The Archaeology of the Yakima Valley

by Harlan Ingersoll Smith

Pecked Grooves. Some designs were made by pecking grooves in stone. Part of these, those forming petroglyphs, have been mentioned on [p. 121] and are shown in [Plates XI-XIII]. The upper portion of the marking on the grooved stone shown in [Fig. 14] is made in this way. It may represent a feather headdress, such as is mentioned on [p. 119] and such as is so common in the pictographs as well as in the petroglyphs. The design on the lower part of the same object was formed in the same way and on the obverse of the net sinker shown in [Fig. 15] are pecked grooves forming three concentric semi-circles on each side of the groove and nearly parallel with the edges of the object. Taken together, they give the suggestion of a spiral. There are three pecked grooves encircling the stone mortar shown in [Fig. 20] and two around the head of the pestle shown in [Fig. 25]. On each side of the lower part of the pestle shown in [Fig. 31] is a longitudinal design made up of four parallel zigzag pecked grooves. The two pecked grooves at right angles to each other on the specimen shown in [Fig. 60] while they are probably made for use may have been interpreted as decorative or artistic. This may also be said of the three pecked grooves at right angles to each other on the club-head shown in [Fig. 61], and it seems likely that the eight pecked pits made in the middle of the spaces between these grooves and possibly even the two pits at either pole of the object were intended to embellish it. Pecking was also the process employed in forming the sculpture shown in [Fig. 125]. The four pyramidal or dome-shaped nipples on the top of the knob of a pestle found at Five Mile Rapids mentioned on [p. 45] were probably made by pecking, followed by polishing and they may have served a ceremonial as well as a decorative purpose.

Fig. 120. Circle and Dot Design on Whetstone made of Slate. From the Yakima Valley. ½ nat. size. (Drawn from photograph 44503, 6-4. Original in the collection of Mr. Janeck.)
Fig. 121 (202-8191). Costumed Human Figure made of Antler. From grave No. 25 of a child in dome of volcanic ash near Tampico. ½ nat. size.
Fig. 122 (50-3110a, b, c). Quill-flattener made of Antler. From the Dakota at Pine Ridge, South Dakota. ¼ nat. size. (Collected by Dr. Clark Wissler.)
Fig. 123 (T-22107, 11-177). Fragments of a Figure made of Antler. From Umatilla, Oregon. ½ nat. size. (Collected by Mrs. James Terry.)

Animal and Human Forms. There are a number of sculptures that apparently were intended to represent heads of animals, whole animals and human forms. The top of the pestle shown in [Fig. 31] is sculptured to represent what is apparently an animal head. The top of the one shown in [Fig. 33] has three nipples one of which is longer than the others. This sculpture also seems to represent an animal head, the ears being indicated by the short nipples and the nose by the long one. The top of the pestle shown in [Fig. 34] apparently represents an animal head, the mouth being indicated by the groove, each eye by a pit and there are four incisions across the top or back of the head. A sculptured animal head, with wide open mouth, pits for eyes, and projections for ears on what may be a pestle top, has been found in the Nez Perce region to the east[398] and pestles with heads are found in the Thompson River area to the north.[399] The knob shown in [Fig. 35] ([p. 47]) is interpreted as representing a snake's head. The heart-shaped knob on the top of the club shown in [Fig. 68] resembles the form of an animal head and stands at an angle of about 45° to the axis of the club. Two of the incised circles probably represent the eyes. The top of the handle of a digging stick made of horn of the Rocky Mountain sheep, shown in [Fig. 126] is sculptured to represent an animal head. It was obtained from an Indian woman living near Union Gap below Old Yakima.

Fig. 124. Fragment of a Sculpture with Hoof-like part. From Pasco. ½ nat. size. (Drawn from a sketch. Original in the collection of Mr. Owen.)

[Fig. 124] illustrates a fragment of sculpture from Pasco. It is hoof-shaped and is here reproduced from a sketch of the original in the collection of Mr. Owen. The sculptured animal form made of lava shown in [Fig. 125] which was mentioned on [p. 38], bears a mortar or dish in its back. It is a good example of an art form which has been specialized so that it may be used or at least so that the useful part is less prominent than the animal figure. It has been sculptured by pecking. The raised eyes are almond-shaped rather than elliptical, and the ears are indicated by raised places on the transverse ridge at the top of the head. The mid-rib or dewlap under the chin is about 6 mm. wide and of the three transverse grooves in this, only the upper one is deep. The tail is slightly under cut. The grooves are all more or less colored with vermilion, apparently a mineral paint and consequently sufficiently lasting so that we need not consider even the painting as necessarily modern. The general form and especially the four elephantine legs remind us of a somewhat similar animal form with a dish in its back found in a shell heap in the delta of the Fraser River[400] and the animal form with the dish in its back resembles slightly carvings found in the Lillooet Valley[401] and the Thompson River region.