92 BULLETIN, PUBLIC MUSEUM, MILWAUKEE. [Vol. III. 



A CONCEPTION OF THE HISTORY OF THE 

 KRATZ CREEK MOUNDS 



The general reader often makes the criticism that works on 

 archeology are concerned only with the dust and dry bones of 

 antiquity and are consequently exceedingly distasteful as informa- 

 tional reading except to the specialist. In view of the widespread 

 movement to educate the public in matters of anthropological in- 

 terest, this condition should be remedied. Otherwise the absurd 

 and erroneous ideas popularly gathered from a cursory examination 

 of such works will continue to prevail except among the few who 

 are actively engaged in it. In short, we must present the facts 

 gathered from excavations in such a way that they will be of value 

 not only to the specialist but to the general public. 



That this may be done without sacrificing scientific truth to a 

 popular style of presentation has just been evidenced in a work by 

 Mr. Arthur C. Parker on "A Prehistoric Iroquoian Site", 16 in which, 

 in a separate chapter, he presents a visualization of the life of the 

 site, based on the material found and previously scientifically 

 described. 



While this method is at best a compromise, it is perhaps better 

 than popularizing the entire account, since the public is not inter- 

 ested in the remains as such, but in the life that they represent. 

 This also should be the standpoint of the archeologist, and the fact 

 that he has too often strayed so far from this original intention 

 explains why his works have fallen into disfavor except among his 

 fellows. 



In the following pages an attempt is made to conceive the life 

 of this mound group as remains show that it probably existed, an 

 attempt which we feel is justified both from popular and scientific 

 standpoints. 



I. 



Wapanosa had often heard his grandfather, White Bear, the cop- 

 persmith, recount strange stories of the olden times, but none were 



16 Researches and Transactions of the New York State Archeological Association, Morgan 

 Chapter, Rochester, N. Y., 1918. 



