap 
  of 
  stones 
  almost 
  worthless 
  

   scientifically 
  except 
  as 
  an 
  exhibition 
  of 
  some 
  indefinite 
  Indian 
  art. 
  

   More 
  enlightened 
  collectors, 
  realizing 
  the 
  differences 
  in 
  culture 
  in 
  

   different 
  regions, 
  and 
  bearing 
  in 
  mind 
  the 
  various 
  problems 
  of 
  

   American 
  archeology 
  have 
  done 
  their 
  work 
  conscientiously 
  and 
  with 
  

   care, 
  preserving 
  a 
  record 
  of 
  their 
  finds, 
  and 
  are 
  to 
  be 
  commended 
  

   for 
  their 
  work, 
  especially 
  when 
  they 
  have 
  finally 
  placed 
  their 
  col- 
  

   lections 
  in 
  the 
  keeping 
  of 
  some 
  scientific 
  institution 
  where 
  its 
  value 
  

   would 
  be 
  appreciated. 
  The 
  breaking 
  up 
  and 
  scattering 
  of 
  a 
  collec- 
  

   tion 
  is 
  the 
  breaking 
  up 
  and 
  destruction 
  of 
  just 
  so 
  much 
  knowledge. 
  

   With 
  the 
  increase 
  of 
  population 
  and 
  the 
  growth 
  of 
  towns 
  many 
  

   more 
  sites 
  will 
  be 
  obliterated 
  and 
  their 
  value 
  lost 
  forever. 
  It 
  is 
  

   therefore 
  for 
  us 
  of 
  today 
  to 
  rescue 
  and 
  preserve, 
  while 
  there 
  is 
  

   yet 
  time, 
  for 
  the 
  people 
  of 
  tomorrow 
  the 
  prehistory 
  of 
  our 
  State 
  

   and 
  to 
  secure 
  for 
  it 
  the 
  relics 
  of 
  that 
  prehistory. 
  

  

  METHODS 
  OF 
  COLLECTING 
  ARCHEOLOGICAL 
  MATERIAL 
  

  

  Assuming 
  that 
  a 
  given 
  territory 
  was 
  inhabited 
  anciently 
  there 
  

   are 
  two 
  ways 
  of 
  discovering 
  and 
  preserving 
  the 
  circumstances 
  of 
  

   that 
  ancient 
  occupation. 
  The 
  first 
  method 
  is 
  to 
  collect 
  and 
  study 
  

   its 
  traditions, 
  and 
  the 
  second 
  is 
  to 
  make 
  a 
  systematic 
  study 
  of 
  the 
  

   visible 
  relics 
  of 
  that 
  occupation. 
  While 
  traditions 
  may 
  not 
  always 
  be 
  

   truthful, 
  they 
  are 
  not 
  without 
  a 
  certain 
  value. 
  Often 
  they 
  furnish 
  

   clues 
  that 
  lead 
  to 
  important 
  discoveries. 
  Often 
  a 
  discovery 
  sub- 
  

   stantiates 
  a 
  tradition 
  or 
  a 
  tradition 
  explains 
  the 
  presence 
  and 
  use 
  

   of 
  certain 
  things 
  peculiar 
  to 
  a 
  region. 
  If 
  a 
  tradition 
  is 
  entirely 
  

   without 
  foundation 
  in 
  fact 
  it 
  is 
  still 
  interesting 
  for 
  it 
  reveals 
  what 
  

   men 
  assumed 
  or 
  affected 
  to 
  be 
  true. 
  

  

  The 
  second 
  method 
  by 
  presenting 
  actual 
  objects 
  from 
  which 
  con- 
  

   clusions 
  may 
  be 
  drawn 
  is 
  the 
  more 
  reliable 
  and 
  universally 
  so 
  recog- 
  

   nized 
  by 
  modern 
  archeologists. 
  

  

  Archeological 
  material 
  is 
  collected 
  for 
  two 
  distinct 
  purposes 
  ; 
  first, 
  

   to 
  increase 
  knowledge, 
  and 
  second, 
  to 
  illustrate 
  and 
  diffuse 
  knowl- 
  

   edge. 
  

  

  Three 
  methods 
  of 
  accomplishing 
  these 
  objects 
  are 
  employed 
  by 
  

   people 
  or 
  institutions 
  interested 
  in 
  archeology. 
  The 
  first 
  method, 
  

  

  