Canyon de Chelly: The Story of Its Ruins and People — John Shaqi
Canyon de Chelly: The Story of Its Ruins and PeopleBradley, Zorro A.
History
Canyon de Chelly: The Story of Its Ruins and People
Bradley, Zorro A.
Canyon de Chelly National Monument (Ariz.); Navajo Indians; Pueblo Indians -- Antiquities
The famous “Burial of the Weaver” was found in a small cliff alcove not
far from Antelope House. The grave was against the cliff, and a curved
masonry wall in front held back the earth. Inside was the tightly flexed
body of an old man lying on his left side. His hair was streaked with
gray and tied back in a bob; a billet of wood served as a pillow. The
body’s outer wrapping was a feather blanket made from the breast down of
golden eagles. Under the feather cloth was a white cotton blanket,
excellently made and appearing as clean and new as if freshly woven; and
under the white blanket was an old gray cotton blanket. Beneath that
blanket, lying on the mummy’s breast, was a single ear of corn.
A reed mat covered the floor of the grave, and the amount and variety of
objects laid away with the body suggest that the individual was highly
respected in life. A long wooden digging stick, broken to fit into the
grave, lay across the burial bundle. Beside this, and also broken, was a
bow so thick that only a powerful arm could have pulled it. With the bow
was a single reed arrow with a fire-hardened wooden point. Five pottery
jars, one broken, together with four bowl-shaped baskets woven from
yucca leaves, were also in the grave. These containers were filled with
cornmeal, shelled corn, four ears of husked corn, pinyon nuts, beans,
and salt. Tightly packed around the body and offerings were thick skeins
of cotton yarn which measured more than 2 miles in length. A spindle
whorl—a wooden disc on a reed stem which probably had been used to spin
the cotton—lay on the yarn.
[Illustration: A National Park Service archeologist examines a
storage jar found at Antelope House.]
STANDING COW
This cave in Canyon del Muerto was named for a large white and blue
pictograph of a cow, drawn in the historic period and undoubtedly the
work of a Navajo. Not much can be seen of this ancient ruin, for Navajos
have lived on the site in recent times and still use the old bins for
storing corn and the leveled areas for drying peaches.
On the cliff near this ruin is an interesting old Navajo painting of
Spanish cavalrymen.
[Illustration: This blue-headed cow, painted by an early Navajo
artist on the shelter wall, gave Standing Cow Ruin its name.]
[Illustration: This Navajo rock painting in Canyon del Muerto shows
a procession of soldiers. It probably records a Spanish expedition
in the 19th century.]
BIG CAVE
One of the largest concentrations of very early material at Canyon de
Chelly came from Big Cave (Tse-Ya-Tso) in Canyon del Muerto. Tree-ring
dates ranging from A.D. 331 to 835 indicate an intensive occupation of
the site in Basketmaker times.
Several burials of interest were found at Big Cave. One was of an old
man who had broken both legs across the shin bones. The fractures were
set so well that only the smallest of bumps were left.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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