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Show fffirTLE Creek 5C---- - -C '1 Price, Utah The old Chinese proverb, "a picture is worth a thousand words," has a new twist out here in Castle Valley, of late. Clarence Pilling, a Price native, has donated to the Carbon College Col-lege Pre-historlc Museum a collection col-lection of eleven artistically decorated dec-orated clay figurines. Mr. Pilling found the interesting Indian artifacts arti-facts in March of 1950 in a dry cave east of here. Besides the eleven figurines, which were found on a natural shelf, the cave contained a foun. dation for a large room, plus several sev-eral pictographs done in white paint. The figurines, each about five inches high, are artistically sculptured sculp-tured and decorated in what was originally bright colors. The images were evidently made in pairs male and female. The females have wide hips, wear aprons and dress their hair in heavy bows, bound with cord. Around their necks are necklaces fashioned of pear-shaped pendants, pend-ants, pierced at the smaller end. The; males, like men of the modern era, are more simply and plainly dressed, wearing only short breech-clouts. Both males and females have painted stripes above and below their eyes. Dr. Noel Mores of Peabody Museum of Harvard University, made a detailed study "of the figurines fig-urines several years ago. As a result of this researoh, he used his findings as the basis for his book titled "Clay Figurines of the American Southwest." Dr. Morss dates the Pilling Figurines as having been made in the 11th Century, which means that they are 800 to 900 years old. He said, "It is remarkable that such delicate objects should have remained undisturbed and undamaged un-damaged by humans, animals, or the elements for the numerous centuries which have elapsed since their manufacture." They were evidently placed in willow baskets while the clay was still soft. The pattern of the woven twigs is still visible on the back of the figurines. These early native Americans had no written language. However, How-ever, they left a grapliic history, which has endured for almost a thousand years. Thanks to the law of chance, the priceless images fell into the hands of intelligent men. Thus the story they tell is still preserved pre-served for those who care enough to read. Much of the history of primitive primi-tive man remains yet to be understood. un-derstood. It exists in the fragments frag-ments of evidence still awaiting scientific interpretation. The tiny "Pilling Figurines" are silent relics of a day long past. However, they speak volumes vol-umes regarding the life and customs cus-toms of their creators. So long 'til Thursday. |