Archaeology Magazine - June 1961 - 57

existence. The coming of the horse about 1720 caused
another cultural upheaval, with increased mobility which
must have resulted in greater inter-tribal contact. And
of course the white man's diseases, introduced about
1780, spelled disaster: by 1835 over three-quarters of the
natives along the lower river had perished, and these
once powerful nations were forever destroyed. No white
man ever saw the natives of the Columbia in the full
glory of their culture.
The Columbia, a young, energetic stream, enters the
state of Washington from Canada near the Idaho border.
From there it flows southward, then sweeps north and
west in a great bend, forced against the granite hills by
the Miocene Age basalt flows. Through these lavas it cuts
a narrow channel to emerge into the semi-arid plains of
Central Washington and Oregon near Priest Rapids,
flowing south and then west to the Pacific Ocean through
a deep gorge extending through the Cascade Mountains.
There are two distinct climatic areas, the rain-washed
hills and forests west of the Cascades and the dry plains
to the east. Each area had a separate culture adapted to
the region, yet both were dependent on the salmon. To
the east the people were partially nomadic, roaming
from berry fields in the mountains to the prairies for
harvesting roots, and always to the river in the salmon
season. To the west the natives lived in large permanent
villages, in houses built of split cedar planks.
The two cultures met at the Long Narrows of the
Columbia, site of the village Wishram of Washington
Irving' s Astoria. Astride the only water level pass across
the mountains between Canada and California, Wishram
became the great trade mart of the West, as well as the
most important fishing site. At the Long Narrows the
Columbia, in volume second only to the Mississippi, was
forced through a vertical walled channel in the dense
basalt, less than two hundred feet wide and over three
hundred feet deep. The violent currents forced the
salmon to seek channels and eddies, where they were
easily netted or speared.
The natives met at Wishram as much to trade, gamble
and fraternize as to fish. The mixing of cultures and
the large population have made this place one of the
richest archaeological areas in the United States, and it
is here that most of the better specimens of primitive
art have been uncovered. The style is characterized both
by originality and by mechanical precision. Small bone
amulets and effigies are greater in number, and antler
and stone are carved with more diversity of style and
mastery of technique, than in the lowlands to the west,
where sculpture depended more on scale and boldness
for its impact. In the lowlands grew the cedar, that useful
wood from which the natives constructed and furnished

their houses and canoes, and with which they expressed
their aesthetic impulses. Consequently, fewer stone objects are found west of the Cascades, but those that do
appear are noted for their developed style.
The art style of the Columbia River has distinctive
features which readily identify it. While each of these
features may be found in other primitive art, their combination here is unique, and attests to a long and progressive development. The most characteristic element is
the exposed skeleton motif. The bulging eyes and prominent brow ridge, as shown in a maul handle (Figure 1),
are typical. Other stylistic elements, besides the over-all
massiveness,are an elaborate headdress or ornamentation,
the crescent mouth or ' grinning face," or the portrayal
of a single significant feature, such as the eyes alone.
Some carvings, especially those on antler and bone, have
intricate interlocking designs.
The artistic impulse of primitive people is usually
expended on the embellishment of utilitarian objects,
and on the Columbia there are many examples of this
motivation. Hand mauls, used for driving wedges to
cleave wood for use as planks or fuel, are highly polished
and frequently carved into stylized or conventional
zoomorphic forms. On the upper river, in the semi-arid
regions east of the Cascade Mountains, the maul was the
favorite article and in some places almost the only one
on which aesthetic effort was expended. The maul shown
in Figure 2 is an example of this type of expression. It is
made of dense black basalt, ground and polished until
it glistens. On the handle end are three interlocking
faces, carved with a technical skill indicating high
artistic development.
Nearly all stone mortars from the Columbia have some
decoration, if only rim delineation or geometric design.
Unfortunately, the natives of the West possessed no
pottery, that useful medium by which the sequence of
artistic development can be followed. Instead, besides
the stone bowls, they used baskets, made waterproof by
superb weaving, and wooden bowls for cooking by the
hot stone method. The high development of the art of
basket-weaving at the time of the European invasion indicates a long tradition.
An example of massive art style adapted to a utilitarian
object is shown in the lava mortar in Figure 3. Two of
the stylistic elements of Columbia River art are evident,
the bulging eyes and prominent brow ridge. The rim
pattern emphasizes the outline, and leads the interest
skilfully to the main feature. The interior of this bowl
shows extended use.
A different artistic treatment is shown in a mortar
carved of granite (Figure 4) ; the skill of the artisan
who created this masterpiece was superb. The uplifted
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Archaeology Magazine - June 1961

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