The Archaeology of the Yakima Valley

by Harlan Ingersoll Smith

The Tampico specimen may have developed from a quill-flattener, which implement was probably of common and characteristic use among Indian mothers, not only of the Plains but also as far west as Tampico. If the result of such a development, it had probably lost its domestic use and become entirely symbolic.

Mr. Teit has heard the Thompson Indians speak of figures carved by some men in their spare time, and valued highly as curiosities and works of art. They had no practical value, and were generally used as ornaments inside the house. They were in wood, bark, stone and antler, more generally in the last three, and usually represented the human figure. Although the Indians aver that they were sometimes very elaborately and truthfully carved, it is impossible to say, in the absence of a good specimen from the Thompson Indians whether there was any resemblance in style to that of this figure. The Thompson sometimes, placed such figures on the tops of houses, but the great majority were shown inside the houses. The Indian who made the one illustrated[390] told Mr. Teit that he had seen some of larger size which had taken a carver's spare time for many months.

The headdress seems to be a so-called war-bonnet, and would indicate that the figure was that of an important personage; perhaps a suggestion of what had been hoped for the child's position in the tribe or after death. The arms, body, legs, and feet are apparently bare and ornamented with ceremonial paintings, while about the waist is an apron. The whole object seems of a rather high order of art to be a mere child's doll, and it would seem more plausible to consider it as an emblematical figure. The general style of art and costume indicated show little or no resemblance to those of the Northwest Coast, but a strong relationship to those of the Plains.

There are some incised lines on the pipe shown in [Fig. 127]. Those on the pipe shown in [Fig. 104] are described on [p. 131]. In the Nez Perce region, according to Spinden, incised designs, some of them of a pictographic character and probably modern are found on pipes, and designs of ladder shape are found on a flat plummet-shaped bone object.[391]

Notches. The notch in the base of the spatulate object made of bone shown in [Fig. 58] and the two notches in each side of the base may be for practical purposes but were probably intended to be artistic, while the six notches in the edge of the pendant made of slate shown in [Fig. 81] probably also have been intended for decoration or even to make the object represent something although possibly the representation may be rather conventional.

In the Nez Perce region to the east,[392] a notched stone has been found near Asotin and notches occur as decorations on objects found in the Thompson River region to the north, but, of this type, they are rare if not absent among archaeological finds on the coast to the west from Fort Rupert on northern Vancouver Island to Tacoma.

Circle and Dot Designs. The circle and dot design is commonly found in this region. It may be seen on the top of the pestle shown in [Fig. 30]. There is one of these designs in the tip and eleven about equi-distant in a row around the edge of the knob. In the Nez Perce region to the east[393] the design is found on bone gambling pieces. Further east, this design is also found. This motive may be seen around the top of the bowl on a pipe (50-4867a, b) from the Gros Ventre Indians of Montana collected by Dr. Clark Wissler, which, however, is considered to be recent. To the west, it is not found among ancient things on the coast but among recent objects it may be seen on certain bone gambling cylinders and on beaver teeth used for dice. The design is common in the Thompson River region[394] and the Lillooet Valley between there and the coast.[395] It is perhaps even more frequently seen on the modern things among the Thompson River Indians[396] who often visit the Okanogan country.

The pipe shown in [Fig. 104] was secured from an Indian who is known to have frequently visited the Okanogan area so that if he did not bring the pipe from there, he may at least have gotten the idea for this style of decoration there. This suggests an explanation for the occurrence of the circle and dot design on what are apparently older specimens from the Yakima country. On the lower end of this specimen is a design made up of a zigzag line based upon an incision running around where the stem meets the bowl. The five triangles thus formed are nearly equilateral and there is a circle and dot design in each. Other circles and dots are arranged in seven equi-distant longitudinal pairs about the middle of the bowl. In addition, parallel to these, and between two of the pairs, there is a double-headed figure each end of which resembles the form of a crude fleur-de-lis. All of the incisions on this pipe are colored with red paint. The circle and dot design may be seen on the limestone pipe shown in [Fig. 106]. There is one circle and dot on the tip of the base, encircling this is a row of eight of them and outside of this still another circle of nine. Around the opening for the stem is a circle made up of eight, around the mouth of the bowl are ten and between the circle around the bowl and the one around the stem are three of the circles and dots. A typical circle and dot decoration is shown in [Fig. 120] of what, as stated on [p. 65], may possibly have been used as a whetstone. The object is made of slate and the top is broken off. It is 142 mm. long, 18 mm. wide and 6 mm. thick. The lower end and side edges are rounded. On the reverse, the design is similar except that it is continued upward by three circles and dots arranged in the same order as the uppermost three on the obverse and that there are several slightly incised marks on it, one of which, of X form, makes a tangent and a cord with the next to the lower circle and dot. All the circles and dots are filled with red paint. There are twelve incisions, possibly tally marks, on one side edge near the point. The original is in the collection of Mr. Janeck.[397]

The symmetrical arrangement of the perforations and the pits on both sides of the object shown in [Fig. 77] was no doubt due to artistic motives.