Show MESA VERDE BY IRENE doest the past yet aliye live were the natives of america progressive gres sive yes ask any member of our world history class that is what we went to mesa verde to see the past life ot of the indian before the era of the white man these indians originated in asia moved in to alaska via the bering strait and journeyed journe on through canada into south western north america here they settled until a severe twenty four year drought killed most of them and drove the re ones to other parts where we may still find their descendants these indians did not live in caves for several hundred years when they first settled instead the they y made their homes upon the green mesas where they grew squash corn and gourds geurds then a hostile tribe of indians forced them to resort to the caves for protection and lix in these these they have aljy liyo j ever since first sm ta years ago 1 ip an ana the e balsam man their culture was exceedingly primitive they were nomads living on their daily kill of game about 1800 years ago the agriculture above mentioned was developed by the basket makers this is defered to as as the greatest step toward their improvement then villages were built pottery was developed also the bow baw and arrow which they used to kill the turkeys that they later domesticated time passed stone walls were perfected by masonry cotton cloth was woven arts and crafts developed rapidly the indians were at th their e ar peak in culture during the t great pueblo period that lasted three hundred years we do not know how advanced this race may have become had this progression gres sion continued however it ended in the terrible drought that drove them permanently from the mesa verde though these people were supposedly healthy their bones show the effects of rheumatism and arthritis as well as other strange ailments the teeth of the indians were commonly attacked by abscesses impaction and caries scientists attribute part of this to the sand they ate in their cornmeal in the trash pile mostly but some mummies have been found in sealed rooms these mummies have been preserved because of the dry surroundings the most perfect mummy found is known as esther she lived jived during the period during the course of time the ithe indian adopted a hard board cradle which flattened the soft skulls of the babies put into them this effect the brain because the head bulged at the sides thus the shape of the head gradually changed the villages of these people were well built for the times many of the houses are almost perfect still spruce tree house balcony city and the cliff palace stand as evidence of a cultured and progressive people in each village there is always a few ainar they served as a ceremonial place club house or sleeping room for the men the total number of pit houses pueblos and nd cliff dwellings may run into hundreds of these fewer than two dozen have been excavated the rest remain as a challenge to the are of the future |