Tikchik village: a nineteenth century riverine community in ... - Cluster

VANSTONE: TIKCHIK VILLAGE 261look for the cemetery which would be easy to findbecause of thememorial images and figures still standing above the box graveswhich were themselves still lying on the surface of the ground. Itturned out that those informants who had mentioned the standingmemorial images had not visited the site for more than 20 years.In 1965 there were no surface indications of a cemetery anywhere onthe site. Ivan Ishnook told me that it was located north and slightlywest of kashgee 2 extending down into the draw and almost reachingthe back wall of house 5 (see Fig. 3). No excavations were made inthis area. The three burials that were uncovered during the courseof the excavations were found on the benches in houses and they willnow be described.Burial 1Soon after the sod was stripped from house 3 and excavation begunin the southwest corner, a human skull was uncovered. Somewhatlater the rest of the skeleton was exposed. It proved to bethat of a female between the ages of 30 and 35. The skeleton layon its back in an east-west direction and in an extended position.The left arm lay across the pelvic region and the right was partiallyoutstretched. The skull was turned on its right side with the lowerjaw lying on a complete clay lamp which had been "killed" by havinga small, irregular hole made almost exactly in the center (PI. ll,c).The skeleton was complete down to and including the right and leftfemurs, but was badly disarticulated below that. Nearlybones of the lower extremities were found in the vicinity. Spongyroof logs were found above the skeleton and it seems likely that theall thedeceased was laid out on the bench in an extended position and thesubsequent disturbance was caused by falling roof beams and sodwhen the house eventually collapsed.Burial 2Midway along the north bench of house 5 the tightly-flexed burialof a female more than 40 years of age was encountered. The skeletonlay at right angles to the wall and was complete, although badlycrushed by falling roof timbers. There were no grave goods in association,but the body had been covered completely with long stripsof spruce bark.Burial 3Parts of a badly disturbed human skeleton were recovered fromhouse 6 under circumstances which at least suggest a burial. The