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ONES of a vanished race are being unearthed near
Miami by WPA archaeological workers. They hope .. .
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to discover, by these relics, why the Tckesta Indians,
first inhabitants of this area, dropped from history like a cavation work is ended, the relics will be divided between died, Reichard believes from what has been found in the
stone flung into a bottomless pool. the Smithsonian Institution and the Florida archaelogical mounds here.
The fragments found recall ancient battles, murders and department. They were not giants, however, the investigators already
passions of the brown men who disappeared leaving only The project has been under way since November 1 and have decided. Their bones are of normal size, very thick
crumbling bones and shattered dishes where they lived, will continue as long as funds are available. The staff in- and strong,as is typical of the aborigines throughout Florida,
loved and fought from 500 to 800 years ago. eludes 138 men for field work and six laboratory technicians Their skill as artisans remains to be determined. Pieces
A chip of leg-bone, for instance,shows a deep scar where who wash and classify the specimens,all under the direction of pottery indicate they did not know the use of the wheel,
thewarrior who once stood on it evidently was wounded of E. O. Smith, WPA supervisor in charge. but formed their clay vessels by hand,decorating them with
fatally by an enemy's battle axe. "We classify the age of these mounds as 'pre-Columbian' a sharp-pointed stick or stone. One decoration is repeated
A skeleton, lying face up, was surrounded by funeral •and `post-Columbian'," Reichard said, "according to so often as to be characteristic—an arched motif encircling
offerings. At its feet were two bowls containing the bones whether or not trade articles of European origin such as the lip of each vessel. In some cases, the arch is inverted.
of birds,small animals and fish. Both the bowls were made glass beads, etc., are found in them. The mounds here, as
from conch shells. One had tfte core removed, the other ie..
ndicated by such trade articles, appear to be a combination ®THER Florida Indians were short and stocky, heavy
had the crown worked off to make the shell stand upright =xbe jpt tviunm bpap of..tUbetrF. cd..?fder.r.�P_e.vv2o:r. boned-atilt utcx(a� Thr only clothing,vc�ro.hr,*h
with the lip for a handle. arrived and the lower stratum considerably older, perhaps men was a breech clout of painted deer skin. The women
Another skeleton, unearthed this week, was buried in dating back as much as 800 years." wore a kind of short skirt made of Spanish moss, and wore
shallow earth over humps of rock. Pressure of the soil had their hair long. The men were in the habit of pulling out
crushed the head sideward so that the sightless eyes no longer The mounds, Reichard believes, are a combination of
looked toward the sky as they were laid to do when buried.
"habitation" and "burial" mounds. Inc nomad Te:testas the hair on all parts of their bodies except the head. They
camn�d { + ;• also were their hair lung and find up in a sort of topknot,
hili, f;s,•..1 *..e; her:.„. vt :uo+i, buried Inose
”- helwho died or were killed, and moved on to a new stopping-
d in place with a string net. This topknot served ause-
ITTLE is known of the strange race that had its home lace. ful purpose—they carried spare arrows and bone tools in it.
in this section. D. L. Reichard, technical adviser for P Feathers and the skins of animals with the heads left on
the WPA survey, believes they were descendants of the were fro uentl worn as ornaments. One historian men-
Indians who originally inhabited Florida's ,vest coast.
TO habits of the Tekestas a•e:e somewhat different q
from those of their neighbors,the Calusas and T.imucas. tions a palmleaf hat worn by the women.
"The mounds we are exploring here," he explained, "are g An early French writer described the communal house
natural sand rock ridges. A chain of them extends north The coastal tribes, as a rule, buried their dead with great and dwellings of the Timucas, thought to be descendants
and south about two miles. Others are east of here. They ceremony. Bodies often were exposed before burial iris order of the Tekestas:
evidently were occupied temporarily during migration from to free the bones of flesh. In some cases, the bodies were "The chief's dwelling stands in the middle of the town
coast to coast. They are not a major problem, but should boiled to remove the flesh so that the bones could be buried and is partly underground in consequence of the sun's heat,
provide a link between what we know about the allied races at once. Around this are the houses of the principal men, all lightly
who lived on the east and west coasts." But the Tekestas buried their dead immediately after they roofed with palm branches, as they are occupied only nine
The mounds now being excavated are north and west of months of the year; the other three months are spent in the
Miami, near Opalocka. Material taken from them is being woods. When they come back, they occupy their houses
assembled at local WI'A headquarters in the Burdine-Quar- Above, skull and bones dug up in Takesta excavations. again, and if they find the enemy has burned them down,
terman building. Although of little intrinsic value, the Below, workmen digging in the remains of old Indian they build others of similar materials. Thus magnificent
finds are scientifically priceless. Ultimateli', when the ex- village near Miami. are the palaces of the Indians."
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PAGE THREE