A Burial Cave in Baja California

In 1888 an archaeological collection of material from Bahía de Los Angeles in Baja California was deposited in the United States National Museum by Dr. Edward Palmer. Although the material was duly catalogued, together with Dr. Palmer's notes, it has gone undescribed until the present.

Dr. Robert F. Heizer called this collection to the attention of the senior author in 1948. At that time the archaeology of Baja California was receiving emphasis at the University of California because of the interest of the Associates in Tropical Biogeography, under the chairmanship of Dr. C. O. Sauer. The late Professor E. W. Gifford, then Curator of the Museum of Anthropology at the University of California, arranged with Dr. T. Dale Stewart of the United States National Museum for a temporary study loan of the collection.

From the beginning, the division of labor between the authors has been primarily in terms of "hard" and "soft" artifacts. Massey has handled the analyses of the imperishable artifacts, their ethnographic and archaeological distributions, and the distributions of all artifacts for Baja California. Mrs. Osborne has dealt with the netting, textiles, and cordage, and the distribution of their techniques outside Baja California. Dr. Lila M. O'Neale began the analysis of the textiles and netting and directed it until her untimely death. Professor E. W. Gifford advised on the initial description of the imperishable artifacts.

This presentation has been delayed for many reasons, but the intervening years have added much detailed information to the original data, both in the literature of anthropology and in subsequent field work.

We are very grateful to friends, past and present, for their help and encouragement. We wish to acknowledge the support of the Department of Anthropology, University of California, for the photographs of the imperishable materials. Thanks are due Bob Ormsby, a University of Washington student, for the drawings of netting. All other drawings and the maps were done by June M. Massey. We acknowledge with thanks the assistance of Mrs. Gene Marquez, whose services as a typist were provided by the Department of Biological Sciences of the University of Florida.

Above all we wish to dedicate this small work to the memories of two tireless teachers and workers in anthropology--and in humanity: Dr. Lila M. O'Neale and Professor E. W. Gifford.

W.C.M. C.M.O.

CONTENTS

Page Preface iii Introduction 339 Ethnographic background 339 The site 341 The burials 341 Artifacts 341 Stone 341 Bone 342 Shell 342 Midden potsherds 343 Wood 343 Cordage and textiles 345 Simplest uses of prepared cord 345 Haftings 346 Matting 346 Netting 347 Feathered apron or cape 349 Human hair cape 349 Tump band 350 Cotton cloth 351 Summary and conclusions 351 Bibliography 352 Explanation of plates 356

MAPS

1. Baja California, showing location of Bahía de Los Angeles 339 2. Linguistic groups of Baja California 340

FIGURES

1. Detail of arrow or dart (139587), showing sting-ray spine point and cuplike depression at butt end 344 2. Tie-twined matting technique 346 3. Square-knot technique 347 4. Method of beginning hairnets and carrying nets 347 5. Detail of lower, fitted edge of hairnet 348 6. Detail of lower, gathered edge of carrying net 348 7. Detail showing insertion of feathers in hitches of carrying net 349

[Illustration: Map 1. Baja California, showing location of Bahía de Los Angeles.]

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A BURIAL CAVE IN BAJA CALIFORNIA

THE PALMER COLLECTION, 1887

BY WILLIAM C. MASSEY AND CAROLYN M. OSBORNE

INTRODUCTION

In December of 1887 Dr. Edward Palmer, the naturalist, set sail from the port of Guaymas in Sonora, crossed the Gulf of California, and landed at Bahía de Los Angeles on the peninsula of Baja California. Then, as now, there was a modest gold-mining operation at the bay. During his brief stay at the mining station, Dr. Palmer excavated a small natural cave which had been used by the Indians who were then extinct in that part of the peninsula.