Archeology and Anthropology. 475 
ARCHEOLOGY AND ANTHROPOLOGY. 
The Anthropological Society of Washington held its 138th 
regular meeting May Ist. Mr. W. H. Holmes, who has divided 
his talents about equally between science and art and been success- 
ful in both, read a paper entitled “Some Primitive Phases of 
4Esthetic Development.” He directed his remarks principally to 
art in American prehistoric pottery. He said these earthen vessels 
were the outgrowth of natural form, finally acquiring decoration. 
This pottery was originally moulded in a basket or wicker-work 
(having the appropriate shape), thus giving to the soft clay the 
impressions of the woven meshes. When the vessel was burned 
these formed the decoration. This method of decoration seems to 
have been afterwards replaced by another, in which the cloth or 
wicker-work was either wrapped about or its figure cut into a 
wooden mould or form which was pressed on the outside of the 
vessel. A notched wheel was sometimes us me of the 
decorated vessels were shown, as well as some of the paddles used. 
These were, however, ull modern Indian work. 
Another paper was by Dr. W. J. Hoffman, on “ Pictography 
and Shamanistie Rites of the Ojibwa.” This tribe Lage s to 
Minnesota. It has three distinct secret societies. The Grand 
are four degrees. The rites occur in the spring, and the winter 
months are passed in study and preparation for t i 
longing life. Those who take but one degree usually manufacture 
the fetishes. Dr, Hoffman presented a number of original charts, 
hot the sacred ones, from this tribe, showing the use of the charac- 
ters, their meaning, and the method of translation. He also 
exhibited enlarged copies of charts which he had copied, sometimes 
Surreptitiously, while among these Indians. 
i Guasro is, according to Dr. A. Ernst, of Carácas, the correct 
orm of the name of the Guajiro Indians inhabiting the South 
American peninsula called after them. In 1870 that explorer pu 
roe his treatise on the Guajiro Indians in the Zeitschrift fir 
mologie, and since then their language, customs, and social insti- 
tutions have been explored and described by various authors. 
rom manuscripts of the United States consul Pliimacher, at 
‘This department is edi Wil .. Smithsonian In- 
stitution, ashington, Do m o e a 
