﻿604 
  SOUTH 
  AMERICAN 
  INDIANS 
  [B. 
  A. 
  E. 
  Bull. 
  143 
  

  

  and 
  nose 
  tubes, 
  for 
  the 
  preparation 
  and 
  taking 
  of 
  snuff, 
  are 
  usually- 
  

   considered 
  as 
  outstanding 
  Atacameno 
  diagnostics. 
  Other 
  typical 
  

   wooden 
  artifacts 
  include 
  knives, 
  shovels, 
  wooden 
  cow 
  bells, 
  plain 
  and 
  

   decorated 
  whorls, 
  a 
  variety 
  of 
  boxes 
  for 
  paint 
  containers, 
  toggles 
  for 
  

   llama 
  cinches, 
  spoons, 
  and 
  wooden 
  goblets. 
  The 
  Atacameno 
  were 
  out- 
  

   standing 
  not 
  only 
  in 
  their 
  variety 
  of 
  wooden 
  objects, 
  but 
  also 
  in 
  the 
  

   skill 
  of 
  their 
  carving. 
  

  

  Many 
  stone 
  artifacts 
  were 
  made 
  but 
  none 
  is 
  particularly 
  distinctive. 
  

   Some 
  simple 
  metal 
  tools 
  such 
  as 
  chisels 
  and 
  tweezers 
  were 
  made, 
  but 
  

   the 
  great 
  development 
  of 
  metallurgy 
  seems 
  to 
  have 
  resulted 
  from 
  out- 
  

   side 
  influence. 
  Leatherwork, 
  however, 
  was 
  typical, 
  including 
  small 
  

   bags 
  for 
  holding 
  paints, 
  leather 
  sandals, 
  and 
  quite 
  a 
  variety 
  of 
  other 
  

   articles. 
  Llama 
  wool 
  was 
  woven 
  into 
  simple 
  garments 
  of 
  the 
  common 
  

   Andean 
  pattern. 
  Considerable 
  skill 
  was 
  employed 
  in 
  the 
  manufac- 
  

   ture 
  of 
  coiled 
  baskets, 
  although 
  other 
  techniques 
  were 
  limited. 
  The 
  

   pottery, 
  for 
  the 
  most 
  part, 
  was 
  relatively 
  crude, 
  simply 
  decorated, 
  and 
  

   largely 
  utilitarian 
  in 
  form. 
  A 
  number 
  of 
  articles 
  were 
  made 
  from 
  

   bone, 
  among 
  which 
  spoonlike 
  spatulas 
  with 
  incised 
  circles 
  as 
  deco- 
  

   ration 
  were 
  outstanding. 
  Calabash 
  bowls 
  were 
  in 
  common 
  use, 
  and 
  

   many 
  were 
  decorated 
  with 
  pyrogravure. 
  Practically 
  nothing 
  is 
  

   known 
  about 
  the 
  social, 
  political, 
  and 
  religious 
  organization. 
  

  

  The 
  frequent 
  contacts 
  with 
  neighboring 
  cultures 
  added 
  many 
  

   elements 
  to 
  this 
  simple 
  pattern. 
  Various 
  types 
  of 
  fishing 
  gear 
  were 
  

   borrowed 
  from 
  the 
  specialized 
  Coastal 
  fishing 
  people. 
  Tiahuanaco 
  

   contacts 
  would 
  account 
  for 
  the 
  elaboration 
  of 
  incised 
  design, 
  better 
  

   ceramics, 
  and 
  more 
  competent 
  weaving. 
  New 
  variety 
  and 
  skill 
  in 
  

   metalwork, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  certain 
  improvements 
  in 
  ceramic 
  technique 
  and 
  

   architecture, 
  may 
  well 
  have 
  been 
  borrowed 
  from 
  the 
  Diaguita. 
  In 
  

   North 
  Chile, 
  the 
  Late 
  Periods 
  show 
  a 
  florescence 
  of 
  ceramic 
  shapes 
  and 
  

   designs 
  suggestive 
  of 
  influence 
  from 
  the 
  South 
  Coast 
  of 
  Peru. 
  How- 
  

   ever, 
  in 
  spite 
  of 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  the 
  Inca 
  technically 
  incorporated 
  the 
  

   Atacameno 
  in 
  their 
  Empire, 
  direct 
  influence 
  on 
  the 
  culture 
  was 
  slight. 
  

  

  PROBLEMS 
  

  

  One 
  of 
  the 
  basic 
  needs 
  in 
  the 
  Atacameno 
  region 
  is 
  a 
  careful 
  chron- 
  

   ological 
  study. 
  This 
  undoubtedly 
  would 
  require 
  more 
  field 
  work, 
  

   particularly 
  with 
  controlled 
  excavation 
  of 
  refuse 
  sites 
  and 
  careful 
  

   attention 
  to 
  grave 
  isolation. 
  The 
  North 
  Coast 
  of 
  Chile 
  is 
  of 
  particular 
  

   interest 
  because 
  of 
  the 
  discovery 
  of 
  at 
  least 
  two 
  preceramic 
  periods 
  of 
  

   considerable 
  antiquity. 
  Consequently, 
  it 
  is 
  possible 
  to 
  study 
  in 
  this 
  

   region 
  the 
  relationships 
  of 
  the 
  early 
  hunting 
  and 
  fishing 
  populations 
  

   to 
  the 
  higher 
  civilizations. 
  

  

  The 
  Atacameno 
  territory 
  is 
  marginal 
  to 
  the 
  Central 
  Andes, 
  and 
  thus 
  

   its 
  chronology 
  should 
  serve 
  as 
  a 
  check 
  on 
  sequences 
  established 
  farther 
  

   north. 
  Likewise, 
  Atacameno 
  archeology 
  should 
  be 
  the 
  link 
  between 
  

  

  