| OCR Text |
Show these people ends about the time of Christ, when profound changes in the whole cultural make- up are recorded. Because of similarities between the tools and the way of life of these people and the still earlier Cochise Culture, a continuity of occupation has been inferred, giving us, in fact, an inkling of human affairs in this region over thousands of years rather than for centuries, and supplying information, though sketchy, through that long interval between the truly ancient native American and his younger successor of the time of Christ, an interval which elsewhere has not as yet been filled in. Ventana Cave.- How widely the people we call the Cochise Culture ranged through the Southwest at this remote time still remains to be determined, but telltale traces have been found beyond the reaches of the southeastern tributaries of the Colorado River in New Mexico and Old Mexico. To the west, wthin the Colorado River Basin, in the area now inhabited by the Papago Indians, an Figure 34.- Ventana Cave. important cave ( Ventana Cave) has recently been excavated, throwing further light on these people and their culture. This cave is located some 80 air- line miles west of Tucson and a comparable distance south of Phoenix. The significance of this cave lies in the fact that it was inhabited, with few interruptions, from almost the present time back to that distant era of moist climate approaching the last glacial period. Here the debris which accumulated through this long occupation appears layer upon layer in the order of time. The tools of the Cochise Culture lie in the middle portion towards the base of a 15- foot- thick trash pile. Directly associated with these tools are other types of chipped stone implements, like those of the people of the lower Colorado River Basin and the Pinto and Mohave Basins of southeastern California, giving some indication of contemporary neighboring groups. But, more important is the fact that at the very bottom of Ventana Cave in a rocklike layer were a number of stone tools used by hunters and with them occurred the bones of extinct bison, sloth, tapir, horse, and the four- horned antelope. Some relationship with the Fol- som hunters of the high plains is indicated, as well as with an early folk whose products have been found toward the mouth of the Colorado River. This material is considered, upon geologic evidence, as more than 10,000 years old. Along the shores and terraces of ancient dry lakes and river beds in southeastern California and southern Nevada occur additional remains of Early Man. These include numerous camp sites and stone artifacts of early hunting and seed- gathering peoples. These camp sites are believed to have been occupied approximately eight to ten thousand years ago at a time when moist climatic conditions prevailed over the area. Distinctive types of projectile points set off these from the Cochise and Folsom Cultures to the east. Many of the animals so eagerly hunted by these ancient Indians have long since disappeared, becoming extinct during the next few thousand years. Among these animals were the native horse, camel, mammoth, wide- horned bison, and ground sloth. The giant ground sloth is of particular interest in this region because remains of the dung, hide, hair, and bones of this huge vegetarian have been found in a number of caves. 81 |
