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LOSEMi In *iltj In l newwhet i mb m the tuse a art oI ibone, whichThee*iraels, il fre-cry*-e the ration its do f that ances quick-iment e, the 10 the m die* ) that ts be*amentifly in rarely 1. If i per-nllder88 Olmder-large f the whichid the age, Is held ap-le de-a the lways ), are t can-Lue toSKELETON OF SIANTREMAINS Or A BIO INDIAN BOUND IN CALIFORNIA.BmI Four InehM Waa ( Haight of Mambar of Extlnot Raea Whoaa Bonaa Wara Dug Up.Itorial ihould ■mers* uld be ie hu-estion •otect-ald isthat active 2S ob-ought Prof. ge, a •ecent 1 the s, the Oakes ” and the louxhBan Francisco, Cal.—Up to about SOd years ago a giant race of Indianainhabited the coaat region of GaUfoiv nla. Remains of these have boon discovered In the islands of the Santa Barbara channel. To William Alt-mann, assistant curator of the Golden Gate Park Memorial museum, the honr of discovering one of the tallest and best preserved skeletons of this extinct tribe.Altmann utilised his vacation In excavating an old Indian burial mound in the nursery of Thomas 8. Duane, two miles from Concord, In Contra Costa county. The giant skeleton was found ten feet from the surface, and around it were a large number of mortars and pestles, charm stones and obsidian arrow heads.The skeleton has not yet been mounted, but the bones were assembled on a table In the curator’s office and placed on private exhibition. The bones are In good state of preservation, being hard and firm, although brown with age. Two or three of the vertebra are missing, and the skull Is broken Into three parts, ’fbe skeleton measures seven feet four Inches. The tibia is seventeen Inches in length.The skull is In great contrast with that of the Digger Indian of the present day, being of a much more intellectual type. The under Jaw is square and massive, being remarkably thick md strong. Either the dead Indian was of great age or he subsisted on hard food, as shown by his molars, which are worn perfectly flat and close to the gums.The find is of the greatest importance to anthropologists the world over, confirming as It does, the theory advanced when the giant skeletons were unearthed in the Santa Barbara islands, that a superior race of Indians, physically and mentally, preceded the Digger and other native race* of the present day. This is evidenced also in the pestles and charm stonea found near the body.The former are ornamented with phallic carvings, whereas the pestles made by the former and present day Diggers, are not carved or ornamented in any way. The charm stones are of baked clay, a beginning In the art of pottery making, which are not found with Digger remains.This Interesting find was made on the Salvador Pacheco ranch, part of which Is occupied by Duane’s nursery. It Is Altmann's intention to make a further exploration of the mound at an erly date for other relics of the bygone tribe.Til/CO DAI 90 D! AOC III I All
Newspaper Details
Friday Harbor San Juan Islander
Friday Harbor, Washington, US
Fri, Aug 23, 1912
Page 3
Full Page
Clipped by
Danny M.
USA 10 Jan 2024
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