IRON IMPLEMENTS AND OTHER ARTICLES OBTAINED 

 BY CONTACT WITH EUROPEANS. 



The ancient cemeteries thus far examined on the coast and islands of 

 Southern California, furnish indisputable evidence that the native tribes, 

 whose remains are found in that region, not only came in contact with the 

 early Spanish explorers of the coast of California, but, also, that they, for a 

 long period after they were known to the white race, continued to bury 

 their dead in the same manner and in the same tribal or village cemeteries 

 as before. In consequence of this continued use of a burial place, and the 

 admixture which has taken place by the disturbance of old graves to make 

 room for the new, it is now impossible to separate, in most instances, the 

 articles which came from the very old graves from those of comparatively 

 recent date, so that while a large number of the graves are known by their 

 contents to have been made since European contact, others in the immediate 

 vicinity belong to an indefinite period of the past. 



The only object of metal which has the appearance of being native 

 work is the single copper bead obtained by Dr. Yarrow and figured on Plate 

 XIII, Fig. 8 This may be of native copper, and perhaps was obtained by 

 trade or warfare with other tribes. Articles made of copper, bronze, brass, 

 silver, and iron are, however, of very frequent occurrence in the graves, and 

 many such were not only of unquestionable value to the Indians with whom 

 they were buried, but also to their previous white owners. The peculiar 

 forms of the bronze cups, goblets, platters, and many other articles, leave 

 little doubt of their having been brought from Europe during the early 

 years of Spanish exploration. Of a later period, probably, are the silver 

 spoons and four-pronged forks; the brass thimbles, which have been per- 



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