SIXTIETH ANNUAL REPORT 



OF THE 



BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY 



M. W. Stirling, Chief 



Sir : I have the honor to submit the following report on the field 

 researches, office work, and other operations of the Bureau of Ameri- 

 can Ethnology during the fiscal year ended June 30, 1943, conducted 

 in accordance with the act of Congress of June 27, 1942, which pro- 

 vides ''* * * for continuing ethnological researches among the 

 American Indians and the natives of Hawaii and the excavation 

 and preservation of archeologic remains. * * *" 



During the fiscal year, activities concerned with the other American 

 republics have been emphasized, and the energies of various staff 

 members of the Bureau have been directed to an increasing extent 

 to projects bearing on the war effort. In particular, members of the 

 Bureau staff have cooperated with the Ethnogeographic Board in 

 preparing information for the armed services, and it is expected that 

 efforts in this direction will increase as the w^ar continues. 



SYSTEMATIC RESEARCHES 



On January 13, 1943, M. W. Stirling, Chief of the Bureau, left 

 Washington on the fifth National Geographic Society-Smithsonian 

 Institution archeological expedition to southern Mexico. Excavations 

 were continued at the site of La Venta in southern Tabasco and re- 

 sulted in the discovery of numerous new details of construction of 

 the rectangular stone-fenced enclosure, one of the central features of 

 the site. Three rich burials of important personages were uncovered 

 containing offerings principally of jade of unusually high quality. 

 Two mosaic floors in the form of jaguar masks made of polished 

 green serpentine were discovered, one at a depth of more than 20 feet. 

 During the course of the work an exploration trip was made up the 

 Eio de las Playas, one of the headwater streams of the Tonala River, in 

 order to verify the existence of a ruin in this vicinity. The collections 

 obtained during the course of excavations at La Venta were shipped 

 to the National Museum in Mexico City. Mr. Stirling was assisted 

 throughout the season by Dr. Waldo R. Wedel, of the division of 

 archeology of the United States National Museum. 



During the course of the fiscal year Mr. Stirling contributed to the 

 War Background Studies of the Smithsonian Institution an article 

 entitled "Native Peoples of New Guinea," which was published as 



563753-43 1 



