﻿AN 
  ERIE 
  INDIAN 
  VILLAGE 
  AND 
  BURIAL 
  SITE 
  497 
  

  

  Grave 
  XXIV, 
  pit 
  49, 
  was 
  at 
  ioo' 
  on 
  the 
  west 
  side 
  of 
  trench 
  4. 
  An 
  

   ash 
  pit 
  had 
  intruded 
  into 
  the 
  grave 
  pit 
  soil. 
  At 
  42" 
  from 
  the 
  sur- 
  

   face 
  the 
  grave 
  bottom 
  was 
  discovered, 
  upon 
  it 
  a 
  thin 
  deposit 
  of 
  bone 
  

   dust. 
  

  

  Grave 
  XXV, 
  pit 
  51, 
  was 
  in 
  trench 
  5 
  at 
  44' 
  on 
  the 
  west 
  side. 
  

   Dimensions 
  4' 
  by 
  6' 
  and 
  51" 
  deep. 
  This 
  pit 
  contained 
  the 
  skeleton 
  

   of 
  an 
  aged 
  male 
  which 
  was 
  in 
  an 
  advanced 
  stage 
  of 
  disintegration. 
  

   At 
  the 
  top 
  of 
  the 
  skull 
  and 
  a 
  little 
  to 
  the 
  rear, 
  southwest, 
  was 
  a 
  

   clay 
  pot 
  having 
  an 
  ancient 
  rim 
  break. 
  Near 
  the 
  inferior 
  maxillary 
  

   with 
  the 
  edge 
  of 
  the 
  bowl 
  nearest 
  was 
  a 
  pottery 
  pipe 
  of 
  the 
  

   Huronian 
  type 
  [see 
  pi. 
  31, 
  fig. 
  2]. 
  The 
  position 
  of 
  the 
  skeleton 
  was, 
  

   head 
  south, 
  face 
  east, 
  right 
  side, 
  flexed 
  [see 
  pi. 
  8, 
  fig. 
  2]. 
  

  

  Grave 
  XXVI, 
  pit 
  52, 
  in 
  trench 
  5 
  was 
  at 
  48' 
  on 
  the 
  east 
  side 
  and 
  

   lay 
  directly 
  beneath 
  a 
  tree. 
  The 
  grave 
  bottom 
  was 
  48" 
  below 
  the 
  

   surface 
  and 
  the 
  skeleton 
  had 
  all 
  but 
  crumbled, 
  probably 
  owing 
  to 
  

   the 
  fact 
  that 
  it 
  lay 
  in 
  the 
  clay 
  stratum 
  which 
  had 
  prevented 
  drain- 
  

   age 
  and 
  thus 
  promoted 
  decay. 
  Above 
  the 
  skull, 
  that 
  is 
  to 
  the 
  north 
  

   and 
  east 
  was 
  a 
  terra 
  cotta 
  vessel 
  which 
  broke 
  in 
  a 
  dozen 
  pieces 
  when 
  

   removed. 
  The 
  pottery 
  is 
  of 
  poor 
  temper 
  and 
  seems 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  

   insufficiently 
  baked. 
  Perhaps 
  it 
  had 
  been 
  hurriedly 
  molded 
  and 
  

   quickly 
  fired 
  especially 
  for 
  interment 
  with 
  the 
  body 
  of 
  the 
  dead. 
  

   The 
  bones 
  were 
  long 
  and 
  slender 
  and 
  might 
  have 
  been 
  judged 
  to 
  

   have 
  been 
  those 
  of 
  a 
  woman 
  had 
  not 
  an 
  examination 
  of 
  the 
  skull 
  

   revealed 
  well 
  developed 
  superciliary 
  ridges 
  over 
  the 
  orbits. 
  Orienta- 
  

   tion 
  : 
  head 
  east, 
  face 
  south, 
  right 
  side, 
  flexed 
  position. 
  

  

  Grave 
  XXVII, 
  pit 
  54, 
  in 
  trench 
  5 
  lay 
  at 
  55' 
  on 
  the 
  west 
  side. 
  

   55" 
  below 
  the 
  surface 
  a 
  deposit 
  of 
  bone 
  dust 
  was 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  clay 
  

   stratum. 
  

  

  Grave 
  XXVIII, 
  pit 
  56, 
  at 
  66' 
  on 
  the 
  west 
  side 
  of 
  trench 
  5 
  was 
  an 
  

   empty 
  grave. 
  Several 
  pits 
  of 
  this 
  character 
  have 
  been 
  noted 
  but 
  

   have 
  not 
  been 
  recorded 
  here. 
  That 
  they 
  are 
  graves 
  seems 
  apparent 
  

   because 
  the 
  earth 
  is 
  disturbed 
  and 
  loose 
  while 
  the 
  surrounding 
  soil 
  

   was 
  compact. 
  Either 
  these 
  excavations 
  are 
  the 
  remains 
  of 
  very 
  old 
  

   burials 
  or 
  are 
  the 
  remains 
  of 
  burials 
  from 
  which 
  the 
  skeletons 
  had 
  

   been 
  removed 
  in 
  accord 
  with 
  the 
  old 
  Huron-Iroquois 
  custom 
  that 
  

   prescribed 
  a 
  removal 
  of 
  bones 
  from 
  graves 
  at 
  stated 
  periods. 
  

  

  Grave 
  XXIX, 
  pit 
  57, 
  was 
  found 
  at 
  the 
  beginning 
  of 
  trench 
  8. 
  At 
  

   29" 
  from 
  the 
  surface 
  was 
  found 
  a 
  thin 
  layer 
  of 
  bone 
  dust. 
  A 
  

   crushed 
  vessel 
  lay 
  back 
  of 
  where 
  the 
  skull 
  had 
  probably 
  lain. 
  

  

  Grave 
  XXX, 
  pit 
  58, 
  in 
  trench 
  9 
  was 
  at 
  3' 
  on 
  the 
  west 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  

   trench. 
  This 
  pit 
  was 
  rectangular 
  in 
  outline, 
  being 
  42" 
  wide 
  and 
  

  

  