.33. 31‘ , ‘ . aviatii 1:! 3&3219 » « eivlixi§rfrfi§inf u (1;, k!f?ta.¥1.r£!§i.l.zl¥§, \ aluisv‘t f!§. , . 2:???15 4 , 1.323....»3. .1 r: I: E: J. «.5 . ,ofiofiiz Y!5\\ A ‘ ‘ 1‘ , , , LAIWtzx. 1!! .. t if 1;: x a. ‘ +3. I} . V . 1. 5.13}? E 4,». v M .v- a {H soME OBSERVATIONS v: A i r .z‘f , , 1r: V . ,- I; ' ON THE 3 ‘ as}; ET‘HNOGRAPHY AND ARCHNOLOGN 11:; U, ' Q! AMERICAN ABORIGINES. '3“ E: Z SAMUEL GEORGE MORTON, M. D., Author of the Crania Americana, Crania Egyptian, dpc 2 l broil]! \n ”f I 1:",fnx‘a a ,1} 1 ,2 "H = a EXTRACTED FROM THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SCIENCE, VOL. II, SICOND sum. ‘ _*__ ____ —V . 7 V_, _ 44 fi' . 7*. . g, ‘ € '_1 I; >‘aA . H V E N. PRINTHIHB .L HAMLEN, ’ "Printer to Yale College. K 2 ' 18 46. V ' “ i‘ ’3 I; ‘ ‘7’ [5 ”Mm/M wkflmim Way/4W .WW 5&c/W dW/MWOW flfi/%Wl%%~ W Wmmflvmm w/m 25/75:: £5570 ghm . Mo fméaa é 'Mm'a/ Jam. 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NOTHING in the progress of human knowledge is more remark- ' able than the recent discoveries in American archaeology, whether we regard them as monuments of art or as contributions to science. The names of Stephens and Norman will ever stand preeminent ._for their extraordinary revelations in Mexico and Yucatan ; which, , added to those previously made by Del Rio, Humboldt, Waldeck and D’Orbigny in these and other parts of our continent, have thrown a bright, yet almost bewildering light, on the former con- ' dition of the western world. Cities have been explored, replete with columns, has-reliefs, tombs and temples ; the works of a comparatively civilized peoplé, who were surrounded by barbarous yet afliliated tribes. Of the nbuilders we know little besides What we gather from their monu- ments, Which remain to astonish the mind and stimulate research. > «They teach us the value of archaeological facts in tracing the ' primitive condition and cognate relations of the several great yet only entered upon the threshold of investigation. .1 s ‘9. 4 0n the Ethnography and Archaeology In fact, ethnography and archaeology should go hand in hand; and the principal object I have in view in giving publicity to the following too desultory remarks, is to impress on travellers and others who are favorably 'situated for making observations, the importance of preserving every relic, organic or artificial, that can throw any light on the past and present condition of our native tribes. Objects of this nature have been too often thrown aside as valueless ; or kept as mere curiosities, until they were finally lost or become so defaced Or broken as to be useless. To render such relics available to science and art, their history and characteristics should be recorded in the periodicals of the day; by which means we shall eventually possess an accumulated mass of facts that will be all-important to future generalization. I grant that this course has been ably pursued by many intelligent writers, and the Amer— ican Journal of Science is a fruitful depository of such observa~ tionsfi“ With every acknowledgment to these praiseworthy ef— forts, lct us urge their active continuance. Time and the progress of civilization are daily efi'aicing the vestiges of our aboriginal race; and whatever can be done to rescue these vestiges from ob- livioii, must be done quickly. We call attention in the first place, to two skulls from a mound about three miles from the mouth of Huron river, Ohio. They ‘ were obtained by Mr. Charles W. Atwater, and forwarded to Mr. B. Silliman, Jr., through whose kindness they have been placed in my hands. These remains possess the greater interest, because the many articles found with them present no trace of European art, thus confirming the opinion expressed 1n Mr. Atwater’ 8 let- ter :—“ There are a great many mounds 1n the township of Hu— ron,” he observes, “all which appear to have been built a long time previous to - the intercourse between the Indians and the white men. I have opened a number of these mounds, and have not discovered any articles manufactured by the latter. A piece of 'copper from a small mound is the only metal I have yet found.” _ The stone utensils obtained by Mr. Atwater in the present in— stance, were, as usual, arrow heads, axes, knives for skinning deer, ’ sling-stones, and two spheroidal stones on which I shall offer some '* See more particularly the communications of Mr. R. C. Taylor, 1n vol. xxxiv, of Mr. S. Taylor, in vol. xxxiv, and of Prof. Forshey in vol. xlix. 3"... of the American Aborigines. 5 remarks in another place. The materials of which these articles are formed, are jasper, quartz, granite stained by copper, and clay slate, all showing that peculiar time-worn polish which such sub- stances acquire by long inhumation. ' The two skeletons were of a man and a woman. “They had been buried on the surface of the ground and the earth raised over them. They lay on their backs with their feet to the west.” The male cranium presents, in every particular, the characteris— tics of the American race. The forehead recedes less than usual in these people, but the large size of the jaws, the quadrangular orbits, and the width between the cheek Fig. 1_ bones, are all remarkably developed; while the rounded head, elevated vertex, vertical occiput and great inter-parietal :fiiameter, (which is no less than 5-7 in- ""ches,) render this skull a type of nation- al conformation. (Fig. 1.) The. femalezhead possesses the same ’general character, but is more elongated in the occipital region, and of more deli- "bate proportions throughOutfi“ Similar in general conformation to these are all the mound and other skulls I have received since the publication of my work on American Crania, viz. five from the country of the Araucos, in Chili, from Dr. Thomas S. Page of Valparaiso; six of ancient Otomies, Tlascalans and Chechemecans, from Don J. Gomez de la Cortina of the city of Mexico; three from near Tampa, in Florida, from Dr. R. S. Holmes, U. S. A.; one from a mound on Blue river, Illinois, from Dr. Brown of St. Louis; and four sent me by Lieut. Meigs, U. S. A., who obtained them from the immediate Vicinity of Detroit, in Michigan. To these may be added two others taken from ancient graves near Fort Chartres, in Illinois, by Dr. Wistlizenus of St. Louis; a single cranium from the cemetery of Santiago de Tlatelolco, near the city of Mexico, which I have received through the kindness of the Baron '“von Gerolt, Prussian minister at Washington; and another very ' .i' * We take this occasion to observe, that skulls taken from the mounds, should at sauce be saturated with a solution of glue or gum, or with any kind of varnish, by which precaution further decomposition is effectually phv’ented. 6 0n the E thnbgmphy and Amhwow fi old skull from the Indian-burying grounds atiGuamay,‘inlNorth- ern Peru, for which I am indebted to Dr: Paul Swift. Last but not least, I may add the skull obtained by Mr.’ Stephensi“ from a vault at Ticul, a ruined aboriginal city of Yucatan, and Some mutilated but interesting fragments brought me from the latter country, by my friend Mr. Normansf Those crania, together with upwards of four hundred others of nearly sixty tribes and nations, derived from the repositories of the dead in different localities over the whole length and breadth of both Americas, present a conformable and national type of organization, showing the origin of one to be equally the origin of all. To this prevading cranial type I have already adverted. Even the long-headed Aymaras of Peru, whom, in coimnon with Prof. Tiedemann, I at first thought to present a congenitallyflifl'erent‘ form of head from the nations who surrounded them, are proved, by the recent discoveries of M. Alcide D’Orbigny, to have be- longed to the same race as the other Americans, and to owe their singularly elongated crania to a peculiar mode-of artificial com-* pression from the earliest infancyi But there is evidence to the same effect, but of more ancient date than any we have yet mentioned. The recent explorations of Dr. Land in the district of Minas Geraes, in Brazil, have brought to light human bones which he regards as fossil, because they ac- company the remains of extinct genera and species of quadrupeds, and have undergone the same mineral changes with the latter. He has found several crania, all of which correspond in form to the present aboriginal type.§ g Even the head of the celebrated Guadeloupe skeleton forms no exception to the rule. The skeleton itself is well known to be in the British Museum, but wants the cranium, which how- ever is supposed to have been recovered in the one more recently found in Guadaloupe by Mr. L’Hérminier, and brought by him * Incidents of Travel in Yucatan, I, p. 281. ~ 1 Rambles in Yucatan, p. 217. i L Homme Americain, Tome I, p. 306 I corrected my error before I had the pleasure ofseeing M. D’ Orbigny 5 very interesting work. Amer. Jour. of Science, vol. xxxviii, No. 2. Jour. Acad. Nat. Sciences of Philadelphia, vol. viii; and again in my Distinctive Characteristics of the Aboriginal Race of America, p. 6. § See Proceedings afghfe Acad. of Nat. Sciences of Philadelphia for Dec. 1844. we effihe American Aborigines. 7 to Chailebtoh," South Carolina. Dr. Moultrie, who has described this very interesting relic, makes the following observations:— “ Compared with the 'cranium of a Peruvian presented to Prof. Holbrook by Dr. Morton, in the museum of the state of South Carolina, the crahiological similarity manifested between them is too striking to permit us to question their national identity. There is in both the same coronal elevation, occipital compres- sion, and lateral protuberance accompanied with frontal depres- sion, which mark the American variety in general.”* There is additional proof of identity, not only of original con- formation, but of conventional modification of the form of the head, which I may be excused from reverting to in this place, inasmuch as the materials I shall use have but recently come to my hands. The first of ‘ these subjects is represented Fig. 2. by the subJomed wood-cut, (fig. 2.) It was politely sent me by Dr. John Hous- toun, an intelligent surgeon of the British Navy, with the following memorandum: ' “From an ancient_toWn called Chiuhiu, or Atacama Baja, on the river Loa, and on the western edge of the desert of Ata- cama. The bodies are nearly all buried in the sitting posture, [the conventional usage of most of the American nations from Patagonia to Canada,] with the hands either placed on each .side of the head, or crossed over the breast.”’r ' Amer. Jour. of Science, xxxii, p. 364. t See Proceedings ofthe Acad. of Nat. Sciences ofPhila ,vol. ii ,.p 274. If] mis- take not, I was the first to bring forward this mode of interment practiced by our abo- riginal nations, as a strong evidence ofthe unity of the American race. “ Thus it is that notwithstanding the diversity of language, customs and intellectual character, we trace this usage throughout both Americas, affording, as we have already stated, collateral evidence of the afliliation of all the American tribes.”—Crania Ameri- cana, p. 246, and pl. 69. Mr. Bradford in his valuable work, American Antiquities, has added some examples of the same kind; and the Chevalier D’Eichthal has also adduced this custom, in connexion with some traces ofit in Polynesia, to prove an exotic origin for a part at least of the American race. See Mémoires de la Société Ethnologique de Paris, Tome II, p. 236. Whence arose this conventional position of the body in death? This question has been often asked and variously answered. It is obviously an imitation of the attitude which the living Indian habitually as- sumes when sitting at perfect ease, and which has been naturally transferred to his lifeless remains as a fit emblem of repose. ” 1» . 212’ This cranium (and another received with‘a‘slt) figs . ’ ~ -,' able sugar-loaf form which renders them high arid hilt"? ‘ front, With a short antero- -posterior diameter, beth tlfé f0 = .. I “ a ‘ :oc- ciput bearing evidence of long continued compressions; :fl'hey correspond precisely with the descriptions given by Ciez‘a, Tor- quemada and others among the earliest travellers 1n Peru, who saw the natives in various parts of the country With heads rounded precisely in this manneri’“ Fig.3. The second head figured, (fig. 3,) is that of a Natchez Indian,'|' obtained from a mound not far from that city by the late Mr. James Tooley, Jr., and by him pre— sented to me. The face in this, as in the former instance, has all the characteristics of the native Indian ; and the cranium has undergone precisely the same process of artificial compression, although these tribes were separated from each other by the vast geographical distance of four thousand miles! Could we discover the cranial remains of the 'older Mexican nations, we should doubtless find many of them to possess the same fanciful type of conformation ,1 for if either of the skulls figured above could be again clothed in flesh and blood, would we not have restored to us the very heads that are so abundantly sculptured on the monuments of Central‘America, and so graphi- cally described by Herrera, when he tells us that the people of Yucatan flattened their heads and foreheads? The following diagrams are copied, on an enlarged scale, from Mr. Stephens’s Travels,§ and will serve" irrfurther illustration of this interesting subject. They are taken from bas—reliefs in the “.Crania Americana, p. 116. 1‘ I have been looking to Dr. Dickerson, of Natchez‘, for more complete details dflived from the tumuli of that ancient tribe which formed a link between the Mexican nations on the one hand, and the savage hordes on the other. Dr. Dicker— son is amply provided with interesting and important materials for this inquiry, yvhich we trust he will soon make public. 1 The skull brought me from Ticul by Mr. Stephens, is that of a young female. It presents the natural rounded form; which accords with the observation of M. D’Orbigny, (L’Hommetémericain) that the artificial moulding of the head among some tribes of Peruv‘ians was chiefly confined to the men. § Travels in central America, vol. ii, p.311. of the American Aborigines. 9 The principal figure has better features and expression than the other, but their heads are formed on the same model; whence we may infer that if the suppliant is a servant or a slave of the same race with his master, the artificial moulding of the cranium was common to all classes; If, on the other hand,’We assume that he is an enemy imploring mercy, we come t0.-the conclusion that the singular custom of which we are speaking, Was in use among other and surrounding nations; which latter inference is confirmed by other evidence, that, for example, derived from the Natchez tribe, and the clay effigies so abundantly found at the ruined temples of the 51m and moon at Teotihuacan, near the city of Mexico. ’1‘ I can aver that sixteen years of almost daily comparisons have only confirmed me in the conclusions announced 1n my Crania Americana, that all the American nations, excepting the Eskimaux, are of one race, and thatthis race is peculiar and distinct from all others. The first of these propositions may be regarded as an axiom in ethnography; the second still gives rise to a diversity of opinions, of which the most prevalent is that which would, merge the American race in the Mongolian. It has been objected to a common origin for all the American nations, and even for those of Mexico, that their monuments 4‘; - " Crania Americana, p. 146. ‘ , "X , fl, . ,3, d 10 On the Ethnography and Archwology should present so great a variety in the cenfiguration- of the head and face; a fact which forcibly impresses every one who ex- amines the numerous efiigies in baked clay m the collection of 1 the American Philosophical Society; yet they are all made of the same material and by the same national artists. The varieties are indeed endless; and Mr. Norman in his first work, has arrived at a reasonable conclusion, in which we entirely agree with him, “that the people prepared these penates according to their respec- tive tastes, and with little reference to any standard or canon.” They appear to have exercised much ingenuity in this way, blending almost every conceivable type of the human counte- nance, and associating this again with those of beasts, birds, and various fanciful animals, which last are equal in uncouthness to any productions of the Gothic artists of the middle ages. Mr. Norman in his late and interesting volume of travels in Cuba and Mexico, discovered in the latter country some remark- able ruins near the town of Panuco, and among them a curious sepulchral effigy. “It was a handsome block or slab of stone, (wider at one end than‘ the other,) measuring seven feet in length, with an average of nearly two and a half feet in width and one ~ foot in thickness. Upon its face was beautifully wrought, in bold 1‘ :1 relief, the full length figure of a man, in a loose robe with a girdle about his loins, his arms crossed on his breast, his head encased in a close cap or casque, resembling the Roman helmet (as repre~ sented 1n the etchings of Pinelli) without the crest, and his feet and ankles bound with the ties of sandals. The figure 1s that of a tall muscular man of the finest proportions. The face, 1n all its features, is of the noblest class of the European or Caucasian race. ”1* Mr. Norman was himself struck “ with the resemblance be- . tween this, and the stones that cover the tombs of the Knights Templar in some of the ancient churches of the old world,” but : he thinks that neither this nor any other circumstance proves this .: effigy to have been of European origin or of modern date. “The : material,” he adds, “is the same as that of all the buildings and works of art in this Vicinity, and the style and workmanship are those of the great unknown artists of the western hemisphere ;” r : i l * Rambles in Yucatan, p. 216. i Rambles by Land and Water, p. 145. l k: 3r i m. -. p . ,1 _ ' Q (3‘ the American ‘Abom'gv'nes. 11 A: w .. 1, . . . and he amVe’s at the conclusmn, as many mgenuous minds have done before him, that_ these and the other archaeological remains of Mexico and Yucatan, “are the works of a people who have lung since passed away , and not of the races, or the progenitors of the races, who inhabited the country at the epoch of the dis- covery. ”*9 With the highest respect for this intelligent traveller, I am not able to agree with him in his conclusion; but I should not now revive my published opinions or contest his, were it not that some new light appears to me to have dawned on this very question. In the first place, then, we regard the effigy found near Panuco as probably Caucasian; so does Mr. Norman; but instead of re- ferring it to a very remote antiquity, or to some European oc- cupancy of Mexico long before the Spanish conquest, we will venture to suggest, that even if the town of Panuco was itself older than that event, ( of which indeed we have no doubt ,)it is consistent with collateral facts to infer, that the Spaniards may have occupied this very town, in common with, or subsequent to, the native inhabitants, and have left this sepulchral monument. That the Spaniards did sometimes practice this joint occupancy, is well known; and that they have, in some instances, left their monuments in places wherein even tradition had almost lost sight ‘of their former sojourn, is susceptible of proof. Mr. Gregg, in a recent and instructive work on the “Com- . merce of the Prairies,” states the following particulars, which are the more valuable since he had no opinions of his own in refer- ence to the American aborigines, and merely gives the facts as he found them. Mr. Gregg describes the ruins called La Gran Quivira, about 100 miles south of Santa Fé, as larger than the present capital of New Mexico. The architecture of this deserted city is of hewn stone, and there are the remains of aqueducts eight or ten miles in length leading from the neighboring mountains. These ruins “have been supposed to be the remains of a pueblo or aboriginal city ;” but he adds that the occurrence of the Spanish coat of arms in more than one instance sculptured and painted upon the houses, prevents the adoption of such an opinion; and that tra- ditional report (and tradition only) mentions this as a city that t * Rambles by Land and Water, p. 203. 2 12 On the Ethnography and Archaeology was ”sacked and desolated in the Indian insurrection of 1680.* Nowr‘had it not been for the occurrence of the heraldic paintings, this city might have been still regarded asiof purely Indian origin and occupancy; as might also the analogous ruins of Also, Tagi- que and Chilili in the same vicinity; for although these may have been originally constructed by the natives, yet as they are sup— posed to be near the ancient mines, it is not improbable that the conquerors in these, as in many other instances, drove out the rightful owners, and took possession for themselves ,1" for that they did possess and inhabit the towns above enumerated is a fact beyond question. Why may not events of an analogous character have taken place at Panuco P Was it not probably an Indian city into which the Spaniards had intruded themselves, and having left traces of their sojourn, as at La, Gran Quim'ra, subsequently, owing to some dire catastrophe, or some new impulse, abandonded it for another and preferable location? This, we suggest, is a reason- able explanation of the presence of the Caucasian effigy found by Mr. Norman among the deserted ruins of Panuco. Mr. Stephens has, I think, conclusively proved that the past and present Indian races of Mexico were cognate tribes. I had previously arrived at the same conclusion from a different kind of evidence. What was manifest in the physical man is corrobo- rated by his archwological remains. The reiterated testimony of some of the early Spanish travellers, and especially of Bernal Diaz and Herrera, is of the utmost importance to this question; and all that is necessary in the chain of evidence, is some link to connect the demi-civilized ”nations with the present uncultivated and barbarous tribes. These links have been supplied by Mr. Gregg. Those peculiar dwellings and other structures, with in- clined or parapet walls,_’[ and with or without windows, which are common to all epochs of Peruvian and Mexican architecture, are constructed and occupied by the Indians of Mexico even at 1 i l l {t the present day. After describing the general character of these * Commerce of the Prairies, I, p. 165. 1 Ibid. 1,270. i I am aware that the walls of the ancient Mexican and Peruvian edifices are : ofien vertical; but where this is the case the pyramidal form is attained by piling, one on the other, successive tiers of masonry, each receding from the other and leaving a parapet or platform at its base. of the American Aborigines. A 13 moderm domicils, Mr Gregg goes on to observe, that “a?very curious feature in these buildings, is that there is most generally no direct communication between the street and the lower rooms, into which they descended from a trap-door from the upper story, the latter being accessible by means of a ladder. Even the en- trance at the upper stories is frequently at the roof. This style of building appears to have been adopted for security against their marauding neighbors of the wilder tribes, with whom they were often at war. “Though this was their most usual style of architecture, there still exists a Pueblo of Taos, composed, for the most part, of but two edifices of very singular structure—one on each side of a creek, and formerly communicating by a bridge. The base story is a mass of near four hundred feet long, a hundred and fifty wide, and divided into numerous apartments, upon which other tiers of rooms are built, one above another, drawn in by regular grades, forming a pyramidal pile of fifty or sixty feet high, and comprising some six or eight stories. The outer rooms only seem to be used for dwellings, and are lighted by little windows at the sides, but are entered through trap-doors in the azoteas or roofs. Most of the inner apartments are employed as granaries and store- rooms, but a spacious hall in the centre of the mass, known as the estufa, is reserved for their secret councils. These two build- ings afford habitation, as is said, for over six hundred souls. There is likewise an edifice in the Pueblo of Picuris of the same class, and some of those of Moqui are also said to be similar.”* The Indian city of Santo Domingo, which has an exclusive aboriginal population, is built in the same manner, the material being, as usual, sun-burnt bricks; and my friend Dr. Wm. Gam- bel informs me, that in a late journey from Santa Fé across the continent to California, he constantly observed an analogous style of (building, as well in the dwellings of the present native in- habitants, as in those older and abandoned structures of whose date little or nothing is known. Who does not see in the builders of these humbler dwellings, ' the descendants of the architects of Palenque, and Yucatan? The style is the same in both. The same objects have been ar: rived at by similar modes of construction. The older structures ” Commerce of the Prairies, I, p. 277. 14 On the Ethnography and Archéology are formed of a better material, generally of hewn stone, and often é'lp‘bokately ornamented with sculpture. But the absence of all decoration in the modern buildings, is no proof that they have not been erected by people of the same race with those who have left such profusely ornamented monuments in other parts of Mexico; for the ruins of Pueblo Bonito, in the direction of Na— vajo, and those of the celebrated Casas Grandes on the western Colorado, which were regarded by Clavigero as among the oldest Toltecan remains in Mexico, are destitute of sculpture or other decoration. In fact, these last named ruins appear to date with the primitive wanderings of the cultivated tribes, before they established their seats in Yucatan and Guatimala, and erected those more finished monuments which could only result from the combined efforts of populous communities, acting under the favor- able influence of peace and prosperity. Every race has had its center or centers of comparative civilization. The American aborigines had theirs in Peru, Bogota and Mexico. The people, the institutions and the architecture were essentially the same in each, though modified by local wants and conventional usages. Humboldt was forcibly impressed by this archaeological identity, ' for he himself had traced it, with occasional interruptions, over an extent of a thousand leagues; and we now find that it gradu- ally merges itself into the ruder dwellings of the more barbarous tribes; showing, as I have often remarked, that there is, in every respect, a gradual ethnographic transition from these into the temple—builders of every American epochfi“ I shall close this communication by a notice of certain discoz'dal stones occasionally found in the mounds of the United States. Of these relics I possess sixteen, of which all but two were found ' by my friend Dr. Wm. Blanding, during his long residence in Camden, South Carolina. These disks were accompanied, as usual, by earthern vessels, pipes of baked clay, arrow-heads and other articles, respecting which Dr. Blanding has given me the following locality :——“All the Indian relics, save three or four, which I have sent yOu,-J;1¥ere collected on or near the banks of the Wateree river, Kershaw district, South Carolina; the greater part from the mounds or near the foot of them. All the mounds 5'. * See my Inquiry into the Distinctive Characteristics of the Aboriginal Race of America, 2d edit., Philad. 1844. 15.1.36 Jim p; 1 / Q; the American Aborigines. 15 that I have observed in this state, excepting these do no 1’: was many as are found on the Wateree within they; ‘ twenty four miles up and down the river, between ImncaSter and Sumpter districts. The lowest down is called Nixon’s mound, the highest up, Harrison’s.” “The discoidal stones,” adds Dr. Blanding, “were found at the foot of the different mounds, not in them. They seemed to be left, where they were no doubt used, on the play grounds.” The disks are from an inch and a half to six inches in diam- eter, and present some varieties in other respects. 2. Fig. 1 represents a profile of the simplest form and at the ”same time the smallest size of these stones, being in diameter about an inch and three quarters. The upper and under surfaces are nearly plane, with angular edges and oblique margin, but with- out concavity or perforation. . Fig. 2. A similar form, slightly concave on each surface. Fig. 3. A large disk of white quartz, measuring five inches in diameter and an inch and three fourths in thickness. The mar- gin is rounded, and both surfaces are deeply concave though im- perforate. Fig. 4 is another specimen four inches in diameter, deeply con- cave from the margin to the center, with a central perforation. The margin itself is slightly convex. The concave surface is marked by two sets of superficial groo‘qgi lines, which meet some— thing 1n the form of a bird-track. This disk 18 made of a light- brown ferruginous quartz. Fig. 5 is a profile view of a solid lenticular stone, much more . convex on the one side than the other, formed of hard syenitic :. rock. 16 Oh the Ethnography and Areiwology Be‘sides these there are other slight modifications of form which ‘ it is unnecessafy to particularize. These disks are made of the hardest stones, and wrought with admirable symmetry and polish, surpassing any thing we could readily conceive of in the humbler arts of the present Indian tribes; and the question arises, whether they are not the works of . their seemingly extinct progenitors ?—of that people of the same race, (but more directly allied to the Toltecans of Mexico,) who appear in former times to have constituted populous and cultivated communities throughout the valley of the Mississippi, and in the southern and western regions towards the gulf of Mexico, and whose last direct and lineal representatives were the ill-fated Natchez ? I have made much inquiry as to the localities of these and . analogous remains, but hitherto with little success. I am assured that they have been found in Missouri, perhaps near St. Louis; andin very rare instances in the northern part of Delaware. Dr. ' Ruggles has sent me the plaster model of a small, perforated, but I irregularly formed stone of this kind, taken from an ancient In- . dian grave at Fall River in Rhode Island; but Dr. Edwin H. . Davis, of Chilicothc, in a letter recently received from him, i11- forms me that he had obtained, during his excavations in thatj vicinity, no less than “two hundred flint disks in a single mound, measuring f1om three and a half to five inches in diameter, and from half an inch to an inch in thickness, of three different forms, - round, oval and triangular.” These appear, however, to be of a 1» different construction and designed for some other use than those > I have described; and Dr. Davis himself offers the probable sug- gestion, that “they were rude darts blocked out at the quarries i“, for easy transportation to the Indian towns.” The same gentle-Z . man speaks of having found other disks formed of a micaceous slate, of a dark color and highly polished. These last appear to correspond more nearly to those we have indicated in the above diagrams. 3 Besides these disks, I haVe met with a few spheroidal stonesfil about three inches in diameter. One of these accompanies the 3,, disks from South Carolina, and is marked with a groove to re—,; ceive the thumb in throwing it. A similar but ruder ball is con— " tained among the articles found by Mr. Atwater in the mound near; Huron, Ohio. 5 of.‘ the American Aborigines. 17 What was the use of 'the‘disks in question? Those whflahave : examined the series in my possession have offered various expla- : nations; but the only one that seems in any degree plausible, is that of my friend Dr. Blanding, who supposes them to have been ; used in a game analogous to that of the quoits of the Europeans. his a curious fact that discoidal stones much resembling these I have been found in Scandinavia ;* whence I was at first led to : éfippose it possible, especially in consideration of their apparently :-circumscribed occurrence in this country, that they might have I been introduced here by the N orthmen ; a conjecture that seems we lose ,all foundation since these relics have been found as far 1 west as the Mississippi. Nola—Since the preceding remarks were written, I have re- ioeived from my friend, Mr. William A. Foster, of Lima, ten l skulls and two entire mummied bodies from the Peruvian come-1‘ atery at Arica. “ This cemetery,” observes Mr. Foster, “lies on the .1 face of a sandhill sloping towards the sea. The external surface 1 occupied by these tombs, as far as we explored, I should say was ifwe or six acres. In many of the tombs three or four bodies v were found clustered together, always in the sitting posture, and tyrapped 1n three or four thicknesses of cloth, with a mat thrown ' over all.” These crania possess an unusual interest, inasmuch as, with 1 two exceptions, they present the horizontally elongated form, in revery degree from its incipient stage to its perfect development. , By what contrivance has the rounded head of the Indian been imoulded into this fantastic shape? I have elsewhere-f offered isome explanations of this subject; but the present series of skulls tthrows yet more light on it, and enables me to indicate the pre- tcise manner in which this singular object has been attained. . It is evident that the forehead was pressed downwards and abaekwards by two compresses, (probably a folded cloth,) one Eon each side of the frontal suture, which was left free; a fact tthat explains the cause of the ridge, which, in every instance, ‘ 1 ‘ I” See Journal of the Antiquarian Society of Denmark, published 1n Copenhagen .in the Danish language, vol. i, tab. 2, figs. 52,53. tJour. Acad. Nat. Sciences of Philad., vol. viii. r": , ly premising that the course 18 On the Ethnography and Archaeology repla’ees that suture by extending from the root of the nose to the I coronal suture. To keep these compresses in place, a bandaged was carried over them from the base of the occiput obliquely for-t wards; and then, in order to confine the lateral portions of the g skull, the same bandage was continued by another turn over the ,7 top of the head, immediately behind the coronal suture, and prob- l ably with an intervening compress, and the bandaging was re- i peated over these parts until they were immovably confined 1112 l the desired position. 13‘ Every one who 18 acquainted with the pliable condition of thel cranial bones at birth, will readily conceive how effectually this apgl paratus would mould the head in the elongated or cylindrical form; I for, while it prevents the forehead from rising, and the sides of the ‘ head from expanding, it allows the occipital region an entire free-9 dom of growth; and thus without sensibly diminishing the vol- = ume of the brain, merely forces it into a new though unnatural direction, while it preserves, at the same time, a remarkable sym metry of the whole structure. The following outline of one of these skulls, will further il- lustrate my meaning; mere- of the bandages is in every instance distinctly marked by a corresponding cavity of the bony structure, ex— , cepting on the forehead, where the action of a firm compressl has left a plane surface. . ands of the Lake of Titicaca, and whose civilization seems evi’ dently to antedate that of the Inca Peruvians. I was in fact a one time led to consider this form of head as peculiar to, an characteristic of, the former people, but Mr. Foster’s extensive. observations conclusively prove that it was as common amon4t some tribes of the sea coast, as among those of the mountainou «F: region of Bolivia, that it belonged to no particular nation or tribe I and that it was, in every instance, the result of mechanical com ,5 pression. .' 8i“ V t of the American Aborigines. 19 In my Crania AmericanaI have given abundant instances of a r remarkable vertical flattening of the occiput, and irregularity of L its sides, among the Inca Peruvians who were buried in the royal : cemetery of Pachacamac, near Lima. These heads present no : other deviation from the natural form; and even this irregularity I I have thought might be accounted for by'a careless mode of ; binding the infant to the simple board, which, among many In- . Eidlan tribes of both North and South America, is a customary a. ; Substitute for a cradle. It is probable, however, that even this ; configuration was intentional, and may have formed a distinctive “nuke of some particular caste of these singular people, among l Whom a perfectly natural cranium was of extremely rare oc- : currence. " We are now acquainted with four forms of the head among l the old Peruvians which were produced by artificial means, viz: ‘ l. The horizontally elongated, 01 cylindrical form, above de- 1 scribed. 2. The conical or sugar-loaf form, represented in the preced- , ing diagrams. 3. The simple flattening or depression of the forehead, causing E the rest of the head to expand, both posteriorly and laterally;a ;,,practice yet prevalent among the Chenooks and other tribes at the north of the Columbia river, in Oregon. 4. A simple vertical elevation of the occiput, giving the head. : in most instances a squared and inequilateral form. ‘ A curious decree of the ecclesiastical court of Lima, dated A. D. _ . l 1585, and quoted by the late Prof. Blumenbach, alludes to at least 1‘ four artificial conformations of the head, even then common I among the Peruvians, and forbids the practice of them under r certain specified penalities. These forms were called in the lan~ _: guage of the natives, “Caito, Oma, Opalla, &.c. ;” and the contin- i uance of them at that period, affords another instance of the . tenacity with which the Peruvians clung to the usages of their F forefathers. . . g 4 a, AMERICAN mcfiwmt ’ PLATE 1 . \ ' WI /;,\ [ffl ,, M3“ 7, T ,. fl . OF A SECTION OF TWELVE MILES _ ”(é/k. La (4’ .31 V/ 9/ 02/ \. A .1 SCIUTO VALLEY: I/ffl III ANCIENT IOIIUIENTS. l/fl/ HI III/)1)“ l ADV/II, 1/7, ll/l/U/V (1') N > .\ »-a._/i/235;a MW a v -. ‘\ \\ :5 %‘.t’mwmv : ' i ~ .3", ‘ r'woflnllu' '%\_ / "‘ E 3‘. / / f1" raw/a ,,:'. , F4”, ‘ 1/7/22. 'i/I/ § E V/loir ‘-m\§ 330110an V‘s " j; ' L P/alraufwf" ii mm: my 7 ,n m, V (m \m . ,_ .' / \w/‘IRV , O o W’pnflfififlw H ~ , E V, ,«u \ ’4'; O ,[l‘ 1 647m!“ .w Ill/[Ar ' W , , ff '6 <;;:“m"“7é"’/ If. \'/’/1.A//1':4 770/170“. __ l};{(,'/0J'lll‘('.f. . .4/0/1/1052 . . fl (1177/ Vidal. #31, 07' /a/m~r Afizwza/ flrrarar J'rr'o/Ir/ III/d Mil/'11, Wrrarw. 159/)» i 1,7 /’r3/'m/.;z J‘Clll, / Iii/Files In (/1? filo/L 1”, 15‘. (,7 (EC Margy/Idle 1%.” d/u’li’lz/ Will-14:5; 5 ‘ 772/207?! to z}: 2951:7541 Z 49, .5, J36 [aa’t'zutefléarmlr to ”761% apeail/m/érmre L'r/md 1}] 17% law. "(w/[q /I.', 1/7/1',l)/” J‘A/v’O/W’Ar/Wl/{HL OBSERVATIONS ON THE t ABORIGINAL MON UMEN TS ’ OF THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY; THE ( ’HARACTER OI" THE ANCIENT EARTH—“’URKS, AND T“ [C STRUCTURE, “ONTENTS, AND PURPOSES OF THE MOUNDS; \VI’I‘H " NOTICES OF THE MINOR REMAINS 0F ANCIENT ART. I WITH ILLUSTRATIONS. i BY E. G. SQUIER’. I‘ § 5117): 3‘33; SECOND VOLUME OF THE. TRANSACTIONS OF THE J‘L‘JSILICA‘I ETIINOLOGICAL SOCIETY. g: ‘11; N EW-YORK : BARTLETT & WELFORD. 1847. Fat AB OIRIGINAL MONUMENTS OF THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY.* THAT the western portion of the United States, em- braced within the great basin of the Mississippi River and its tributaries, abounds with rude but imposing monuments, the origin of Which is lost in the obscurity of antiquity, is 4* WITHIN the past two years, public attention has several times been directed to the extensive investigations in progress, by Messrs. E. G. SQUIER and E. H. DAVIS, M. D., of Ohio, into the aboriginal remains of the \Vest, and particularly those of the Ohio valley. During this period, these gentlemen were in constant communication with the American Ethnological Society, of ‘which they are members; and it was early proposed, and preparations accord- ingly made, to embody the results of their inquiries in its published Transac- tions. Their researches, however, were subsequently so greatly extended, and crowned with such remarkable results, as to place their publication, in an ade- quate style of illustration, entirely beyond any means at the command of the Society. At this juncture, their MSS. and accompanying illustrations, were submitted to the newly organized Smithsonian Institution, and accepted for publication as the first volume of the "‘ SMITHSONIAN CONTRIBUTIONS TO KNOW- LEDGE.” This work, greatly surpassing in magnitude, as in the number, im- portance, and interesting nature of its facts, any publication of the kind ever before undertaken in this c0untry,is now in press, and will be issued some time during the ensuing winter. The“ paper herewith presented, embraces only such detached general observations as may serve to illustrate the antiquities of our country, without anticipating any of the more important discoveries and interesting details of the’ prospective great work from the same hands, and must not be taken to exhibit a complete or adequate view of the subject. It only aims to group, and in some degree to generalize, the various ancient remains of the West, so as to furnish some rational conception of their extent variety, and prevailing character. 6 ABORIGINAL MONUMENTS a fact generally known. Very imperfect notions, however, of the extent, number, and character of these remains are entertained by the world at large. Even where they are most abundant and interesting, the general ignorance, in these respects, appears greatest. It seems strange that hitherto, while every other branch of research has enlisted active and enlightened minds in its elucidation, the archeolo- gical field has been left comparatively unoccupied. It is true, isolated and detached observations, and occasional limited explorations, have been made, serving to provoke rather than satisfy inquiry ; but nothing like a thorough and systematic investigation, carried on over an extended field, has hereto- fore been attempted. This has resulted less, perhaps, “ be- cause men are ’incurious about nearer, and intent upon more distant objects,” than from the lack, among a pioneer population, of the time and money necessary to so laborious and costly an undertaking, and of the inducements which enlightened approbation, in older communities, holds out to original research and development. Account for the fact as we may, there is no doubt that, up to this time, the world has been put in possession of too few well-authenticated facts, relating to the ancient aboriginal monuments of our coun- try, to enable the inquirer to form any satisfactory conclu— sion as to their extent, number, character, origin, or pur— poses. Their absence has been poorly supplied by specu- lations, which, however ingenious they may be, have no firmer foundation than the fancy of their authors, and can serve only further to involve a subject already sufliciently obscure, and which cannot be elucidated except by a strict observance of the rules regulating scientific research. It was under a Vivid impression of the general defi- ciency, in this respect,—-—the extreme paucity of facts, and the veryloose manner in which they ha'd been presented,— that the writer of this memoir, and his associate, E, H. * Pliny. or THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY. 7 DAVIS, M. D., of Ohio, commenced the series of investiga- tions, a brief and very general statement of some of the results of which is herewith presented. It is proper to remark, that these investigations were set on foot, with no view to ulterior publication, but to satisfy individual inquiry. At the outset, all preconceived notions were aban- doned, and the work of research commenced, as if no spe- culations had been indulged in, nor any thing before been known, respecting the singular remains of antiquity scat- tered so profusely around us. It was concluded that, either the field should be entirely abandoned to the poet and the romancer, or, if these monuments were capable of reflecting any certain light upon the grand archeological questions connected with the primitive history of the American con- tinent, the origin, migration, and early state of the Ameri- can race, that then they should be carefully and minutely, and above all, systematically investigated. The locality chosen for the commencement of opera- tions, is a section of the Scioto River and Paint Creek valleys, of which the city of , Chillicothe is the centre, and which possesses a deserved celebrity for its beauty, unex- ampled fertility, and the great number, size, and variety of its ancient remains. Situated in the middle of Southern Ohio, and possessing a mild and salubrious climate, this seems to have been one of the centres of ancient population ; and, probably, no other equal portion of the Mississippi basin furnishes so rich and interesting a field for the anti- quary. A glance at the accompanying “ Map of a Section of Twelve .Miles of the Scioto Valley, with its Ancient Monuments," will fully illustrate this remark. The plan of operations was agreed upon, and the field- WOrk commenced, early in the spring of 1845. Subse- quently, the plan was greatly extended, and the investigations were carried on, with slight interruption, up to the summer of 1847. The scope of this paper will not admit of a detailed account of the mode in which the explorations were con- l 8 ABORIGINAL MONUMENTS ducted, nor of their extent. It is perhaps sufficient to say, that the surveys were, for the most part, made by the writer and his associate in person, and that the excavations were all of them conducted under their personal direction and super- vision. Great care was exercised in noting down, on the spot, every fact, however minute, which might be of value, in the solution of the problems of the origin and purposes of the remains under notice ; and particular attention was bestowed in observing the dependencies of the position, structure, and contents of the various works in respect to each other and the general features of the country. In- deed, no exertion was spared to ensure entire accuracy, and the compass and line, the rule and the spade, Were alone relied upon, in matters too often left to an approximate estimate or to conjecture. The ancient earth-works (enclosures) personally exa- mined and surveyed are upwards of one hundred, and the mounds excavated not far from two hundred, in number. Several thousand remains of ancient art were also collected in the progress of the investigations, chiefly from the mounds themselves. These constitute a cabinet, as valu‘ able in its extent, as interesting in the great variety and the singular character of the illustrations which it furnishes of the condition of the domestic and minor arts of the peo- ple by whom these monuments were erected. A descrip‘ tion of these would alone fill,a volume. The most, there- fore, which can be done, in the compass of this paper, is to give a brief general View of the extent of the aboriginal monuments of the West, with a few examples of certain classes, in which their predominant features are presented. Extent and General Character of the Aboriginal Monu— ments of the West. The aboriginal monuments of the Western United States, consist, for the most part, of elevations and em- OF THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY. 9 bankments of earth and stone, erected with great labor and manifest design. In connection with these, more or less intimate, are found various minor relics of art, consisting of ornaments and implements of many kinds, some of them composed of metal, but most of stone. They spread over a vast extent of country. They are found on the sources of the Alleghany, in the western part of the State of New- York, on the east; and extend thence westwardly along the southern shore of Lake Erie, and through Michigan and Wisconsin to Iowa and the Nebraska territory, on the westfi'“ We have no record of their occurrence above the lakes, nor higher than the falls of the Mississippi. Carver mentions some on the shores of Lake Pepin; and Lewis and Clarke saw them on the Missouri river, 1000 miles above its junction with the Mississippi. They are found all over the intermediate country, and along the valley of the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico. They line the shores of the Gulf from Texas to Florida, and extend, in diminished numbers, into South Carolina. They occur in great numbers in Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Mis- souri, Arkansas, Kentucky, Tennessee, Louisiana, Missis- sippi, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, and Texas. They are found, in less numbers, in the western portions of New- York, Pennsylvania, and Virginia ; as well as in Michigan, *It is a fact not generally known, that there is an abundance of tumuli or mounds in the Territory of Oregon. We are not informed, however, that there are any enclosures or other works of like character with those usually accompanying the mdunds of the'Mississippi valley, nor whether the mounds of Oregon are generally disseminated over that territory. The only reference we have to them is contained in a paragraph in the Narrative of the United States Exploring Expedition: “ We soon reached the Bute Prairies, which are extensive and covered w1th tumuli or small mounds, at regular distances asunder. As far as I can learn, there is no tradition among the natives concerning them. They are conical mounds, thirty feet in diameter, about six or seven feet above the leve],_and many thousands in number. Being anxious to ascertain if they contained any relics, I subsequently visited these prairies, and opened three of the mounds, but found nothing in them but a pavement of round stones."— U. S. E. E., Vol. iv. p. 313. I 13 10 ABORIGINAL MONUMENTS Iowa, North and South Carolina, and in the Mexican terri- tory, beyond the Rio Grande del N orte. In short, they occupy the entire basin of the Mississippi and its tribu- taries, as also the fertile plains along the Gulf. It is not to be understood that these remains are dis- persed equally over the area here defined. They are main- ly confined to the'valleys of the streams, occupying the level, fertile terraces, and seldom occuring very far back from them. . Their number is well calculated to excite surprise, and has been adduced in support of the hypothesis—which has not been without its advocates—that they are most, if not all of them, natural formations, “ the results of diluvial action,” modified perhaps, in a few instances, but never erected by man. Of course no-such hypothesis was ever advanced by any individual who had enjoyed the opportu- nity of examining these remains for himself. Some estimate may be formed of their great abundance, in certain portions of the country, by an inspection of the accompanying Map, which exhibits a section of twelve miles of the Scioto valley. It will be observed that not less than ten large groups of earth-works occur within the space designated, besides which there is a large number of mounds and lesser monuments. Twenty-four of these mounds are found within a single enclosure, E, three miles above the city of Chillicothe. The large works, H and K, have each not far from two miles of embankment, and enclose little less than one hundred acres. Not far from one hun- dred enclosures and five hundred mounds are found in Ross county, Ohio, alone; and the remains of the State may be safely estimated at ten thousand mounds and one thousand or fifteen hundred enclosures, of all sizes. Many of them are, of course, small, but cannot be omitted in an enumeration. Nor is their magnitude less a matter of surprise than their numbers. Lines of embankment, varying in height from five to fifteen feet, and enclosing areas of from one to or THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY. ll fifty acres, are common ; while enclosures of one hundred or two hundred acres area are far from infrequent. Occa- sional works are found, embracing not less than five or six hundred acres.* The magnitude of the area enclosed is not, however, always an index of the amount of the labor expended in the construction of these works, or of the length of the embankment raised. A fortified hill, in High- land county, Ohio, has one mile and five-eighths of heavy embankment; yet it encloses an area of only about forty acres. A similar work, on the Little Miami river, in Warren county, Ohio, has upwards of four miles of embankment yet encloses but little upwards of one hundred acres. The group of works at the mouth of the Scioto river has an aggregate of at least twenty miles of embankment; yet the amount of land em- braced within the walls does not exceed two hundred acres. The mounds are of every conceivable dimension, from those of but a few feet in height and a few yards in diame- ter, to those which, like the celebrated one at the mouth of Grave Creek, in Virginia, measure one thousand feet in circumference by seventy feet in height; or, like the trun- cated pyramid at Cahokia, in Illinois, rise to the altitude of nearly one hundred feet, and measure half a mile in cir- cumference at the base, with a level summit of several acres area. Their usual dimensions are, however, consid- erably less than in the examples here given. The larger number range from six to thirty feet in height, by forty to one hundred feet base. These constructions are composed of earth or stone, taken up on the spot, or brought from localities more or less remote; though a combination of these materials, in the same work, is by no means rare. In the absence of ditches interior or exterior to the embankments, pits or dug holes, from which the earth for their construction was taken, are generally Visible near by. These are sometimes very " Lewis and Clarke describe one on the Missouri river which they esti- mated to contain six hundred acres. l2 ABORIGINAL MONUMENTS broad and deep, and occasionally quite symmetrical in shape. In the vicinity of large mounds, such excavations are also common.”“ A large, perhaps the larger, portion of these works are regular in outline, the square and the circle predominating. Some are parallelograms, some ellipses, others polygons, regular and irregular. The regular works are almost inva- riably erected on level river-terraces, great care having evidently been taken to select those least broken. The irregular works are those which partake most of the character of defences, and are usually made to conform to the nature of the ground upon which they are situated— running along the brows of hills, or cutting off the ap- proaches to strong natural positions. The square and the circle often occur in combination, frequently communicat- ing with each other or With irregular works, directly or by avenues consisting of parallel lines of embankment. Detach- ed parallels are frequent. The mounds are usually simple cones in form, but they are sometimes truncated, and occa- sionally terraCed, with graded or winding ascents to their summits. Some are elliptical, others peariform, and others squares or parallelograms, with flanking terraces. Besides these there are others, most common in the extreme north- west, which assume the forms of animals and reptiles. Another variety of remains are the causeways or “roads,” and the graded descents to rivers and streams, or from one terrace to another. As already remarked, these remains occur mainly in the valleys of the Western rivers and streams. The allu- vial terraces, or “river bottoms,” as they are popularly termed, were the favorite sites of the builders. The prin- cipal monuments are found where these “bottoms” are most extended, and where the soil is most fertile and easy * These are the “ wells” of Mr. Atwater and other writers on American Antiquities. It is barely possible that a few were really wells, or secondarily designed for reservoirs. ‘ or THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY. ‘ 13 of cultivation. At the junction of streams, where the val- leys are usually broadest and most favorable for their erec- tion, some of the largest and most singular remains are found. The works at' Marietta, at the junction of the Musking’um with the Ohio; at the mouth of Grave Creek ; at Portsmouth, the mouth of the Scioto; and at the, mouth of the Great Miami, are instances in point. Occasional works are found on the hill tops, overlooking the valleys, or at a little distance from them ; but these are manifestly, in most instances, works of defence or last resort, or in some way connected with warlike purposes. And it is worthy of remark, that the sites selected for settlements, towns, and cities, by the invading Europeans, are often those which were the especial favorites of the mound-build- ers, and the seats of their heaviest population. Marietta, Newark, Portsmouth, Chillicothe, Circleville, and Cincin- nati, in Ohio; Frankfort in Kentucky; and St. Louis in Missouri, may be mentioned in confirmation of the remark. The centres of population are now, Where they were at the period when the mysterious race of the mounds flourished.* The monuments throughout the entire Mississippi val- ley possess certain grand points of resemblance, going to establish a common origin. Whether they were contempo- raneous in their erection, or constructed by a people slowly migrating from one portion of the valley to the other, under the pressure of hostile neighbors or the inducements of a more genial climate, are questions open to inquiry, and which proper investigations may satisfactorily answer. It is quite certain, however, and this fact is of importance in the consideration of these questions, that the mounds increase in magnitude and regularity, if not in numbers, as * “ The most dense ancient population existed in precisely the places where the most crowded future population will exist in ages to come. The appear- ance of a series of mounds generally indicates the contiguity of rich and level lands, easy communications, fish, game, and the most favorable adjacent posi- tions.”—.F lint. l4 ABORIGINAL MONUMENTS we go down the Mississippi towards the Gulf. And al— though between the monuments of the North and the South there is a marked contrast, in many respects; yet it would be impossible‘ to tell, so gradually do they merge into each other, where one series terminates and the other begins. It is not impossible that future investigations may show an imperceptible transition from the more regular earth-struc- tures of the lower Mississippi, to the symmetrical and im- posing stone teocalli of Mexico. The remains of which we are speaking may be divided into two grand classes, viz., ENCLOSURES, bounded by para- pets, circumvallations or walls, and simple Tumuli or MOUNDs.* They constitute together a single system of works ; but, for purposes which will satisfactorily appear, it is preferred to classify them as above. These grand classes resolve themselves into other minor divisions: Enclosures are for defence, for sacred 0r superstitious and for other purposes not easily explained ; and the Mounds are places of sepulture, of sacrifice, &c. Enclosures. The Enclosures, or, as they are familiarly known through- out the West, “ Forts,” constitute a very important and in- teresting class of remains. Their dimensions, and the popular opinion as to their purposes, attract to them more particularly the attention of observers. As a consequence, most that has been written upon our antiquities relates to them. Quite a number have been surveyed and described by different indivi- duals, at different times ; but no systematic examination of a sufficient number to justify any general conclusion as to their origin and purposes has hitherto been made. Accordingly we have had presented as many different conclusions as * The term mound is used in this paper, for obvious reasons, in a technical sense, as synonymous with tumulus or barrow, and as distinct from embank- ment, rampart, etc. p or THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY. 15 there have been individual explorers ; one maintaining that all the enclosures were intended for defence, while another persists that none could possibly have been designed for any such purpose. A sufficiently extended investigation would have shown, however, that while certain works possess features demonstrating incontestably a warlike origin, others were connected with the superstitions of the builders, or designed for purposes not readily apparent in our present state of knowledge concerning them. It has already been remarked that the square and the circle, separate or in combination, were favorite figures with the mound-builders; and a large proportion of their works in the Scioto valley and in Ohio are of these forms. Most of the circular works are small, varying from 250 to 300 feet in diameter, while others are a mile or inore in circuit. Soxme stand isolated, but most in connection with one or more mounds, of greater or less dimensions, or in connection with other more complicated works. Wherever the circles occur, if there be a fosse or ditch, it is almost invariably interior to the parapet. Instances are frequent where no ditch is discernible, and where it is evi- dent that the earth composing the parapet was brought from a distance or taken up evenly from the surface. In the square or irregular works, if there be a fosse at all, it is exterior to the embankment, except in the case of fortified hills, when the earth, for ,the best of reasons, is usually thrown from the interior. These facts are not without their importance in determining the character and purpose of these remains. Another fact bearing directly upon the degree of knowledge possessed by the builders is, that many if not most of the circular works are perfect circles, and that many of the rectangular works are accurate squares. This fact has been demonstrated, in numerous instances, by careful admeasurements, and has been remarked in cases where the works embrace an area of many acres, and ‘ where the embankments or circumvallations are a mile or upwards in extent. 16 AB ORIGINAL MONUMENTS WORKS or DEFENCE.-Those works, which are incon- testably defensive, usually occupy strong natural positions. To understand fully their character and capacity for the purpose assigned to them, it is necessary to notice briefly the predominant features of the country in Which they occur. The valley of the Mississippi, from the base of the Alle- ghanies to the ranges of the Rocky Mountains, 1s a vast sedementary basin, and owes its general aspect to the powerful action of water. Its rivers have worn their valleys p deep in a vast original plain, leaving in their gradual subsi- dence broad terraces, marking the different eras of their history. The edges of the table lands, bordering on the valleys, are cut by a thousand ravines, presenting blufi' headlands and high hills with level summits, sometimes connected by narrow isthmuses with the original table, and sometimes entirely detached. The sides of these elevations are always steep and difficult of ascent in some cases precipitous and absolutely inaccessible. The natural strength of such positions, and their susceptibility of de- fence, would certainly suggest them as the citadels of a rude people, having hostile neighbors or pressed by foreign invaders. Accordingly, we are not surprised at often find- ing these heights occupied by strong and complicated works, the design of which is indicated no less by their position than by their peculiarities of construction. In such cases‘it is always to be observed that great care has been exercised in their selection, and that they possess peculiar strength and adaptation for the purposes to which they were applied. While 1ugged and steep on most sides, they have one or more points of comparatively easy approach, In the protection of which the utmost skill of the builders has been expended. They are guarded by double overlapping walls, ora series of them, having sometimes an accompanying mound, designed perhaps as a “look-out,” and corresponding to the barbicmt in the British system of OF THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY. 17 defence, of the middle ages. The usual defence is a sim- ple parapet thrown up along and a little below the brow of the hill, varying in height and solidity as the declivity is more or less steep and difficult of access. Other defensive works occupy the peninsulas formed by the streams, or cut off the bluff points formed by their junction with each other. In such cases a fosse and wall are carried across the isthmus, or diagonally from the bank of one stream to that of the other. In certain instances the wall is double, and extends along the bank of the stream for some distance inwardly, as if designed to prevent an enemy from turning the flank of the defence. To understand clearly the nature of the works last mentioned, it should be remembered that the banks of the Western rivers are always steep, and, where these works are located, invariably high; the banks of the various ter- races are also steep, ranging from ten to thirty and more feet in height. The rivers are constantly shifting their channels, and frequently cut their way through all the intermediate up to the earliest formed or highest terrace, presenting bold banks, inaccessibly steep, and from fifty to . one hundred feet high. At such points, from which the river has in some instances receded to the distance of half a mile or more, works of this description are oftenest found. And it is a fact of much importance and worthy of special note, that within the scope of a pretty extended observation, no work of any kind has been found occupying the latest formed terrace.* This terrace alone, except at periods of extraordinary freshets, is subject to overflow. The formationof‘each terrace constitutes a sort of semi- geological era in the history of the valley; and the fact that none of the works occur upon the lowest or latest formed it This observation. is confirmed by all who have given attention to the subject in the Ohio and Upper Mississippi valleys. Along the Gulf and at points on the Lower Mississippi, where the entire country is low and subject to inundation, some of the ancient monuments are invaded by the water. 18 ABORIGINAL MONUMENTS ‘ of these, while they are found indiscriminately upon all the others, bears directly upon the question of their antiquity. These general remarks will serve to introduce one or two examples of Defensive Works, which will best illus- trate their general character. Plate 2.——This fine work is situated in Butler county, Ohio, three miles below the town of Hamilton, on the west side of the Great Miami river. The hill, the summit of which it occupies, is about half a mile distant from the present bed of the river, and is not far from two hundred and fifty feet high, being considerably more elevated than any other in the vicinity. It is surrounded at all points, except a narrow space towards the north, by deep ravines, present- ing steep and almost inaccessible declivities. The slope towards the north is very gradual, and from that direction the hill is easy of approach. It is covered by a primitive forest. Skirting the brow of the hill, and generally conforming to its outline, is a wall of mingled earth and stone, having an average height of five feet by thirty-five base. It has no apparent ditch, the earth composing it, which is a stiff clay, having been for the most part taken up from the sur- face, without leaving any marked excavations. There are a number of pits 0r “dug holes,” however, at various points \ within the walls, from which it is evident a portion of the material was obtained. The wall is interrupted by four openings or gateways, each about twenty feet wide; one fronting the north, on the approach above mentioned, and the others occurring where the spurs of the hill are cut off by the parapet, and Where the declivity is least abrupt. They are all, with one exception, protected by inner lines of embankment of a most singular and intricate description. These are accurately delineated in the plan, which will best explain their character. It will be observed that the north- ern or great gateway, in addition to its inner maze of walls, 5PU UIT H'U 55' [5H WWL 1U BUTLER COUNTY, OHIO Moll/"1%” Ina/z Smiles SW. of the ' TOWN OF HAMILTON. 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Nevertheless they all, with the exception of the one nearest to gateway S, contain water for the greater portion if not the Whole of the year. Apole may be thrust eight or ten feet into the soft mud at the bottom of those at E. At S and H, terminating the parapet, are mounds of stones, thrown loosely together, eight feet in height. Thirty rods distant from gateway N, and exterior to the work, is a mound ten feet high, on which trees of the largest size are growing. It was partially excavated a number of years ago, and a quantity of stones taken out, all of which seemed to have undergone the action of fire. I The ground in the interior of the work gradually rises, as indicated in the section, to the height of twenty-six feet above the base of the wall, and overlooks the entire adja- cent country. In the vicinity of this work, are a number of others occupying the valley—no less than six, of large size, occurring within a distance of six miles down the river. The character of this structure is too obvious to admit of doubt. The position which it occupies is naturally strong, and no mean degree of skill is employed in its arti- ficial defences. Every accessible avenue is strongly guard- ed. The principal approach, the only point of easy access, or capable of successful assault, is rendered doubly secure. A mound, used perhaps as an alarm post, is placed at a short distance in advance, and a crescent wall crosses the isthmus, leaving but narrow passages between its ends and the steeps on either hand. Next comes the principal wall of the enclosure. In event of an attack, even though both these defences were forced, there still remained a series of walls so complicated as inevitably to distract and bewilder the assailants, thus giving a marked advantage to the defenders. This advantage may have been regarded as more consider- 20 ABORIGINAL MONUMENTS able than we, in our ignorance of the military system of the ancient people, would suppose. From the manifest judgment with which their military positions were chosen, as well as from the character of their entrenchments, so far as we understand them, it is safe to conclude that all parts of this work were the best calculated to secure the objects of the builders, under the mode of attack and defence then practised. On the assumption that the embankments of this work were crowned with palisades, it is easy to com- prehend that it afforded entire security against any assault by rude or savage foes. The coincidences between the guarded entrances of this and similar works throughout the West, and those of the ancient Mexican defences, are singularly strik- ing. The wall on the eastern side of the Tlascallan terri- tories, mentioned by Cortez and other early writers, was six miles long, having a single entrance thirty feet wide, which was formed as shown in the supplementary plan A. The ends of the walls overlapped each other in the form of semicircles, having a common centrefi“ The work above described may be taken as a very fair example of this class of structures, although nearly every work has interesting individual features, which can only be exhibited in connection with plans of the works themselves. Many are of vast dimensions ; indeed, the works of greatest magnitude are those which are most clearly of defensive * “ On leaving the territory (of Clempoallan) I met with a large wall of dry stone, about nine feet in height, which extended across from one moun~ tain to the other: it was twenty feet in thickness, and surmounted throughout its whole extent by a breastwork a foot and a half thick, to enable them to fight from the top of the wall. There was but one entrance, about ten paces wide, where one portion of the wall was encircled by the other, in the manner of a ravelin, for about forty paces. Thus the entrance was circuitous and not direct. Having inquired into the origin of this wall, I was informed it was erected on account of the place being the frontiers of the province of Tlascalla. whose inhabitants were enemies of Montezuma and always at war with him.” -—Second Letter of Cortez ; see also Bernal Diaz, De Solis, and Clam'gero. or THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY. 21 origin. A fortified hill in the Vicinity of Chillicothe em- braces one hundred and forty acres within its walls; and another military work—most probably a fortified village— on the banks of the North Fork of Paint Creek, five miles from Chillicothe, has an area of one hundred and twenty- seven acres. - To appreciate fully the judgment displayed in the choice of position, and the skill exhibited in defence, a minute examination of a series of these structures is necessary. No one can rise from such an examination without being convinced that the race by whom they were erected possessed no inconsiderable knowledge of the sci- ence of defence—a degree of knowledge much superior to that known to have been possessed by the North American tribes previous to the discovery by Columbus, or indeed, subsequent to that event. Their number and magnitude must also impress the inquirer with enlarged notions of the power of the people commanding the means for their con- struction, and whose numbers required such extensive works for their protection. It is not impossible that they were, to acertain extent, designed to embrace cultivated fields, so as to furnish the means of sustenance to their defenders in event of a protracted siege. There is no other founda- tion, however, for this suggestion than that furnished by the size of some of these defensive enclosures. The population finding shelter Within their walls must have been exceedingly large, if their dimensions may be taken as the basis of a calculation. The vast amount of labor necessary to the erection of most of these works precludes the notion that they Were hastily constructed to check a single or unexpected inva- sion. On the contrary there seems to have existed a sys- tem of defences, extending from the sources of the Allegha- ny in New-York diagonally across the country, through central Ohio to the Wabash. Within this range, those works which are regarded as defensive are largest and most numerous. If an inference may be drawn from this 22 ABORIGINAL MONUMENTS fact, it is that the pressure of hostilities was from the north- east; or that, if the tide of migration flowed from the south, it received its final check upon this line. On the other hypothesis, that in this region originated a semi-civilization which subsequently went southward, constantly developing itself in its progress, until it attained its height in Mexico, we may suppose from this direction came the hostile savage hoards, before whose incessant attacks the less warlike mound-builders gradually receded, or beneath whose exter- minating cruelty they entirely disappeared—leaving these monuments alone to attest their existence, and the extraor- dinary skill with which they defended their altars and their homes. Upon either assumption it is clear that the con- test was a protracted one, and that the race of the mounds were for a long period constantly exposed to attack. This conclusion finds its support in the fact that, in the Vicinity of those localities, where, from the amount of remains, it appears the ancient population was most dense, we almost invariably find one or more works of a defensive character, furnishing ready places of resort in times of danger. We may suppose that a state of things existed somewhat analogous to that which attended the advance of our pioneer population, when every settlement had its little fort, to which the settlers flocked in case of alarm or attack. I It may be suggested that there existed among the mound-builders a state of society something like that which prevailed amongst the Indians ; that each tribe had its separate seat, maintaining an almost constant warfare against its neighbors, and, as a consequence, possessing its own “castle,” as a place of final resort when invaded by a powerful foe. Apart from the fact, however, that the In- dians were hunters, averse to labor, and not known to have constructed any works approaching, in skilfulness of design or in magnitude, those under notice, there is almost posi- tive evidence that the mound-builders were an agricul- or THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY. 23 tural people, considerably advanced in the arts, and pos- sessing great uniformity, throughout the whole territory which they occupied, in manners, habits, and religion,—-a uniformity sufficiently marked to identify them as a single people, having a common origin, common modes of life, and as a consequence, common sympathies, if not a common and consolidated government. SACRED Wonxs.—The structure, no less than the form and position, of a large number of the earth-works of the West, and more particularly of the Scioto valley, render it clear that they were erected for other than defensive purposes.* The small dimensions of most of the circles, the occurrence of the ditch interior to the embankment, and the fact that many of them are completely commanded by adjacent heights, may be mentioned as sustaining this conclusion. We must seek, therefore, in the connection in which these works are found, and in the character and contents of the mounds, if such there be, within their walls for the secret of their origin. And it may be observed, that it is here we find evidence still more satisfactory and con- clusive than furnished by the small dimensions of these works, or the position of the ditch, that they were not in- tended for defence. Thus, when we find enclosures con- taining a number of mounds, all of which it is capable of demonstration were religious in their purposes, or in some way connected with the superstitions of the people who built them, the conclusion is irresistible that the enclosure * It seems incredible that many well-informed men, who have examined some of the small circular and elliptical works of the West, should have fallen into the palpable error of supposing them defensive in their origin. Major Long (Second; Exp. Vol. i., p. 54) describes some petty works in the vicinity of Piqua, Ohio, consisting of a number of small circles, as of undoubted war- like origin, applying to them the terms of military technology.’ One of these circles, which he regards as a “ redoubt,” is 43 feet in diameter, and has its ditch interior to the wall ! A famous defence, truly, contrasted with the forti- fied hills already described ! 24 ABORIGINAL MONUMENTS itself was also deemed sacred, and thus set apart as “ta- booed ” or consecrated ground—especially where it is obvi- ous, at first glance, that it possesses none of the requisites of a military work. But it is not to be concluded that those enclosures alone, which contain mounds of the de- scription here named, were designed for sacred purposes. We have reason to believe that the religious system of the mound-builders, like that of the Mexicans, exercised among themagreat, if notacontrollinoinfluence Theirgovernment may have been, for aught we know, a government of the priesthood; one in which the priestly and civil functions were jointly exercised, and one sufficiently powerful to have secured in the Mississippi valley, as it did in Mexico, the erection of many of those vast monuments, which for ages will continue to challenge the wonder of men. There may have been certain superstitious ceremonies, having no connection with the purposes of the mounds, carried on in enclosures specially dedicated to them. There are several minor enclosures within the great defensive work already re- ferred to, on the banks of the North Fork of Paint Creek, the purposes of which would scarcely admit of doubt, even though the sacred mounds which they embrace were want- ing. It is a conclusion which every day’s investigation and observation has tended to confirm, that most, perhaps all the earth-works, not manifestly defensive in their character, were in some way connected with the superstitious rites of the builders, though in what manner, it is, and perhaps ever will be, impossible satisfactorily to determine. What dim light analogy sheds upon this point goes to sustain this conclusion. The British Islands only afl'ord works with which any comparison can safely be instituted. The “ring forts” of the ancient Celts are nearly identical in form and structure with a large class of remains in our own country; and these are regarded by all well-informed British antiquaries as strictly religious in their origin,0r connected with the rites of the ancient Druidical system. or THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY. 25 This conclusion is not entirely speculative, but rests in a great degree upon traditional and historical facts. The late Sir R. C. Hoare, author of “Ancient Wiltshire” (the most scientific as also the most splendid antiquarian work ever issued from the British press), regarded the occurrence of the fosse, interior to the wall, in a portion of the British works, as precluding the supposition of a military, and establishing their religious origin. The character of these works has already been briefly indicated. They are generally regular in their structure, and occupy the broad and level river-bottoms, seldom occurring upon the table-lands, or where the surface is undulating or broken. Their usual form is that of the square or the circle; sometimes they are slightly elliptical. Occasionally we find them isolated, but oftenest in groups. The greater number of the circles are of small size, having a nearly uniform diameter of two hundred and fifty or three hundred feet, with the ditch invariably interior to the wall. These have always a single gateway, opening oftenest towards the cast, but by no means observing a fixed rule in this respect. It frequently happens that they have one or more small mounds interior to their walls, of the class denominated sacrificial. These small circles occasionally occur within larger works of a defensive character. Apart from these, numerous little circles, from thirty to fifty feet in diameter, are observed in the vicinity of large works, consisting of a very light embankment of earth, and destitute of a gateway or entrance. It has been suggested that these are the remains of the ancient lodges or of other buildings. The accounts whichlwe have of the traces left of the huts of the Mandans and other Indian tribes, at their deserted villages, render this supposition not improbable. It some- times happens that we find small circles around the bases of large mounds; these probably cannot be regarded as of the same character with that numerous Class already described. 14 26 ABORIGINAL MONUMENTS The larger circles are oftenest found in combination with rectangular works, connecting with them directly or by avenues. Some of these are of large size, embracing fifty or more acres. They seldom have a ditch ; but when- ever it occurs, it is interior to the wall. As in the case of the squares or rectangular works with which they are attached, (and which, it is believed, never have ditches, exte- rior or interior,) the walls are usually composed of earth taken up evenly from the surface, or from large pits in the neighborhood. Evident care seems in all cases to have been exercised, in procuring the material, to preserve the surface of the adjacent plain smooth, and as far as possible unbroken. This fact is in itself almost conclusive against the supposition of a defensive design, especially as we have abundant evidence that the mound-builders understood perfectly the value of the external fosse in their works of defence. The walls of these works are, for the most part, comparatively slight, varying from three to seven feet in height. Sometimes they are quite imposing; as in the case of‘ the great circle at Newark, Licking county, Ohio, where, at the entrance, the wall from the bottom of the ditch has a vertical height of not far from thirty feet. The square or rectangular works attending these large circles are of various dimensions. It has been observed, however, that certain groups are marked by a great uniformity of size. Five or six of these new occur to the writer, placed at long distances asunder, which are exact squares, each measuring one thousand and eighty feet side—a coinci- dence which could not possibly be accidental, and which must possess some significance. It certainly establishes the existence of some standard of measurement among the ancient people, if not the possession of some means of deter- mining angles. The rectangular works have almost inva- riably gateways at the angles and midway on each side, each of which is covered by a small interior mound or ele- vation. In some of the larger structures the openings are OF THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY. 27 \ more numerous. A few of this description of remains have been discovered which are octagonal. One of large size, in the vicinity of Chillicothe, has the alternate angles coin- cident with each other, and the sides equal. Another description of works, probably akin to those here described, are the parallels, consisting of light embank- ments, seven or eight hundred feet in length and sixty or eighty apart. Indeed, so various are these works, and so numerous their combinations, that it is impossible to convey any accurate conception of them, without entering into a mi- nuteness of detail and an extent of illustration utterly beyond the limits of this paper. They are invested with singular interest, alike from their peculiar form and the character and contents of the mounds which they enclose. If we are right in the assumption that they are of sacred origin, and were the temples and consecrated grounds of the ancient people, we can, from their number and extent, ‘form some estimate of the devotional fervor or superstitious zeal which induced their erection, and the predominance of the religious sentiment among their builders. The magnitude of some of these structures is, perhaps, the strongest objection that can be urged against the posi- tion here assigned them. It is difficult to comprehend the existence of religious works, extending, with their attend- ant avenues, like those near Newark in Ohio, over an area of little less than four square miles! We can find their parallels only in the great temples of Abury and Stone- henge in England, and Carnac in Brittany, and associate them with a mysterious worship of the Sun, or an equally mysterious Sabianism. Within the mounds enclosed in many of these sacred works, we find the altars upon which glowed their sacrificial fires, and where the ancient people offered their propitiations to the strange gods of their primi- tive superstition. These altars also furnish us with the too unequivocal evidence that the ritual of the mound- 28 ABORIGINAL MONUMENTS builders, like that of the Aztecs, was disfigured by sanguin- ary Observances, and'that human sacrifices were not deemed unacceptable to the divinity of their worship. It is of course impossible in this connection to go into the details of the evidence upon this or kindred points of interest. The Mounds. Intimately connected with the interesting works already described are the mounds; of these, however, little has hitherto been known. The popular opinion, based, in a great degree, upon the well ascertained purposes of the barrows and tumuli occurring in certain parts of Europe and Asia, is, that they are simple monuments, marking the last resting-place of some great chief or distinguished individual, among the tribes of the builders. Some have supposed them to be the cemeteries, in which were depos- ited the dead of a tribe or a village, for a certain period, and that the size of the mound is an indication of the num- ber inhumed. Others, that they mark the sites of great battles, and contain the bones of the slain. On all hands the opinion has been entertained, that they were devoted to sepulture alone. This received opinion is not, however, sustained by the investigations set on foot by the writer and his associate. The conclusion to which their observa- tions have led, is, that the mounds were constructed for several grand and dissimilar purposes; or rather, that they are of different classes ;——the conditions upon which the classification is founded being three in number—namely: position, structure, and contents. In this classification, we distinguish— ‘ lst. Those mounds which occur in, or in the immediate vicinity of enclosures, which are stratified, and contain altars of burned clay or stone, and which were places of sacrifice, or in some way connected with religious rites' and ceremonies. 2d. Those which stand isolated, or in groups, more or or THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY. 29 less remote from the enclosures, which are not stratified, which contain human remains, and which were the burial- places and monuments of the dead. 3d. Those which contain neither altars nOr human remains, and which were places of observation, or the sites of structures. These classes are broadly marked in the aggregate; but, in some instances, they seem to run into each other. Mounds of this mixed character, as well as those which, under our present condition of knowledge respecting them, do not seem to indicate any clear purpose, have been de- nominated anomalous. Of one hundred mounds excavated, sixty were altar or sacrificial mounds, twenty sepulchral, and twenty either places of observation or anomalous in their character. Such, however, is not the proportion in which they occur. From the fact that the mounds of sacrifice are most interesting and most productive in relics, the largest number excavated has been of that class. In the Scioto valley the mounds are distributed between the three classes specified, in very nearly equal proportions ; the mounds of observation and the anomalous mounds consti- tuting together about one third of the whole number. Mounds of Sacrifice—T he general characteristics of this class of mounds are : 1st. That they occur only within, or in the immediate vicinity of enclosures or sacred places.* 2d. That they are stratified. 3d. That they contain symmetrical altars of burned clay or stone, on which are deposited various remains, which, in all cases, have been more or less subjected to the action of fire. Of the whole number of mounds of this class which * It is not assumed to say that all the mounds occurring within enclosures are altar or sacrificial mounds. 0n the contrary, some are found which, to say the least, are anomalous, while others were clearly the sites of ctructuret. 30 ABORIGINAL MONUMENTB were examined, four only were found to be exterior to the walls of enclosures, and these were but a few rods distant from the ramparts. The fact of stratification, in these mounds, is one of great interest and importance. This feature has heretofore been remarked, but not described with proper accuracy; and has consequently proved an impediment to the recog- nition of the artificial origin of the mounds, by those who have never seen them. The stratification, so far as ob- served, is not horizontal, but always conforms to the convex outline of the moundfi“ ‘ Nor does it resemble the stratifi- cation produced by the action of water, where the layers run into each other, but is defined with the utmost distinct- ness, and always terminates upon reaching the level of the surrounding earth. That it is artificial will, however, need no argument to prove, after an examination of one of the mounds in which the feature occurs; for, it would be diffi- cult to explain, by what singular combination of “igneous and aqueous” action, stratified mounds were always raised over symmetrical monuments of burned clay or of stone. The altars, or basins, found in these mounds, are almost invariably of burned clay, though one or two of stone have been discovered. They are symmetrical, but not of uni- form size and shape. Some are round, others elliptical, and others square, or parallelograms. Some are small, measuring barely two feet across, while others are fifty feet * Some of the mounds, on the lower Mississippi, are horizontally stratified, exhibiting alternate layers, from base to summit. These mounds differ in form from the conical structures here referred to, and were doubtless con- structed for a different purpose. Some are represented as composed of layers of earth, two or three feet thick, each one of which is surmounted by a burned surface, which has been mistaken for a rude brick pavement. Others are com- posed of alternate layers of earth and human remains. Their origin is doubt- less to be found in the annual bone burials of the Cherokees and other southern Indians, of which accounts are given by Bartram and other early writers. It is not impossible that, in rare instances, natural elevations have been modified by art so as to serve some of the purposes for which mounds were erected. In such the natural stratification would be preserved. OF THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY. 31 long by twelve and fifteen wide. The usual dimensions are from five to eight feet. All appear to have been mo- delled of fine clay, brought to the spot from a distance, and rest upon the original surface of the earth. In a few instances, a layer or small elevation of sand had been laid down, upon which the altar was formed. The elevation of the altars, nevertheless, seldom exceeds a foot or twenty inches, above the adjacent level. The clay of which they are composed is usually burned hard, sometimes to the depth of ten, fifteen, and even twenty inches. This is hardly to be explained, by any degree or continuance of heat, though it is manifest that in some cases the heat was intense. On the other hand, a number of these altars have been noticed, which are very slightly burned; and such, it is a remarkable fact, are destitute of remains. The characteristics of this class of mounds will be best explained, by reference to the accompanying illustrations. It should be remarked, however, that no two are alike in all their details. The mound, a section of which is here given, occurs in “ Mound City,” a name given to a group of twenty-six mounds, embraced in one enclosure, on the banks of the Scioto river, three miles above the town of Chillicothe. It is seven feet high by fifty-five feet base. A shaft, five feet square, was sunk from its apex, with the following results :— lst. Occurred a layer of coarse gravel and pebbles, which appeared to have been taken from deep pits, sur- rounding the enclosure, or from the bank of the river. This layer was one foot in thickness. 2d. Beneath this layer of gravel and pebbles, to the depth of two feet, the earth was homogeneous, though slightly mottled, as if taken up and deposited in small loads, from different localities. In one place appeared a deposit of dark colored, surface loam, and by its side, or covering it, there was a mass of the clayey soil of greater depth. 0 '32 ABORIGINAL MONUMENTS The outlines of these various deposits could be distinctly traced. 3d. Below this deposit of earth, occurred a thin and even layer of fine sand, alittle over an inch in thickness. 4th. A deposit of earth, as above, eighteen inches in depth. 5th. Another stratum of sand, somewhat thinner than the one above mentioned. 6th. Another deposit of earth, one foot thick; beneath which was— 7th. A third stratum of sand; below which was— 8th. Still another layer of earth, a few inches in thick— ness; which rested on— 9th. An altar, or basin, of burned clay. This altar was perfectly round. Its form and dimen- sions are best shown by the supplementary plan, and sec- tion A. F F, is the altar, measuring from c to (1, nine feet; Horizontal scale of section fifteen feet, and the vertical six feet, to the inch. or THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY. 33 from a to 6, five feet; height from b to e, twenty inches; dip of curve a r 6, nine inches. The sides c a, e d, slope regularly, at a given angle. The body of the altar is burned throughout, though in a greater degree within the basin, where it was so hard as to resist the blows of a heavy hatchet, the instrument rebounding as if struck updn a rock. The basin, or hollow of the altar, was filled even full with fine dry ashes, intermixed with which were some fragments of pottery, of an excellent finish and elegant model, orna- mented with tasteful carvings on the exterior. One of the vases, taken in fragments from this mound, has been very nearly restored. The sketch B, presents its outlines, and the character of its ornaments. lts height is six, its great- est diameter eight inches. The material is hardly dis- tinguishable from that composing the pottery of the ancient Peruvians; and in respect of finish, it is fully equal to the best Peruvian specimens. A few convex copper discs, much resembling the bosses used upon harnesses, were also found. Above the deposit of ashes, and covering the entire basin, was a layer of silvery or opaque mica, in sheets, overlapping each other; and, immediately over the centre of the basin, was heaped a quantity of burned human bones, probably the amount of a single skeleton, in frag- ments. The position of these is indicated by 0 in the sec- tion. The layer of mica and calcined bones, it should be remarked, to prevent misapprehension, were peculiar to this individual mound, and were not found in any other of the class. It will be seen, by the section, that at a point about two feet below the surface of the mound, a human skele- ton was found. It was placed a little to the left of the centre, with the head to the east, and was so much decayed as to render it impossible to extract a single bone entire. Above the skeleton, as shown in the section, the earth and outer layer of gravel and pebbles were broken up and 34 ABORIGINAL MONUMENTS intermixed. Thus while on one side of the shaft the strata were clearly marked, on the other they were con- fused. And, as this was the first mound of the class exca- vated, it was supposed, from this circumstance, that it had previously been opened by some explorer, and it had been decided to abandon it when the“ skeleton was discovered. Afterwards the matter came to be fully understood. No relics were found with this skeleton. It is a fact well known, that the modern Indians, though possessing no knowledge of the origin or objects of the mounds, were accustomed to regard them with some degree of veneration. It is also known, that they some- times buried their dead in them, in accordance with the almost invariable custom which leads them to select elevated points, and the brows of hills, as their cemeteries. That their remains should be found in the mounds, is there- fore a matter of no surprise. They are never discovered at any great depth, not often more than eighteen inches or three feet below the surface. Their position varies in almost every case: most are extended at length, others, have a sitting posture, while others again seem to have been rudely thrust into their shallow graves without care or arrangement. Rude implements of bone and stone, and coarse vessels of pottery, such as are known to have been in use among the Indians at the period of the earliest European intercourse, occur with some of them, particu- larly with those of a more ancient date; while modern implements and ornaments, in some cases of European origin, are found with the recent burials. The necessity therefore of a careful and rigid discrimination, between these deposits and those of the mound-builders, will be apparent. From the lack of such discrimination, much misapprehension and confusion have resulted. Silver crosses, gun-barrels, and French dial-plates, have been found with skeletons in the mounds; yet it is not to be concluded that the mound—builders were Catholics, or used OF THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY. 35 fire-arms, or understood French. Such a conclusion would, nevertheless, be quite as well warranted, as some which have been deduced from the absolute identity of certain relics, taken from the mounds, with articles known to be common among the existing tribes of Indians. The fact of remains occuring in the mounds, is in itself hardly presumptive evidence that they pertained to the builders. The conditions attending them can alone determine their true character. As a general rule, to which there are few exceptions, the only authentic and undoubted remains of the mound-builders, are found directly beneath the apex of the mound, on a level with the original surface of the earth; and it may be safely assumed, that whatever de- posits occur near the surface of the mounds are of a date subsequent to their erection. In the class of mounds now under consideration we have data which will admit of no doubt, whereby to judge of the origin, as well as the relative periods, of the various deposits found in them. If the stratification already men— tioned as characterizing them, is unbroken and undisturbed, if the strata are regular and entire, it is certain that what- ever occurs beneath them, was placed there at the period of the construction of the mound. And if, on the other hand, these strata are broken up, it is equally certain that the mound has been disturbed, and new deposits made, subsequent to its erection. It is in this view, that the fact of stratification is seen to be important, as well as interest- ing ; for it will serve to fix, beyond all dispute, the origin of many singular relics, having a decisive bearing on some of the leading questions connected with American Archaeology. The thickness of the exterior layer of gravel, &c., in mounds of this class, varies with the dimensions of the mound, from eight to twenty inches. In a very few instances, the layer, which may have been designed to protect the form of the mound, and which purpose it admi- rably subserves, is entirely wanting. The number and 36 ABORIGINAL MONUMENTS relative position of the sand strata are variable; in some of the larger mounds, there are as many as six of them, in no case less than one, most usually two or three. In one case which fell under our observation, and in' another, of which we have an account from the person who discovered it, the altar was of stone. This altar was elevated two and One-half feet above the original surface of the earth, and was five feet long by four broad. It was a simple elevation of earth packed hard, and was faced, on every side and on top, with slabs of stone of regular form, and nearly uniform thickness. They were laid evenly, and, as a mason would say, “ with close joints ;” and though uncut by any instrument, the edges were straight and smooth. The stone is “ the Waverly sandstone,,” underly- ing the coal series, thin strata of which cap every hill. This stone breaks readily, with a rectangular fracture, and hence the regularity of the slabs is not so much a matter of surprise. This altar bore the marks of fire, and frag- ments of the mound-builders’ ornaments were found on and around it. What had originally been deposited there was probably removed by the modern Indians, who had opened the mound and buried one of their dead on the altar. Mounds of this class are most fruitful in relics of the builders. On the altars have been found, though much injured and broken up by the action of fire, instruments and ornaments of silver, copper, stone, and bone ,- beads of silver, copper, pearls, and shell; spear and arrow heads of flint, quartz, garnet, and obsidian ; fossil teeth of the shark; teeth of the alligator; marine shells; galena; sculptures of the human head, and of numerous animals; pottery of various kinds, and a large number of interesting articles, some of which evince great skill in art. No description of these can be given here. Mounds of Sepulture.—The mounds of sepulture on THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY. 3'7 stand apart from the enclosures, and, in their average dimensions, greatly exceed those of the first class. The celebrated mound at Grave Creek is of this class. They lack the gravel and sand strata, which characterize those already described, and are destitute of “altars.” They invariably cover a skeleton (sometimes more than one, as at Grave Creek), which, at the time of its interment, was enclosed in a rude framework of timber, or enveloped in bark or coarse matting, the traces, in some instances the very casts of which, remain. 'The structure of a single mound of this class will serve to exhibit their peculiarities. FIG. 2. ’ \. 'i', . -mDA'zf-ii.x ' avso 4’ " 'x The mound, of which the above is a section,* stands on the third “bottom” or terrace of the Scioto river, six miles below the town of Chillicothe. There are no en- closures nearer than a mile; though there are three or four other mounds,lof smaller size, on the same terrace, within a few hundred yards. The mound is twenty-two feet high, by ninety feet base. The principal excavation was made ‘ Horizontal scale thirty feet, and vertical fifteen feet, to the inch. 38 ABORIGINAL MONUMENTS (as represented by the dotted lines in the section), from the west side, commencing at about one-third of the height of the mound from the top. At ten feet below the surface, occurred a layer of charcoal (a), not far from ten feet square, and from two to six inches in thickness, slightly'inclined from the horizontal, and lying mostly to the left of the centre of the mound. The coal was coarse and clear, and seemed to have been formed by the sudden covering up of the wood while burning, inasmuch as the trunks and branches retained their form, though entirely carbonized, and the earth immediately above as well as below, was burned of a reddish color. Below this layer the earth became much more compact and difficult of excavation. At the depth of twenty-two feet, and on a level with the original surface, immediately underneath the charcoal layer, and, like that, somewhat to one side of the centre of the mound, was a rude timber framework (B), now reduced to an almost impalpable powder, but the cast of which was still retained in the hard earth. This enclosure of timber, measured from outside to outside, was nine feet long by seven wide, and twenty inches high. It had been con- structed of logs laid one on the other, and had evidently been covered with other timbers, which had sunk under the superincumbent earth, as they decayed. The bottom had also been covered with bark, matting, or thin slabs— at any rate, a whitish stratum of decomposed material remained, covering the bottom of the parallelogram. Within this rude coffin, with its head to the west, was found a human skeleton, or rather the remains of one; for scarcely a fragment as long as one’s finger could be recov- ered. It was so much decayed that it crumbled to powder under the slightest touch. Around the neck of the skele- ton, forming a triple row, and retaining their position, as originally strung and deposited with the dead, were several hundred beads, made of 1vory, or the tusks of some animal (C). Several of these still retain their polish, and bear or THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY. 39‘ marks which seem to indicate that they were turned in some machine, instead of being carved by hand. A few laminae of mica were also discovered, which completed the list of articles found with this skeleton. The feet of the skeleton were nearly in the centre of the mound. A drift beyond it developed nothing new, nor was a corresponding layer of charcoal found on the opposite side of the mound. It is clear, therefore, that the tumulus was raised over this single skeleton. In the case of a mound of this class, opened at Gallipolis, on the Ohio river, the chamber enclos- ing the skeleton was found just below the original surface, —which can always be detected by a strongly marked line and the uniform drab color of the earth beneath it. The layer of charcoal is not uniformly found in mounds of this class, though it is a feature of frequent occurrence. It would seem to indicate that sacrifices were made for the dead, or that funeral rites of some kind were celebrated. The fire, in every case, was kept buriling for a very brief space, as is shown by the lack of ashes, and the slight traces of its action left on the adjacent earth. That it was suddenly heaped over, is also proved by the facts already presented. Bracelets of copper and silver ; beads of bone and shell; mica plates and ornaments; stone instruments of various kinds, some of which are identical with those found in mounds of the first class, &c. &c., are found with the ske- letons. In every instance falling within our observation, the skeleton has been so much decayed, that any attempt to restore the skull, or indeed any portion of it, was hope- less. Considering that the earth around these skeletons is wonderfully compact and dry, and that the conditions for their preservation were exceedingly favorable, while, in fact, they are so much decayed, we may form some esti- mate of their remote antiquity. In the barrows and 0mm- lechs of the ancient Britons, entire and well-preserved skeletons are found, although having an undoubted antiquity of 1800 years. \ 40 ABORIGINAL MONUMENTB In some of the sepulchral mounds, as has already been stated, the sarcophagus, if we so please to term it, was omitted by the builders, the dead body having been simply enveloped in bark or matting. Perhaps this course was most frequently pursued. In these cases the original sur- face appears to have been carefully smoothed and levelled, for a space ten or twenty feet square, which space was covered with bark. Upon this was deposited the dead body, and, by its side, such persona? ornaments or implements as were deemed proper, the whole being covered with another layer of bark, and the tumulus raised above. Instances have occurred in which it is clear that burial by increma- tion was made, but these are comparatively rare. In the celebrated mound at Grave Creek, two sepulchral chambers were discovered, one at the base, another at a higher point. The lower one contained two skeletons, and the upper but one. The mound, in this respect, is somewhat extraordi- nary. It may be conjectured, with some appearance of reason, that it contained the bones of the family of a chief- tain, or distinguished individual, among the builders. It is common to find two or three, sometimes four or five, sepulchral mounds, in a group. In such cases, it is. al- ways to be remarked, that one of the group is much the Fm. 3. largest, twice or three times the dimensions of any of the others, and that the smaller ones are arranged around its base, generally joining it, thus evincing an intend- ed dependence and close connection between them. Plans of three groups of this description are given in the annexed figures. May we not conclude that such a group is the tomb . 4,53“ or THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY. 41 of a family—the principal mound covering the head of the same, the smaller ones its various members ? In the Grave Creek mound, it is possible that, instead of building anew mound, an additional chamber was constructed upon the summit of the one already raised—a single mound being thus made to occupy the place of a group. Mounds of Observation—On the tops of the hills and on the jutting points of the table lands bordering the valleys in which the earth-works of the West are found, mounds occur in considerable, numbers. The most elevated and commanding positions are frequently crowned by them, suggesting at once the use to which some of the cairns of the Celts were applied—that of s1gnal Or alarm posts. On a high hill, opposite Chillicothe, six hundred feet In height, the lofti- est in the whole region, one of these mounds is placed. A fire built upon it would be visible for a distance of fifteen or twenty miles up and down the river, as well as for a num- ber of miles up the valley of Paint Creek—a broad and fer- tile valley, abounding in ancient monuments. Between Chillicothe and Columbus, a distance of forty-five miles, there are about twenty mounds, so placed that, it is be- lieved, if the country were cleared of forests, signals by fire could be transmitted along the whole line in a few min- utes. Our examination of this description of mounds, from a variety of causes, has been comparatively limited. So far as our personal observation goes, they contain few of the remains found in the two classes of mounds just de- scribed ; and, although there are traces of fire around many of them, the marks are not sufficiently strong to justify fully the inferences that they were lookouts and fires used as the signals. Indeed, it is certain that, in some cases, they contain human remains, undoubtedly those of the mound-builders. It is possible that a portion, perhaps all, were devoted to sepulture, another portion to obser- vation, or thafsome answered a double purpose. This is if": 15 42 ' ABORIGINAL MONUMENTS a point which remains to be settled by more extended obseryations.* There is another description of mounds which should properly be here mentioned. Their purposes admit of no doubt. They consist of pyramidal structures, or “elevated squares,” and are found almost invariably Within enclosures. F to. 4. 25 ft. They are sometimes of large dimensions. Those' at Ma— rietta are fair examples of the class, and No. 1, Fig. 4, exhibits their structure and dimensions. No. 2, is an ele- * Upon many prominent and commanding points of the hills, are to be observed traces of large and long-continued fires. These are vulgarly sup- posed to be the remains of “furnaces,” from the amount of scoriaceous mate- rial scattered upon the surface. The fires’ appear to have been built upon heaps of stones, which are broken up, and sometimes partially vitrified, and in all cases exhibit the marks of intense and protracted heat. Lighting fires as signals, upon elevated positions, is an old and almost universal practice. When Lieut. Fremont penetrated into the fastnesses of Upper California, where his appearance created great alarm among the In- dians, he observed this primitive telegraph system in operation. “ Columns of smoke rose over the country at scattered intervals—signals b): which the In- dians here, as elsewhere, communicate to each other that enemies are in the country. It is a signal of ancient and very universal application among barber rinns.”—Fremont’s Second Expedition, p% 220. .3; or THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY. 43 vation of a similar mound, on the banks of Walnut Bayou, Madison Parish, Louisiana, and is introduced incidentally, to show the connection between the monuments of the lower Mississippi and Mexico, and those of the Ohio valley. None of these, so far as examined, contain remains. They were obviously designed as the sites of temples or of struc- tures which have passed away, or as “high places” for the performance of certain ceremonies. Perhaps they deserve to occupy a place by themselves, in the classification here attempted. Anomalous 1W0unds.—It will be impossible, within the compass of this paper, to enter into the details which a proper notice of these mounds would require. Such a notice would necessarily involve a description of almost every one thus characterized. A single mound was exa- mined which contained an altar, and also a skeleton with its rude enclosure of wood. It was elliptical in shape, mea- suring one hundred and sixty feet in length, sixty in width and twenty-five in height. The altar occupied one centre of the ellipse, the chamber of the skeleton the other. Of the twenty-six mounds embraced in “Mound City,” six are of very small dimensions, not exceeding three feet in height. Within each of these was deposited a quantity of burned human bones in fragments, not exceeding in any case the amount of a single skeleton. No relics were found with these, though in one instance a fragment of an altar, a couple of inches square, was observed with the bones, leading to the conclusion that they were taken up from the altars, in the adjacent larger mounds, and afterwards finally deposited here. General 0bservati0ns.——Whether these classes are I maintained throughout the West, is a question which a systematic examination, carried on over a wide field, alone can determine. In almost every case falling within our , knowledge, where mounds have been thoroughly examined- by competent persons, some; of the features here marked: 44 ABORIGINAL MONUMENTS have been noticed. It is conjectured, that the “brick hearths,” of which mention has occasionally been made, were the “ altars,” already described as belonging to a cer- tain class of mounds. Nothing is more likely than that some of them were left uncovered by the builders, and subsequently hidden by natural accumulations, to be again exposed by the inVading plough, or the recession of the banks of streams. The indentations occasioned by the passage of roots across them, or by other causes, would naturally suggest the notion of rude brick hearths. REMAINS FOUND IN THE MOUan: Implements, Ornaments, Sculptures, (Sc—The condition of the ordinary arts of life, amongst the people which constructed the singular and often imposing monuments we have been contemplating, furnishes a prominent and interesting subject of inquiry. How far the conclusion, already hypothetically advanced, that the vast amount of labor expended upon these works, their number, and the regularity and design which they exhibit, denote a numerous people, considerably advanced from the nomadic, hunter, or radically savage state—how far this conclusion is sustained by the character of the minor remains, of which we shall now speak, remains to be seen. It has already been remarked that the mounds are the principal depositories of ancient art, and that in them we must seek for the only authentic remains of the builders. In the observance of a practice almost universal among barbarous or semi-civilized nations, the mound-builders deposited various articles of use and ornament with their dead. They also, under the prescriptions of their religion, -or in accordance with customs unknown to us, and to which perhaps no direct analogy is afforded by those of any other people, placed upon their altars numerous ornaments and implements,—probably those ,most valued by their possessors,—-which remain there to this day, attesting at once the religious zeal of the depositors, and their skill in OF THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY. 45 the minor arts. From these original sources the illustrations which follow were chiefly derived. . I The necessity of a careful discrimination between the various remains found in the mounds, resulting from the fact that the races succeeding the builders in occupation of the country often buried their dead in them, has probably been dwelt upon with sufficient force, in another connection. Aside from the distinctive features of the relics themselves, attention to the conditions under which they are discovered, and to the simple rules which seem to have governed the mound-builders in making their deposits, can hardly fail to fix, with great certainty, their date and origin. Their true position satisfactorily determined, we proceed with confidence to comparisons and deductions, which otherwise, however accurate and ingenious they might be, would nevertheless be invested with painful uncertainty. From want of proper care in this respect, there is no doubt that articles of European origin, which, by a very natural train of events, found their way to the mounds, have been made the basis of speculations concerning the arts of the mound- builders. To this cause we may refer the existence of the popular errors, that the ancient people were acquainted with the use of iron, and understood the art of plating. gilding, &c.* The relics found in the mounds are such only as, from the nature of the materials of which they are composed, have been able to resist the general course of decay :— articles of pottery, bone, shell, stone, and metal. We can, * A silver cup is said to have been found, many years ago, in a mound near Marietta, Ohio, which, “ though simple in its form, was smooth and regu- lar, and had its interior finely gilded.” (Schoolcraft’s View, p. 276.) This statement has been gravely quoted by several writers, as illustrating the advance of the mound-builders in the arts, Assuming the fact to be as stated, there is nothing very extraordinary in the discovery. What more likely than that this cup fell, in course of barter or by accident, into the hands of some savage, with whom, in accordance with the Indian custom, it was buried at his death? 46 ' ABORIGINAL MONUMENTS of course, expect to find but slight traces of instruments or utensils of wood, and but few, and doubtful ones at best, of the materials which went to compose articles of dress. The first inquiry suggested by an inspection of the mounds and other earth-works of the West, relates to the means at the command of the builders in their construction. However dense we may suppose the ancient population to have been, we must regard these works as entirely beyond their capabilities, unless they possessed some artificial aids. As an agricultural people, they must have had some means of clearing the land of forests and of tilling the soil. We can hardly conceive, at this day, how these operations could be performed without the aid of iron; yet we know that the Mexicans and Peruvians, whose monuments emulate the proudest of the old world, were wholly unac- quainted with the uses of that metal, and constructed their edifices and carried on their agricultural operations with implements of wood, stone, and copper. They possessed the secret of hardening the metal last named, so as to make it subserve most of the uses to which iron is applied. Of it they made axes, chisels, and knives. The mound-builders also, worked it into similar implements, although it is not yet certain that they. contrived to give it any extraordinary hardness. A number of axes have been extracted from their deposi- tories, the general form of which is well exhibited in the accompanying engraving. ,p This specimen was found in 3 a mound near Chillicothe~ or THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY. 47 hammered piece of copper, and weighs two pounds and five ounces. It is seven inches long by four broad at ‘the cut- ting edge, and has an average thickness of little less than four-tenths of an inch. Its edge is slightly curved, some- what after the manner of the axes of the present day, and is bevelled from both surfaces. In size and shape it coin- cides very nearly with those possessed by the Mexicans and Peruvians, and was probably fastened and used in a similar way. Copper chisels, gravers, &c. have also been found in the mounds. The metal seems, however, to have been more generally applied to ornamental than useful pur- poses ; for, While articles of ornament are common in both the sacrificial and sepulchral mounds, copper implements are comparatively rare. It is possible that ornaments were more generally placed in the mounds than articles of . use; such certainly is the case in respect to the mounds of sepulture. Copper beads, bracelets, gorgets, &c. &c. are of frequent occurrence. Silver has also been found, but in small quantities, reduced to great thinness, and closly wrapped around copper ornaments. This is done so skillfully‘ as scarcely to be detected, and is the nearest approach to plating yet discovered. The ore of lead, galena, has been found in considerable abundance, and some of the metal itself under circumstances implying a knowledge of its use on the part of the ancient people. The discovery of gold has been vaguely announced, but is not well attested. It is not impossible that articles of that metal have been found, with other vestiges of European art, accompanying secondary and recent deposites; and it is far from impossible or even improbable, judging from the extensive intercourse which they seem to have maintained, that the metal may yet be disclosed under such circumstances as to justify the conclu- sion that it was not entirely unknown to the mound-builders. N 0 iron or traces of iron have been discovered, except in connection with recent deposites; and there is no reason 48 ABORIGINAL MONUMENTS to believe that the race of the mounds had the slightest acquaintance with its uses.* It is hardly to be supposed that the silver and copper found in the mounds, were reduced from the ores of these metals. On the contrary, it is nearly certain that they were obtained native from primitive deposits. Indeed, fragments of unwrought native copper have occasionally been discovered, of considerable size; one of these, from which portions had evidently been cut, weighing twenty- three pounds, was found, a few years since, near Chillicothe. Both metals appear to have been worked in a cold state, and display the lamination of surface resulting from such a process. This is somewhat remarkable, as the fires upon * It is unnecessary to remark that all accounts of the discovery of iron in the mounds, or under such circumstances as to imply a date prior to the Dis- covery, are sufliciently vague and unsatisfactory. The fragment of an iron wedge, found in a rock near Salem, Washington county, Ohio, and which has been alluded to by several writers upon American antiquities, does not probably possess an antiquity of more than fifty years. It is now in the possession of Dr. S. P. Hildreth, of Marietta, and its history, stripped of all that is not well- authenticated, is simply that it was found fastened in a cleft of a rock, and no one could tell how it came there ! The only authority for the discovery of iron in the mounds, is the author of the paper on American antiquities, in the first volume of the Archaologia Americana, who states that, in a mound at Circle- ville, Ohio, was found amongst other articles “ a plate of iron which had be- come an oxyde, but before it was distributed by the spade resembled a plate of cast iron.” (Archwol. Am. Vol. i., p. 178.) It is obviously no easy matter to detect iron when fully oxydized in the earth ; and when we are obliged to base our conclusions respecting the use of that metal, by an evidently rude people, upon such remains, if any there be, the strictest examination should be given them ; appearances alone should be disregarded, and conclusions, after all, drawn with extreme caution. Whether it is likely the requisite discrimination and judgment were exercised in this case, it is not undertaken to say. But few masses of native iron, and these of small size and meteoric origin,have been found in this country ; consequently the presence of iron to any extent amongst the mound-builders, can be accounted for only on the assumption that they understood the difficult art of reducing it from the ores, which involves a degree of knowledge and an advance in the arts of civilization, not attained by the Mexicans nor by the Peruvians, and not sustained by the authenticated remains of the mounds. or THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY. 49 the altars were sufficiently strong, in some instances, to melt down the copper ornaments and implements deposited upon them, and the fact that the metal was fusible could hardly have escaped notice. The locality, from which a portion at least of the supply of these metals was obtained, is pretty clearly indicated, by the peculiar mechanico- chemical combination existing in some specimens between the silver and copper, which combination characterizes the native masses of Lake Superior. The evident scarcity of silver may also be regarded as supporting this conclusion. Galena, as already observed, is found in considerable quantities. One of the altars uncovered was entirely occupied by a deposit of this mineral, which had been slightly subjected to the action of fire. N o native deposits of galena are known to exist in Ohio, and the supply of the mounds was probably obtained from the well known local- ities on the Upper Mississippi. ' The comparative scarcity of copper implements seems to imply that they were not in general use. At any rate, they never entirely superseded the ruder articles of bone and stone, so generally difl'used among rude nations all over the globe. In Mexico and Peru those characteristic imple- ments of a ruder state were still adhered to at the period of the discovery. The early explorers found all the Ameri- can nations, from the squalid Esquimaux, who struck the morse with a lance pointed with its own tusks, to the haughty Aztec, rivalling in his barbaric splendor the magnificence of the East, including the fearless hunter tribes situated between these extremes, in possession of them. We are not, therefore, surprised at their occurrence in the mounds. We find them with the original and with the recent deposits, and the plough turns them up to light on every hand. And so striking is the resemblance be- tween them all, that we are almost ready to conclude they were the productions of the same people. The conclusion would be irresistible, did we not know that the wants of 50 ABORIGINAL MONUMENTS man have ever been the same, and have always suggested like forms to his implements, and similar modes of using them. The polished instrument with which the pioneer of civilization prostrates the forest, has its type in the stone axe of the Indian which his plough the next day exposes to his curious gaze. In the barrows of Denmark and Sibe- ria, in the tumuli on the plains of Marathon, and even under the shadow of the pyramids themselves, the explorer finds relics, almost identical with those disclosed from the mounds, and closely resembling each other in material, form, and workmanship. We have consequently little whereby to distinguish the remains of the mound-builders, so far as their mere implements of stone are concerned, except the position in which they are found, and the not entirely imaginary superiority of their workmanship, from those of the succeeding races. We have, however, in the different varieties of stone of which they are composed, the evidences of a communication more extended than we are justified in ascribing to the more recent tribes. For in- stance, we find knives and lance-heads of obsidian (the itzli of the Mexicans and the gallinazo stone of the Peru- vians), a volcanic product, the nearest native locality of which, so far as we know, is Central Mexico, the ancient inhabitants of which country applied it to the very purposes for which it was used by the race of the mounds. Arrow and lance heads and cutting instruments of the numerous varieties of quartz, embracing every shade of color and degree of transparency, from the dull blue of the ordinary hornstone to the brilliant opalescence of the chal- cedonic varieties, are frequent in the mounds. Some are worked with exquisite skill from pure, limpid crystals of quartz, others from crystals of mangnesian garnet, and others still, as before observed, from obsidian. It is a singular fact, however, that none of these, nor indeed any traces of weapons, have been discovered in the “ sepulchral mounds :” most of the remains found with the skeletons OF THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY. 51 being evidently such as were. deemed ornamental, or re- cognised as badges of distinction. Some of the altar or sacrificial mounds, on the other hand, have the deposits within them almost entirely made up of finished arrow and spear points, intermixed with masses of the unmanufactured material. From one altar were taken several bushels of finely worked lance heads of milky quartz, nearly all of which had been broken up by the action of fire. In an- other mound, an excavation six feet long and four broad disclosed upwards of six hundred spear heads or discs of hornstone, rudely blocked out, and the deposit extended indefinitely on every side. Some of these are represented in the accompanying engraving. They are necessarily ' f greatly reduced. The originals are about six inches long and four broad, and weigh not far from two pounds each. Some specimens from this deposit are nearly round, but most are of the shape of those here figured. We are wholly at a loss respecting their purposes, unless they were designed to be worked into the more elaborate instruments to which allusion has been made, and were thus roughly blocked out for , greater ease of transportation from the quarries. Several localities are known from which the material may have been obtained.= One of these, distinguished as “Flint Ridge,” extends through the counties of Muskingum and Licking, in Ohio. It is many miles in extent, and countless pits are to be observed throughout its entire length, from which the stone 52 ABORIGINAL MONUMENTS was taken. These excavations are often ten or fourteen feet deep, and occupy acres in extent. It is possible the late, as well as the more remote, races worked these quarries. Like the red pipe-stone quarry of the Coteau des Prairies, this locality may have been the resort of numerous tribes,— a neutral ground where the war hatchet for the time was buried, and all rivalries and animosities forgotten. One description of knives, found in the mounds, is illustrated in the following engraving, which also exhibits the absolute identity that sometimes exists between the remains of widely separated people, and how, almost as it were by instinct, men hit upon common methods of meeting their wants : No. 1 is of flint, from a Scandinavian barrow; No.2 is of hornstone, from a mound in Ohio; and No.3 is of obsidian, from the pyramids of Teotihuacan, in Mexico. They are all made in a like manner, by dexterously chip- ping off thin, narrow pieces from blocks of the various minerals mentioned, all of which break with a clear, con- choidal fracture and sharp cutting edges. Clavigero states that, so skillful were the Mexicans in this manufacture, that their workmen produced a hundred per hour. It was with knives of this kind that the. bloody sacrifices of the Aztecs were performed. In the manufacture of pottery, as has already been intimated, the mound-builders attained a considerable OF THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY. 53 proficiency. Many of the vases recovered from the mounds display, in respect to material, finish, and model, a marked superiority to anything of which the existing Indian tribes are known to have been capable, and compare favorably with the best Peruvian specimens. Though of great symmetry of proportions, there is no good reason to believe that they were turned on a lathe. Their fine finish seems to have been the result of the same process with that adopted by the Peruvians in their manufactures. Some of them are tastefully ornamented with scrolls, figures of birds, and other devices, which are engraved in the surface, instead of being embossed upon it. The lines appear to have been cut with some sharp, gouge-shaped instrument, which entirely re- moved the detached material, leaving no ragged or raised edges. Nothing can.exceed the regularity and precision with which the ornaments are executed. The material of which the vases are composed is a fine clay, which, in the more delicate specimens, was worked nearly pure, or possessing a very slight silicious intermixture. Some of the coarser specimens have pulverized quartz mingled With the clay, while others are tempered with salmon-colored mica, in small flakes, which gives them a ruddy and rather brilliant appearance, and was perhaps introduced with some view to ornament as well as utility. None appear to have been glazed ; though one or two, either from baking or the subsequent great heat to which they were subjected, exhibit a slightly vitrified surface. The site of every Indian town throughout the West is marked by the fragments of pottery scattered around it {and the cemeteries of the various tribes abound with rude vessels of clay, piously deposited with the dead. Previous to the Discovery, the art of the potter was much more important and its practice more general than it afterwards became, upon the introduction of metallic vessels. The mode of preparing and moulding the material is minutely described by the early observers, and seems to have been common to 54 ABORIGINAL MONUMENTS all the tribes, and not to have varied materially from that day to this. The work devolved almost exclusively upon the women, who kneaded the clay and formed the vessels. Experience seems to have suggested the means of so tem- pering the material as to resist the action of fire; accord- ingly we find pounded shells, quartz, and sometimes simple coarse sand fromthe streams, mixed with the clay. None of the pottery of the present races, found in the Ohio valley, is destitute of this feature ; and it is not uncommon, in cer- tain localities, where from the abundance of fragments, and from other circumstances, it is supposed the manufacture was specially carried on, to find quantities of the decayed shells of the fresh water molluscs intermixed with the earth, probably brought to the spot to be used in the pro- cess. Amongst the Indians along the Gulf, a greater de- gree of skill was displayed than with those on the upper waters of the Mississippi and on the lakes. Their vessels were generally larger and more symmetrical, and of a su- perior finish. They moulded them over gourds and models, and baked them in ovens. In the construction of those of large size, it was customary to model them in baskets of willow or splints, which, at the proper period, were burned off, leaving the vessel perfect in form, and retaining the somewhat ornamental markings of their moulds. Some of those found on the Ohio, seem to have been modelled in bags or nettings of coarse thread or twisted bark. These practices are still retained by some of the remote western tribes. Of this description of pottery many specimens are found, with the recent deposits, in the mounds. They are iden- tical in every respect with those taken from the known burial-grounds of the Indians. Various terra-cottas are extracted from the mounds, though they are far from numerous. They generally repre- sent the heads or figures of animals. OF THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY. 55 This was taken from a mound in Butler Coun- ty, Ohio, and is now in the possession of James McBride, Esq., a zealous antiquarian of Hamilton, in that state. It repre- sents the head of a bird, somewhat resembling a toucan, and is executed with much spirit. It was probably originally ,3; , f__ H", attached to some vessel, 3. ' than. from which it was broken before being deposited where it was afterwards found. It is engraved half size of original. This is an outline repre- sentation of a rattle of baked clay, found in a mound near Nashville, Tennessee. It has ' the form of a human head, with a portentous nose and unprecedented phrenological developments. It is smooth and well polished, and con- tains six small balls of clay, which were discovered by perforating the neck. They must necessarily have been introduced before the burning of the toy. Similar conceits were common in Mexico and Peru, and were observed by Kotzebue upon the Northwest Coast. Among the minerals found in the mounds, mica is most abundant. It occurs both in the sacrificial and sepulchral mounds, and seems to have been invested with a supersti- tious regard, and associated with certain burial and reli- gious rites. Some idea can be formed of its abundance from the fact that bushels are sometimes taken from a 56 ABORIGINAL MONUMENTS » single mound. It is found of every variety—the common or transparent, silvery or opaque, and graphic or hieroglyphical varieties. Some specimens have a fine golden tinge, re- sembling Dutch leaf. It is sometimes neatly cut into orna- mental figures, discs, scrolls, and oval plates, which seem to have constituted ornaments for dresses. A quantity, cut into the form of discs each a foot in diameter, was found in a mound near Chillicothe; the plates, which overlapped each other like the tiles of a roof, being so arranged as to form a crescent, five feet in diameter at the widest part, and upwards of twenty feet long. Some fine specimens of the graphic variety, in thin oval plates, were recently discov- ered in a mound near Lower Sandusky, Ohio, which were supposed, by those who first examined them, to bear indu- bitable hieroglyphics. A native deposit of this variety occurs on the Susquehanna river, a few miles above the city of Philadelphia. The mineral must be referred to some primitive locality or localities, which it would be interesting to identify; for, by the identification, accurate or approxi- mate, of the original sources of the various foreign articles found in the mounds, we are enabled to fix, with greater or less certainty, the extent of the intercourse, if not in some degree the direction of the migrations, of the ancient people. It is in this View that the discovery of pearls and marine shells in the mounds, is specially interesting. Of the latter not less than five kinds have been recognised; viz., the cassis (several varieties), the pyrula. perversa, oliva, marginalla, and natica. These shells are all found on our Southern shores.* They seem to have been chiefly * Several of these shells, including the pyrula perverse and the cassis cornutus, were discovered several years ago in a mound near Cincinnati, and others near Lexington, Ky., which have since figured largely in most specula- . tions on American antiquities and the origin of the American race. They were assumed to be peculiar to Asia; and, as similar shells were sacred to certain religious rites, or consecrated to certain gods of the Hindoos, have been cited in support of the hypothesis that the builders of the mounds had their origin in India. [See Delafield’s Inquiry, Bradford’s Researches, Laing’s or THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY. 57, used for ornamental purposes, and hundreds of the margi- nella, pierced longitudinally so as to be strung, are sometimes found accompanying a single skeleton. Great numbers of heads, worked from the compact portions of some of the larger shells, are also found. These, generally much altered by long exposure, were originally supposed to be ivory, and their frequent discovery probably gave rise to the notionthat ivory is common in the mounds. It has been suggested that many of them were worked from the columella of the strombus gigas, which has been discovered in some of the ancient graves of Tennessee.““ Quantities of pearls, more or less burned, have been found, but only upon the altars. They are clearly not from the fresh water molluscas ; their numbers and great size forbid the supp0~ sition. They are easily identified by their concentric lamination. They are generally pierced for beads, but some of the smaller ones, as will shortly appear, constituted the eyes of the ancient sculptures of animals and birds. We must refer these to the same locality from Whence the shells above named were procured ; Where, as we are in- formed by the early writers, the Southern Indians carried on the pearl fishery. It may be mentioned, in this connec- tion, that the teeth of the shark and alligator, bear, panther and wolf, and the talons of rapacious birds, as also the fossil teeth of the shark,—«~the latter most likely from the tertiary of the lower Mississippi,—.have all been found in the mounds. Most of them are perforated, and were probably used as ornaments or amulets, but some seem designed as imple- ments. Many large teeth, probably cetacean, have been Polynesian Researches, &c, Ste. This is but one of many instances in which an erroneous assumption has been perpetuated by succeeding writers, tench quoting from his predecessor without submitting his statements to a critical analysis. The well-known fact that these shells occur in abundance on our Southern shores, believes them from the necessity to which they have heretofore been subjected, of a transportation of twelve. thousand miles,-—ten thousand by sea, and two thousand by land ! ‘ Trans, Am. Ethnog. Soc. Vol. i.,p. 360. 16 ,58 ABORIGINAL MONUMENTS discovered ;’ not far from one hundred occurred in a single mound. They were all too much burned to be recovered entire. One of the largest measured six inches in length, and upwards of four inches in circumference at the largest part. They are destitute of enamel, and have a pulp cavity, in this respect resembling those of the whale, from which, however, they differ widely in shape. They have not yet been identified. The mound-builders evidently used them for various purposes, and some of the articles taken for ivory may have been made from them. A specimen was found which exhibited marks of having been sawn, drilled, and polished. Accompanying them were several beautifully carved cylinders of a compact substance resembling ivory; one of these was originally fourteen inches in length, and when fourd was closely wrapped in sheet copper. Bones ' of the elk, deer, &c., worked into the form of daggers, awls, &c., are of frequent occurrence. It is impossible here to indicate the great variety of the implements and ornaments of silver, copper, stone, &c. (330., found in the mounds. Many of these are of a very inter- esting character, as illustrating the state of ancient art, and as enabling US, from the material of which they are - composed, their peculiarities of form, and correspondences of use, to define the intercourse, and in some degree the con~ nections, of the ancient races. From What has already been presented, it will be seen that there are gathered in the mounds, or the alluvions of the Ohio, copper and silver from the Great Lakes; pearls and shells from the Southern Gulf; mica from the primitive ranges of the Alleghanies, and obsidian from the volcanic ridges of Mexico,—an extended range, the extremes of which define, with great - precision, the field in which the mounds occur. It would almost seem that the ancient race existed contemporane- ously over this great area, maintaining throughout a con- stant intercourse. There is one class of ancient remains which probably OF THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY. 59 possesses a greater popular interest than any other. These are the sculptures or carvings in stone, of which a great variety occur in the mounds. These display no incon- siderable degree of taste and skill. They exhibit a close observance of nature, and an attention to details, which we are unprepared to 100k for amonga people not considerably advanced in the arts, and to which the elaborate and labo- rious, but usually clumsy and ungraceful productions of the savage, can claim but slight approach. Savage taste in sculpture is oftenest exhibited in monstrosities, carica- tures of‘things rather than faithful copies. The carvings from the mounds, on the contrary, are remarkable for their truthfulness; they display not only the general form and features of the objects sought to be represented, but to a surprising degree their characteristic expression and atti- tude. In some instances their very habits are indicated; the otter is represented securing a fish, so also is that inveterate fisher, the heron, and the hawk holds a small bird in his talons and tears it with his beak. These re- presentations are so exact as to leave no doubt as to the animals designed to be exhibited. Hardly a beast, bird, or reptile, indigenous to the country, is omitted from the list. We identify the beaver, the otter, elk, bear, wolf, panther, racoon, opossum, and squirrel; the hawk, heron, owl, vulture, raven, swallow, paroquet, duck, goose, and nume- rous other varieties of land and water birds ; the alligator, turtle, toad, frog, rattlesnake, &c. 6L0. Besides these there are carvings of various animals and birds not indigenous to this latitude; for instance, the lamantin or manitus, and the tocan. Several carvings, supposed to represent the manitus, have been discovered, one of 'which is shown, of full size, in the following engraving : 60 ABORIGINAL MONUMENTS. .q‘ ;$; I it i' )L,‘ 2.;,:\~.‘ .ll! “"7“ ifih L! .ii‘tiry. The engraving does not do full justice to the original, which is exquisitely carved and polished, every feature being clearly made out. The sculpture answers very well to t e descriptions of the manitus given by naturalists. It has the obtuse head (not well shown in the engraving); thick, fleshy snout; semi-lunar nostrils; tumid upper lip, furrowed in the middle ; scarcely distinguishable ears; the singular moustaches mentioned by Desmoulin ; short, thick neck, and rudimental paws, or, as as they were called by the Spaniards, hands. The general form also corres- ponds with the descriptions given. But one of the sculptures exhibits a flat, truncated tail, the rest are round, and rather long. There is a variety of the lamantin, however, known as the round-tailed manitus, to which they may bear a closer resemblance. This animal is only found in tropical regions ; it occurs, though rarely, on the Peninsula of Florida, and, it is believed, nowhere else within the limits of the United States. The inhabitants of San Christophers, Guadaloupe, and other of the Barbadoes, formerly used it for food, and the Southern Indians made use of its hide for thongs, and its bones for implements. The sculpturesof this last of animals or first of fishes are all of the same style of workmanship, and of like materials, with an entire class of sculptures found in the mounds, Consequently, either the same race of men, possessing throughout a like mode or THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY. 61 of workmanship and deriving their materials from the same sources, existed at the same period over the intervening country, from the Ohio to the haunts of the manitus on the Southern coast, and maintained a constant intercourse; or else there was, at some time, a migration from the South, bringing with it these characteristic remains of another region. We cannot conceive that these sculptures alone are fanciful creations, bearing only an accidental resemblance to the manitus, while the others accompanying them are faithful representations of objects generally easily recognizable. It should be remarked, that the mound-builders seem to have been inveterate smokers, and that in the construction and ornament of their pipes they displayed their utmost skill. The general form of the mound pipe, which may be regarded as the primitive form of the implement, is well ex— hibited in the accompanying sketch. It will be observed that this form differs Widely from that adopted by the existing tribes of Indians. The pipes of the mounds are always carved from a single piece, and consist of a flat, curved base of variable length and width, the bowl rising from the convex side. From one of the ends, communicating with the bowl, is drilled a small hole answering the purposes of a tube ; the corresponding oppo- site division being left for the manifest purpose of holding the implement to the mouth. The specimen above repre- sented is exquisitely carved from a beautiful variety of 62 ABORIGINAL MONUMENTS brown porphyry, granulated with variously colored mate- rials; the whole much changed by the action of fire, and somewhat resembling porcelain. It is intensely hard, and successfully resistsrthe edge of the finest tempered knife. The length of the base is five inches, Width of the same one and a fourth. The bowl is one and a fourth inches high, slightly tapering upwards, but flaring near the top. The perforation answering to a tube is about one-sixth of an inch in diameter, which is about the usual size. This circum- stance places it beyond doubt that the mouth was applied directly to the implement, without the ordinary intervention of a tube of wood or metal. The bowls of these pipes are often sculptured into sin- gular devices, figures of the human head, of animals, birds, &c. The sculpture‘of the manitus above described, consti— tuted an elaborate pipe. So, also, does the following carv- ing of the toad, which, in lugubriousness of expression scarcely less than by his gnarled coat, proclaims the nice observation possessed by the ancient artist, and his keen ap~ preciation of the ludicrous. . It is carved in porphyry, as is also the following frag ment of a sculptured hawk, and the accompanying heads of rapac-ious birds: or THE Mississmr VALLEY. 63 The eyes of most of these figures were originally filled with small pearls, some of which, though completely cal- cined by the fire, still retain their places. Among the humorous sculptures are several of the human head, which, :it may safely be concluded, from the fidelity to nature ob- served in the others, display not only the characteristic features of the ancient people, but also their modes of adjusting the hair, their style of ornament, &C. One of these, boldly carved from a dark-colored stone, is here pre- sented. This specimen is distinguished from the others by its hardness and severity of outline. It has a singular head~ dress falling in a broad fold over the back of the head, as far down as the middle of the neck. Upon either side of the head, this head-dress, which may represent some pecu- liar style of plaiting the hair, rises into protuberances or ‘knots, corresponding to the style of wearing the hair adopted by the ancient Aztec women. Enciroling the fore- head, is a row of small round holes, fifteen in number, placed as £105er as possible together; which, when the head was 64 ABORIGINAL MONUMENTS found, were filled with small calcined pearls,—originally constituting a brilliant circlet, contrasting, in a striking manner, with the (dark stone in which they were inserted? The ornamental lines upon the face are deeply cut, and probably represent tattooing. Those radiating from the mouth might readily be supposed to represent a curling moustache and heard. The mouth of this miniature head is somewhat compressed and the brow seems contracted, giving it an aspect of severity which is not fully conveyed". by the engraving. The eyes are prominent and open. In the same mound with the above was found another head, of entirely different outline, of which a profile is here presented- The eyes seem closed, and" the whole expression of the face is that of a repose like death. It was probably de- signed te represent a female face. ' It is impossible to overlook the coincidence between the fillet of r6113: pearls displayed upon. the forehead oi this figure, and the similar raugeatf or THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY: 65 Of a very different character, and doubtless of a very different origin, is a class of sculptures of which the follow- ing cut presents an example. It is carved from a dark- colored sandstone, and represents a human figure resting upon its knees and elbows. The limbs, however, are barely indicated. The figure is boldly though roughly carved, with the exception of the face, which is better fin- ished and quite characteristic. It has peculiar markings, extending from the eyes diagonally across the cheeks. A large serpent is folded around the neck; the head and tail of the reptile resting together upon the breast of the figure. The head is surmounted by a knot, resembling the “ scalp- lock” of the Indians. It is six inches in greatest length, five inches high, and has a broad, flat base. It was ploughed up, some years since, near Chillicothe, Ohio. Like soulptured pearls upon the brow of the small statue. described by Humboldt (Researches, vol. i. p. 43), and denominated by him the “ Statue of an Aztec Priestess.” 66 ABORIGINAL MONUMENTS the more delicate sculptures above referred to, It was adapted for a pipe. Several other specimens, closely resembling the one last described, have been found at various points upon the surface, but none have been developed from the mounds. Both inmaterial and workmanship they sustain a close relationship to certain “stone idols,” as they have been termed, discovered in Virginia, Tennessee, and elsewhere. One of these, found in the vicinity of Grave Creek, Virginia, and described by Mr. Schoolcraft in the first volume of the Society’s Transactions (page 408), is distinguished by a similar “ scalp-lock. The orifices communicating with each other, in the back of that figure, would seem to indi- cate that it also was designed for a pipe. The fact that no sculptures of this description have been found in the mounds, and the comparative rudeness which they exhibit, induce the belief that they belong to a different era, and are the work of another and a ruder people. A large proportion of the mound sculptures are executed in a fine porphyry. It occurs of many shades of color; some varieties have a greenish brown base, with fine white or black grains; others a light brown base, with white, purple, and violet-tinged specks; but most are red, with white and purplish grounds. In some specimens the base exhibits scarcely any admixture, and strongly resembles the Catlinite, or red pipestone of the Coteau des Prairies. All the examples are of great hardness ; a natural charac- ' teristic, or measurably the result of the great heat to which they have been subjected. Under beat this porphyry splinters, often in a nearly uniform plane; and examples have been remarked, partly fused into a porous, dark brown ’mass. Heat has the effect of rendering the specimens with a red base of a bright black; and some of the restored sculptures exhibit a striking contrast in the color of their different parts. The primitive locality of this mineral is unknown, ' OF THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY. 6'7 All carvings from the mounds are exquisitely wrought ; and in all cases where the material will admit of it, beauti- fully‘ polished. We can scarcely understand how, in the absence of instruments of iron, the carvings were executed. It may be suggested that they were rubbed into shape upon hard rocks; but, apart from the incredible labor of such a process, and the palpable impossibility of securing the deli- cate features which some possess, by such means, we find some of the unfinished specimens which show that, how- ever the general outline was secured, all the lines and more delicate features were cut or graved in the stone. The copper tools, resembling gravers, seem hardly adequate to this work, but they are the only instruments discovered which appear at all adapted to the purposefi“ * It is probably unnecessary to say. that the mound—builders did not attempt the working of large stones, for building or other purposes. They occasionally broke up or quarried through the sand strata, in defending their military po- sitions, but none of the disrupted stones bear the marks of edge tools. Mr. Atwater (Archaeologia Americana, vol. i. p. 150) is the only authority for any thing of the kind. He describes certain “ wells,” in the bed of Paint Creek, twelve miles distant from Chillicothe, which “ were dug through the solid slate rock, and each covered over by a stone about the size and shape of a common millstone. These covers,” continues the account, “ had each a hole through the centre, about four inches in diameter, through which a large handspike or pry might be put for the purpose of removing them oil" and on the wells. The wells, at the top, were more than three feet in diameter; and stones, well wrought with tools, so as to make good joints, were laid around the hole. I had a good opportunity to examine these wells; the stream in which they were sunk being very low. The covers are now broken in pieces, and the wells filled with pebbles, &c.” These astonishing wells, sunk through the solid rock, with stones, “ well wrought with tools,” around them, and possessing cyclopean covers, have filled no small space, at home and abroad,in every chapter ofspeculations upon American antiquities. Indeed, they have been regarded, in many respects, as the most remarkable remains of antiquity within the limits ofthe United States, —although the reason for sinking wells in the bed ofa creek was probably never very obvious to any mind. The reader will hardly be prepared, after these details, presented upon the personal responsibility of the author in question, to learn that the “ wells ” are simple casts of huge septaria, parallel ranges of which run through the slate strata of this region. The cyclopean “covers” are sep‘ A- A “mean __ 4.....L. 68 ABORIGINAL MONUMENTB The limit assigned to this paper prohibits any further account of the remains found in the mounds. What has already been presented may serve to give some slight conception of their general character, if not of their number. The relationship which they exhibit, in many respects, to remains found elsewhere on the continent, will probably be forcibly suggested to most minds, and may serve in a degree to indicate, as has already been remarked, the dependencies and intercourse, as well as illustrate the minor arts of the ancient people. They should, however, be considered only in connection with the other more imposing remains with which they are associated, as collateral aids in the solution of the grand questions in- volved in the ancient history of man in America. SCULPTURED TABLE'I‘S.~—Thel'e is a single point more, which, from a variety of causes, has been invested with special interest, and which it will not be out of place to notice in this connection, Viz.; the alleged discovery, in taria which yet resist the disintegrating action of the water, and retain their original beds. These septaria are of an oblate-spheroidal figure, some of them measuring. from nine to twelve feet in circumference. They frequently have apertures or hollows in their middle, with radiating fissures, filled with crystaline spar or sulphate of baryta. These fissures sometimes extend be- yond them, in the slate rock, constituting the “ good joints ” above mentioned. The slate. layers are not interrupted by these singular productions, but are bent or wrapped around them. The following cut illustrates their character: A is a vertical section: a exhibiting the water, [1 the rock. At c the sep: tarium has disintegrated, or has been removed, and its cavity or bed is filled with pebbles. At d the nodule still remains. B exhibits the appearance pre- sented by d from above. or THE MIssIsstrr VALLEY. 69 the mounds, of sculptured tablets, bearing hieroglyphical or alphabetical inscriptions. Nothing, to which it would be possible to assign any such extraordinary character, has been discovered by the writer and his associate, in the course of their investigations ; nor does it seem likely that any thing like an alphabetical or hieroglyphical system existed among the mound- builders. The earth- works and their contents certainly establish that, prior to the occupa— tion of the Mississippi valley by the tribes found in posses- sion by the Europeans, there existed here a numerous people, possessing a different social, and probably a different civil organization,——an agricultural people, considerably advanced in the arts, and undoubtedly, in most respects, superior to the hunter tribes with which we are acquainted. There is no evidence, however, that their condition was any thing more than a limited approximation to that at- tained by the ancient Mexicans, Central Americans, and Peruvians, which nations had made but the first advance towards an alphabet. Whether they had progressed fur- ther than to a refinement on the picture- -writing of the savage tribes, Is not yet considered established. It would be unwarrantable, therefore, to assign to the race of the mounds a superiority in this respect over these nations, which were so much in advance of them in all others. It would be a practical reversal of the philosophic teachings of History, an exception to the laws of progress, which it would require a large array of well attested facts to sus- tain. Such an array of facts we do not yet possess. Although numerous announcements of the discovery of plates of stone or metal, bearing inscriptions, have been made, there are but two tablets to which a hieroglyphical or alphabetical character has been assigned, which are sufficiently well authenticated to deserve notice, viz., one said to have been found in the celebrated Grave Creek mound, the other in a mound near Cincinnati. The following engraving is a reduced copy of the relic . 3‘} my 70 ABORIGINAL MONUMENTS last named, which is now in the possession of Erasmus Gest, Esq. of Cincinnati. The original is five inches long by three broad at the ends, and about half an inch in thickness. ' The circumstances under which this relic was discow ered are such as to leave little doubt of its authenticity, or that it pertained to the race of the mounds. It was dis- covered in December, 1841. The material is afine grained compact sandstone, of a brown color. The sculptured face varies very slightly from a perfect plane. The figures are in low relief (the lines being not more than one-twentieth of an inch in depth), and are embraced in a rectangular space, four and two-tenth inches long by two and two-tenth inches broad. A right line is drawn across the face, near each end, exterior to which are notches, twenty-four at one end, twenty-five at the other. Extending diagonally inward from these lines are fifteen short ones, seven at one end, eight at the other. The back of the stone has three deep longitudinal grooves, and several depressions, evidently caused by rubbing—probably produced in sharpening the instrument used in carving. Without alluding to the “ singular resemblance which or THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY. 71 the relic bears to the Egyptian cartouche,” it Will be suffi- cient to direct attention to the reduplication of the figures, ' -—those upon one side corresponding with those upon the other, the two central ones being also alike. It Will be observed that there are but three distinct scrolls or figures, —four of one kind and two of each of the others. Probably no serious discussion of the question, Whether or not these figures are hieroglyphical, is needed. They more resemble the stalk and flowers of a plant than any thing else in na- ture. What significance, if any, may attach to the peculiar markings or graduations at the ends, it is not undertaken to say ; the sum of the products of the larger and shorter lines exhibits this result: (24x7=168)+(25><8 =200)=368, three more than the number of the days of the year; upon which the suggestion has been advanced that the tablet had an astronomical origin, and constituted some sort of a calendar! We may perhaps find the key to its purposes in a very humble, but not therefore less interesting class of Southern remains. Both in Mexico and in the mounds along the Gulf, have been found stamps of burned clay, the faces of which are covered With figures, fanciful or imitative, all in low relief, like the face of a stereotype plate. These were used in impressing ornaments upon the cloths or prepared skins of the people possessing them. They exhibit the concavity 0f the sides to be observed in the relic in question, and also a similar reduplieation of the ornamental figures,—all betraying a common purpose. This explanation is offered hypothetically, as being entirely consistent with the general character of the mound re- mains. The accompanying relic, from the frequency with which it has been presented, is doubtless familiar to most persons Who have paid attention to American antiquities. It pur— ports to have been found in the upper vault of the great mound at Grave Creek, by the Side of the skeleton therein contained. With this skeleton, according to the published ac— 72 ABORIGINAL MONUMENTS count of the proprietor of the mound, who opened it, were h discovered " one thousand lsevcn hundred ivory [shell] ,1 beads, five hundred shells of the involute species [margin ‘ nella], five copper bracelets, fifty slips of mica, and the . relic 1n question. It 15 of the size and shape indicated in the engraving, and is described as composed of a compact sandstone of a light color.* The so-called inscription is arranged in three parallel lines, and comprises twenty-four distinct characters, accompa- nied by a supposed hieroglyphic or ideographic sign. An analysis of this inscription has been undertaken by a num‘ ber of learned individuals, with various results. Mr. Schoolcraft regards twenty-two of the characters as un- questionably alphabetic, four of which he identifies as cor- responding with the ancient Greek, the same number with the Etruscan, five with the Runic, six with the ancient Gallic, seven with the old Erse, ten with the Phoenician, fourteen with the old British, and sixteen With the Celte— beric. These results are substantially the same with those arrived at by Mr. Rafn, of the Danish Antiquarian Society. A coincidence between some of the characters and certain ancient alphabets of Africa, has been remarked by M. J omard, the eminent President of the Geographical Society of Paris, and by our distinguished countryman, W. B. Hodgson, Esq., late U. S. Consul at Tunis.1‘ * The engraving is from a drawing made from the original by Mr. School- craft, and published in the first volume of these Transactions. It is probably the only correct copy ever published. 1* Pol. By the mass! and ’t is like a camel, indeed! Ham. Methinks it is like a weasel. Pol. It is backed like a weasel. Ham. Or like a whale 2 Pol. Very like a whale l—Shakt. or THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY. '73 Upon a subject which has received the attention and elicited the observations of so many learned gentlemen, in our own country and in Europe, it may perhaps be deemed presumptuous to venture a remark or submit an opinion. The relic is, however, of so remarkable a char- acter, and must, if proved to be a genuine remain of the mound era, lead to so extraordinary results, that we are justified in submitting the question of its authenticity to the most rigid scrutiny. Whoever announces a discovery to the world, in any branch of research, must expect to have it subjected to every test sanctioned by the rules of evidence. Nor should it be a matter of complaint, on the part of those interested, if this scrutiny should be con- ducted with apparent severity towards themselves, particu- larly when, as in this instance, we have no collateral evi- dence to which appeal may be had in support of the pre- sumed discovery. The inquirer cannot fail to be struck with the circum- stance, that, contrary to the rules which regulate philo- sophic research, in all the speculations to which this relic has given rise, its authenticity has been assumed, apparently without an effort towards its confirmation. This is the more singular when we consider the conclusions which must follow the assumption. The inscription, it is con- ceded on all hands, is not hieroglyphical; the characters can be regarded only as the letters of an unknown alphabet, bearing a close likeness to those embraced in that large class of alphabets, of which the ancient Phaanecian may be advanced as the type, and which were, at one period, extensively disseminated over the North of Europe. Re- garding it as alphabetical, we are forced to one of two conclusions, equally extraordinary; either the race of the mounds possessed an alphabetical system, or the inscription is of European origin, and was transported to the Ohio valley by individuals of European stock, or by a course of exchange with nations or tribes bordering the sea coast, 17 74 ABORIGXNAL MONUMENTS who themselves possessed an accidental or regular inter- course with the people of the other continent. The first hypothesis has not, it is believed, been seriously advanced. It cannot be supposed that so extensively disseminated a people as the mound-builders would have left so slight and doubtful an evidence of their alphabetic system, had they possessed one. The other hypothesis falls more nearly within the scope of possibility, not to say probability, and has ingenious, and no doubt earnest, supporters among those who claim an European intercourse with America, long anterior to the discovery in the fifteenth century. The difficulties in the way of this hypothesis will probably appear light to those who can readily find, in the rude rock-tracery of the Indians, the indubitable record of an European visit to the shores of New England! The objec- tion that the race of the mounds have left no evidence of \ their occupation of the country bordering the Atlantic, and would consequently be unable to avail themselves of an opportunity of communication with Europeans, driven by stress of weather, or arriving in quest of adventures, upon the American shores, is also easily surmounted by the supposition, that the intervening country was possessed by tribes, through the agency of which the inscription found its way beyond the mountains. Or if it is preferred, it is quite feasible, by a single effort of the imagination, to trans- port a sturdy Celt across a trackless ocean, through a wilderness infested by savages and wild beasts, and upon the banks of the Ohio invest him with a chieftaincy among the mound-builders ; who, it is also easy to suppose, in memory of so renowned an adventurer, reared over his remains a huge earth structure,—a mode of sepulture eminently congenial to an individual accustomed to similar practices in his native land! It is indispensable that this diversified journey should be performed, if, as it is stated by some who have seen the relic, it was composed of the pre- vailing sandstone of the region in which it was found. OF THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY. 75 It is quite immaterial, in the inquiry here proposed, by what chain of supposed circumstances the presence of the stone in the mound is accounted for. The only question to be settled is that of authenticity. Primarily, the relic is entirely unique and sustains no analogy whatever to any of the authentic remains of the mounds ; the presumptions are all against it. It should not be recognized, therefore, except upon ample testimony, which should be so explicit as to leave no doubt. concerning it. Have we any testi- mony of this kind? What evidence have we that it is genuine and no imposition? A direct answer would doubtless involve an inquiry into the personal credibility of the discoverer,—an inquiry into which it is not proposed to enter. We are consequently reduced to a simple scrutiny of the circumstances attending the alleged discovery. The Grave Creek mound, from its great size and promi- nent location on the banks of that great thoroughfare, the Ohio river, attracted a large share of attention from a very early period. It became one of the standard curiosities of the valley, and was one of the objects pointed out to trav- ellers by the captains and crews of vessels, under the sug- gestive name of “ the Grave.” It was an object of frequent visit and remark. “ Dates,” says the proprietor, “ were out upon the trees at its top, as early as 1734.” A large beech is specified which was “literally covered with names and dates to the height of ten feet.” Every tourist mentioned it, and no chapter on American Antiquities was complete, in which it did not occupy a conspicuous place. Proposals were made to excavate it, but this was rigidly resisted by the proprietor. Upon his death it passed into the owner- ship of his descendants, and continuing to be an object of increasing interest, and more frequent visit, the iiiprpject of opening and fitting it up for exhibition was hit“ upon, as likely tOsafl'ord a gratification to visitors, and, incidentally, prove a very profitable investment of the labor and money necessary to the undertaking. Accordingly, in the spring '76 ABORIGINAL MONUMENTS of 1838 the work of excavation was commenced, and was completed some time during the summer of the same year. A shaft was carried horizontally to the centre of the mound, and another sunk from its top. _ A “rotunda” was exca- vated at the junction of the two shafts, and the walls ren- dered secure by masonry. Upon the top of the mound was erected a light three story structure, dignified with the name of an “observatory.” The entrance was duly fitted with doors and locks, and the whole surrounded by a high, close fence, excluding from the precinct all who did not possess the miraculous “open sesame” of one dime, continental currency ! Within the “ rotunda,” were placed the various relics developed in the course of the excava- tions,—the skeletons in grim array, and the remaining objects so grouped as most sensibly to impress the beholder, augment the fame of the mound, and, incidentally again, draw other visitors to the spot. The object of the excava- tion was primarily that of gain, although there is no doubt curiosity, probably not the most enlightened, had some influence in the matter. Of course the more extraordinary the character of the relics deposited in the subterranean museum, the more likely to attract visitors, and accumulate the aforesaid “dimes.” Stone axes, and shell beads, and slips of mica, all very curious and interesting to the anti- quary, have, however, no very popular interest, and may be obtained in too many localities to be regarded as any thing very wonderful. An inscription, however, in an unknown character, is not to be found every day,—it is an “immense attraction,” in the language of the play-bills, and likely'to have a run! It would be curious to know how soon after the open- ing of the mound, the announcement of the discovery of the stone was made. It seems that some notice of it appeared, in one of the Cincinnati papers, some time in the year 1839, but whether contained in an account of the mound itself or otherwise, is not known. At any rate, on THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY. '77 previous to this noticeuwhich appears to have been the earliest made, a detailedaccount of the opening of the mound, and of its contents, was, communicated to the author of the “ Crania Americana,” and published in that valuable contribution to science. This account was from the hand of Dr. Clemens, of Wheeling, Va., who seems to have been well acquainted with all the circumstances ’ attending the excavation. It contains, however, no refer- ence to the inscribed stone, although it describes minutely the various other relics taken from the inoundLand except in this and one or two other respects, is identical with that published by the proprietor of the mound in 1843* This singular omission of a relic infinitely the most re- markable of the whole series, is entirely unaccountable, if any thing was known concerning it at that period. There is also a discrepancy between the accounts of Dr. Clemens and the proprietor of the mound, in respect to the number of skeletons found in the same. The former gentleman states that in enlarging the lower vault for an exhibition chamber, ten human skeletons were found, all in a sitting posture, but. too much decayed to be removed. The proprietor of the mound, on the other hand, explicitly states that there‘were but two skeletons in the lower vault.__ Apart from this, there is no material conflict between the respective statements. it appears then, first, that the mound was opened as a speculation, the success of which depended to an extent upon the more or less extraordinary character of the re- mains developed; second, that we have no evidence of the alleged discovery except the unsupported testimony of a single individual, a party interested; third, that a positive discrepancy exists in respect to the relic, between the account of a close observer writing from the spot, at the “ American Pioneer, vol. 31., p. 201. 78 ABORIGINAL MONUMENTS time of the excavation, and that of the proprietor, published five years thereafter; fourth, that there is no evidence of any mention of the existence of the relic, until a year or upwards after the excavation took place. In view of these circumstances, and of the strong presumptive evidence against the occurrence of any thing of the kind, furnished by the antagonistic character of all the ancient remains of the continent, so far as they are known, it must be admitted that all speculations based upon this relic are entitled to little consideration. VUntil it is better authenticated, it should be entirely excluded from a place among the anti- quities of our country. Archeological research, to an emi- nent degree, demands a close and critical attention to the facts upon which it is conducted.* There is another alternative respecting the relic under notice which has not yet been remarked. It is possible that the excavator of the mound was himself imposed upon. That similar 'impositions have been practiced, under no stronger inducement than the malicious gratification of hoaxing credulous mound-diggers, is well known. A nota- ble example is furnished in the six inscribed copper plates, said to have been found in a mound near the village of Kinderhook, Pike Co., Ill. Engravings of these and a minute description were published in due time. They were extensively circulated, and there are, doubtless, many well-informed persons, who, to this day, repose a degree of confidence in the pretended discovery. The characters were supposed to bear, in the language of the printed an- * The stone is no longer in the mound at Grave Creek, but is said to be in the possession of some person at Richmond, Va. Genuine or otherwise, it was inadequate to make the mound “ pay ;” the excavation proved to be, pecu- niarily, a “ bad operation.” The “ rotunda” has fallen in, the bolts and bars have vanished, and the gate to the enclosure no longer requires the incantation ofa dime to creak a rusty welcome to the curious visitor. I” “ Sic transit gloria moundi . or THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY. 79 nouncement, “ a close resemblance to the Chinese.” They proved to have been engraved by the village blacksmith, who had probably no better suggestion to his antiquarian labors than the lid of a Chinese tea-box. Each plate, it should be remarked, had an orthodox “ ideographic Sign,” quite after the fashion of its more famous counterpart. 5 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS. 160 _INSTRUCTIONS FOR RESEARCH RELATIVE TO THE ETHNOLOGY 'AND PHILOLOGY OF A M E R I C A. PREPARED FOR THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION. BY GEORGE GIBBS. WASHINGTON: SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION: MARCH, 1863. CONTENTS. INTRODUCTORY REMARKS . ETENOLOGY . . . Crania . . . Specimens of art, etc. Hints for Ethnological inquiry PHILOLOGY . . . Introductory remarks Orthography . . Vowels . . . Consonants Comparative vocabulary I-I «IQNN 13 17 18 18 2O INSTRUCTIONS RELATIVE TO THE ETHNOLOGY AND PHILOLOGY OF AMERICA. INTRODUCTORY REMARKS. THE Smithsonian Institution is desirous of extending and completing its collections of facts and materials relative to the Ethnology, Archaeology, and Philology of the races of mankind inhabiting, either now or at any previous period, the continent of America, and earnestly solicits the cooperation in this object of all ofiicers of the United States government, and travellers, or resi- dents who may have it in their power to render any assistance. Full credit will always be given for contributions received. JOSEPH HENRY, Secretary S. I. Smmsomm INSTITUTION, WASHINGTON, March 1, 1863. 2 ETHNOLOGY. ETHNOLOGY. CRANIA.—Am0ng the first of the desiderata of the Smithsonian Institution, is a full series of the skulls of American Indians. The jealousy with which they guard the remains of their friends renders such a collection in most cases a difficult task, but there are others in which these objects can be procured without offence. Numerous tribes have become extinct, or have removed from their former abodcs; the victims of war are often left where they fall; and the bones of the friendless and of slaves are neglected. Where, with- out ofl'ence to the living, acquisitions of this kind can be made, they will be gladly received as an important contribution to our knowledge of the race. Various methods of disposing of the dead have prevailed among) different tribes, as burning, burial, deposit in caves, in lodges, beneath, piles of stone, and in wooden sepulchres erected above—ground,p1a-, cing on scaffolds or in canoes, and attaching to the trunks of trees. In many instances the bones, after a season, are collected together and brought into a common cemetery. Where the- first-mentioned? form, that of burning, is followed, we must, of course, look to chance» for the preservation of the remains. This method is, however, more rare than the others. It is requisite, for the purpose of arriving at particular results, that the most positive determination be made of the nation or tribe to- which a skull belongs. In extensive prairie countries, hunted over or traversed by various tribes, or where, as on the Pacific coast, several tribes and even stocks inhabit a district of limited extent, this is often : difficult, or even impossible. Unless, therefore, information of a direct nature is obtained, the collector should be guarded in assigning abso- lute nationality to his specimens. It will be better to state accurately the locality whence they are derived and the owners or frequenters of 21 the neighborhood, to one of which they are likely to belong. Where several specimens are collected, each should be numbered to corres- pond with a catalogue in which the above points are mentioned; as also whether it was found in a grave or other place of deposit, ETHNOLOGY. 3 the character of the ornaments ‘ and utensils placed with it, and whether it was in its original place or had been combined with others. Finally, it should be ascertained whether the tomb was that of existing or recent inhabitants of the country, or of more ancient date,——-such, for example, as the mound-builders of the Ohio; and, in this latter case, if the remains are those of the original inhabitant, . Or have been since deposited. In this inquiry the character of the articles buried with the body will often furnish a clue. The same “precaution should be adopted where tribes have been removed from their native regions to a different locality. In short, where any doubt exists in the mind "of the collector, all those circumstances should be examined into which'in the absence of direct testimony, will facilitate a conclusion as to origin. It may be mentioned in this connection, that among some nations, it "is the custom to marry out of the tribe, as a matter of policy. Skulls of women found in the cemeteries of one of these might therefore very probably belong to an adjoining tribe, and, possibly, to one of an entirely different stock. In such cases, too, there can be no cer- tainty that the men themselves are of the pure blood of one race, and it is, therefore, important to ascertain if this custom exists. Among those tribes where flattening or altering the head is common to both sexes, particular suspicion should attach to any having the skull un- altered. This process is usually a mark of rank, or at least of freedom, and an unaltered skull, if found in a burial-place or well-marked rc- A’eeptacle, may almost be assumed to be that of a stranger; if neglected, it is probably that of a slave. But as slaves were often buried with their owners, even this is not a positive conclusion. Among some of the (Pacific tribes, however, compression of the head is confined to females, or is, at any rate, only carried to any considerable extent among them. Slaves are sometimes of the same tribe with their owners, but they are more frequently purchased from others; and it should be noted that on the Pacific the course of the trade has been from south to north. In order to ascertain whether differences of form exist among dif- ferent stocks, the accumulation of as many specimens as possible of each tribe is desirable, and duplicates moreover afford the means of extending the collection by exchange. Skulls which have been altered in shape possess a certain interest in themselves, though they are in other respects disadvantageous for comparison. The practice, in different forms, formerly existed more widely than at present, several tribes in the southern States, as the Natchez, &c., having been addicted to it. Two methods are still 4 ETHNOLOGY. employed in North America: that of flattening the head by pressure on the forehead, as practised among the Chinooks and other tribes in Oregon and Washington Territory, and that of elongating it, peculiar to a few on the northern end of Vancouver island. SPECIMENS OF ART, Era—Another department to which the In- stitution wishes to direct the attention of collectors, is that of the - weapons, implements, and utensils, the various manufactures, orna- ments, dresses, &c., of the Indian tribes. Such a collection may naturally be arranged under three periods. The first, that of the races which had—already passed away before the discovery of the continent by Europeans, or whose extinction may be considered as coeval with that event; next, ofi'the tribes who have disappeared with the settlement of the Atlantic States and the country between the Alleghanies and the Mississippi; and finally, that of the present time, or that of the yet existing nations, confined to the north- ern and western portions of the continent and to Mexico. It is among the last that the greatest variety exists, and of which it is especially important to make immediate collections, as many articles are of a perishable nature, and the tribes themselves are passing away or exchanging their own manufactures for those of the white race. It is hardly necessary to specify any as of particular in- terest, for almost every thing has its value in giving completeness to a collection. ‘ Among the most noticeable, however, are dresses and ornaments, bows and arrows, lances, war—clubs, knives, and weapons of all kinds, saddles with their furniture, models of lodges, parfiesh packing covers and bags, cradles, mats, baskets of all sorts, gambling implements, models of canoes (as nearly as possible in their true pro- - portions), paddles, fish-hooks and nets, fish-spears and gigs, pottery, pipes, the carvings in wood and stone of the Pacific coast Indians, and the wax and clay models of those of Mexico, tools used in dressing skins and in other manufactures, metates or stone mortars, &c., &c. In making these collections, care should be taken to specify the tribes from which they are obtained, and where any doubt may exist, the particular use to which each is applied. Thus, for instance, among the Californians, one form of basket is used for holding water; another for sweeping the seeds from various plants and grasses; a third, as their receptacle during the process of collection; a fourth, for storage; still another, in which to pound the seeds; again, one to boil the por- ridge made from the flour; and finally, others as dishes from which the preparation is eaten. It will also be desirable to ascertain the Indian names given to each article. ETHNOLOGY. 5 Of the second class, the remains are also numerous, and are scat- tered through all the States east of the Mississippi, in the form of axes, arrow-heads, sinkers for nets, fleshing chisels, and other implements of stone, and in some cases fragments of rude pottery. To the first class belong the only antiquities of America, and these are of various descriptions. They include the tools found in the nor- thern copper-mines ; the articles inclosed in the mounds of Ohio and- \ elsewhere; the images common in Kentucky and Tennessee, indicat- ing, among other things, the worship of the Phallus; pottery, the fragments of which are abundant in Florida, the Gulf States, and on the Gila, connecting an extinct with an existing art; and especially those specimens frequently disinterred in the Mexican States, belong- ing to the era of Aztec or Toltecan civilization. It is especially im- portant to ascertain the antiquity of these by careful observation of the circumstances under which they are discovered, in order not to confound ancient with modern utensils. , To this class also belong those articles found under conditions which connect archaeology with geology, and which may be classed as follows: 1. The contents of shell beds of ancient date found on the sea- coasts and bays, often deeply covered with soil and overgrown with trees; among which, besides the shells themselves, implements of stone, bones of fish, animals, and birds used for food, are frequently met with. The examination of these collections in Denmark and other countries of northern Europe has led to the discovery of remains belonging to a period when a people having no other implements than those of stone or. bone'occupied the coast prior to the settlement there of the present race. It is possible that a similar investigation in America may carry us back to a very remote period in aboriginal history. 2. Human remains, or implements of human manufacture, bones of animals bearing the marks of tools or of subjection to fire, found in caves beneath deposits of earth, and more especially of stalagmite or stony material formed by droppings from the roof. 3. Spear and arrow heads, or other weapons, and evidences of fire discovered in connection with bones of extinct animals, such as the mammoth, fossil elephant, 820., among superficial deposits, such as salt-licks, &c. 4. Implements of the same description found in deposits of sand and gravel, or other like material, exposed in bluffs or steep banks, such as have recently attracted‘the attention of European geologists. In all these cases the utmost care should be taken to ascertain with «s, ‘fl’n‘v-r‘ -m-.-__.__... * ___ _ A A mun 0'44er t'tfrfif’ 1 s v“. ~_ Jon. Q» 1;.- l .._;._ . .- 5 AW _.._,,..‘o~ .Mnm‘.r..\_..___g A, -7<‘2.>r~c_~ A” . I n I . p- - 6 ETHNOLOGY. absolute certainty the true relations of these objects. In the case of the shell-banks, the largest trees, Where any exist, should, if practi- cable, be cut down and the annual rings counted. Next, the depth of the superincumbent deposit of earth should be measured, and its character noted, whether of gravel, sand, or decomposed vegetable matter; as also whether it has been stratified by the action of water. Next, the thickness of the shell-bed should be ascertained, and the height of its base above present high-water mark; as also whether it exhibit any marks of stratification. Finally, the face of the bed having been uncovered, a. thorough examination should be made, commencing at the top and carefully preserving all objects which exhibits signs of human art, and noting the depth in the deposit at which they were discovered. Specimens of each species of shell should be collected, and all bones or fragments of them saved. Evi- dences of the use of fire should be watched for and recorded. In the search of caverns, the same system should be followed. First, the floor should be inspected for any recent remains either of men or animals; next, the superficial earth should be carefully re- moved over a considerable space and thoroughly examined at various depths, the results, if any, being kept separate, and marked according- ly. Where a stalagmitic deposit, such as is common in limestone caverns, forms the floor, it must be broken up and its thickness meas- ured. The underlying materials should then be cautiously removed and sorted over, each layer being kept by itself; and Where any re- . mains are discovered, the utmost precaution should-be taken to deter- mine their actual circumstances. If, for instance, they are bones of men, it should be ascertained whether the skeleton is entire and in a natural position, indipative of having been buried there, or scattered, as also its position relative to any other remains, whether under or over them; if of animals, whether they exhibit the marks of tools, and above all, evidences of the employment of fire. Every fragment of bone or other evidence of animal life should be preserved and marked with the order of its succession in depth. The same precautions should be taken in the other cases mentioned, the conditions under which the objects are found, and the depth and .character of covering of each being noted, and full sets of specimens sent for examination. Besides collecting the articles heretofore mention-ed, persons able to make the investigations, are invited to report the information sought in the following paper prepared by the late Prof. W. W. Turner. ETHNOLOGY. 7 HINTS FOR ETHNOLOGICAL INQUIRY. Inquiries of this description have the two-fold object of ascertaining the present condition of these tribes and their past history. Although both branches of the investigation have of course a mutual bearing upon each other, yet the former has more of a practical, the latter more of a scientific character; the former is comparatively easy, the latter environed with difliculties. In examining into the numbers, physical and mental characteristics, and actual condition of the Indian tribes, we are accumulating data for beneficent, legislative, and philan- thropic action in their behalf. The work, moreover, is a mere matter of observation, to be accomplished with the requisite expenditure of time and labor to almost any degree of minute accuracy that may be desired. On the contrary, any reliable knowledge. of ante-Columbian events, that is now attainable, can, from the nature of things, be only general in its character, and the fruit of laborious induction from the comparison of many diverse particulars. As none of the tribes of this continent, not even the most advanced, ever arrived at the grand and fruitful idea of an alphabetic character for commemorating their thoughts and deeds, almost their entire history previous to the advent of Europeans is left a mysterious blank. To ascertain, if possible, the origin of the aboriginal population of this portion of our globe, to trace the migrations and conquests of the various nations that composed it from one part of the continent to another, to disclose their supersti- tions, their manners and customs, their knowledge of the arts of war and peace—in short, to place before us a moving panorama of America in the olden time—such is the purpose which the scientific ethnologist has in view, and to accomplish which he neglects no source of infor- mation that promises to cast even a single ray of light into the obscu- rity with which the subject is surrounded. Names of trz’bes.——In addition to the name by which a tribe calls itself. it is desirable to ascertain those which are given to it by sur- rounding tribes, together with the literal meaning of each name. Geographical position.——Give as accurately as may be the size of the territory, whether mainland or island, belonging to each tribe; its climate, soil, and general character; also its animal, vegetable, and mineral productions. Number.——What is the number of individuals in the tribe? State, if you can, the number of adult males. females, and children respec- 8 ETHNOLOGY. tively. Has the number of the tribe increased or diminished to any remarkable extent; and if so, to what cause is the change owing? Physical constitution—It is essential to notice the general stature of the people, the form of their bodies generally, and the proportions of their limbs; the form of the skull and the facial angle; the features; have these any thing which distinguishes them from other people? What are the color and texture of their skin and hair? What beard have they? What is the color of their eyes? Are they generally handsome or ugly? Have they much or but little muscular strength? Are they remarkable for the peculiar perfection of any of their organs, as that of sight, of hearing, of smelling; or for any corporeal faculties, as speed in running, facility of climbing, of diving and remaining long under water, or for nimbleness and dexterity, or the reverse? What is the ordinary duration of life among them? It is highly desirable, also, that photographs should be taken of individuals of each tribe. Picture-writing, eta—A full description is desirable of any modes that the natives may practise of recording events or communicating ideas by sensible signs, especially paintings or picture-writings, how- ever rude, whether on pieces of bark or skin, on their dwellings or implements, on rocks, &c. When the object itself containing the record cannot be secured and brought away, exact drawings of the figures should be taken, colored after the originals. Every circum- stance respecting the locality and people among whom found should be noted down, together with the interpretations of the natives - (’endeavorjng in all cases to have the independent testimony of more than one), when attainable. Drew—State the materials, colors, and fashion of their dresses and ornaments. Do they paint themselves; and if so, with what materials? Do they paint variously on different occasions, as on festivals and before going to war? Give specimens of the figures they employ, especially of any that may be distinctive of the tribe or band. The same of tattooing, if practised. Some tribes of the northwest make large incisions in the under lip, others flatten the heads of their infants by compression; all such things should be observed and accurately noted respecting each tribe. Food.—Describe the materials of which it consists, With the mode of procuring it, as by hunting, fishing, collecting roots, berries, &c. Do they practise agriculture at all; if so, to What extent; and what grains, roots, etc., do they cultivate? Do they rear any domestic ani~ mals? Do they make any stimulating drinks of their own; and are they fond of tobacco or any other narcotic? ETHNOLOGY. J\\ . Dwellings.——Are these permanent or movable; of what materials are they constructed, and how? Are they entirely above or partially under ground; what is their interior arrangement? Drawings of both exteriors and interiors should be made, so as to give an accurate idea of their peculiarities. On whom does the labor of construction fall, the men or the women; and in case of migration, is the entire struc- ture removed, or only the outside covering? When a number of dwellings are placed near each other, as when a tlibe encamp together on a spot, is any regular mode of arrangement observed? Have they any buildings set apart for public purposes, as business, amusement, or worship; and how are they constructed? Arts.——An exceedingly interesting branch of inquiry, and one too often overlooked or but imperfectly attended to by travellers, is pre sented to us in the primitive industrial arts of the aborigines. Of what materials is the pottery composed; is any of it turned on a wheel; how are the materials compounded; is the ware burned completely or partially; is it glazed or not? How is it ornamented? Have they any utensils of stone; and if so, what is the material? Of what ma- terials are their arrow and spear heads manufactured, and what is the process? Are there individuals whose business it is to make them? Do they make any articles of metal; and if so, of what metals, and what is their mode. of working them? How and by what means do they produce fire? Their modes of spinning, weaving, and dyeing, and the materials and implements used, are of great interest. What are their modes of trapping animals and taking fish; and how are their implements for these purposes constructed? Do they still retain the bow and arrow, or have they wholly or partially abandoned them for the use of firearms? The construction and mode of using all their implements should be described, and complete collections made of them. Their performances, too, in the way of what may be called the fine arts, merit attention; such as their drawings and paintings on smooth rocks or the barks of trees, or their vessels, their dwellings, etc.; and their carvings in wood and stone, as on pipe—bowls, paddles, bows, etc., etc. If native melodies should be discovered among them, they should by all means he noted down, together with the words sung with them. Trader—Do they carry on any traflic with each other, or with the whites? If so, of what articles does it consist, and how is it conduct-I, ed? Have they any common standard of value which approaches the nature of money? Religion.—What is the nature of their religious belief, as far as it 10 ETHNOLOGY. can be ascertained? What are the objects of their worship? Have they any idea of a Creator of all things; and do they give any account of the creation ? Do they worship the sun, fire, or the serpent? What becomes of men and animals after death? Are there any persons of the character of priests set apart for the performance of religious cer- emonies? If so, how are they supported, and in what general esti- mation are they held? Have they a sacred fire, and is it kept per- petually burning? l Government—Is the tribe commanded by the same chief or chiefs in peace and in war, or by different ones? What is the extent of a chief’s authority; and how does he acquire it, by birth or by the choice of the people? What are the insignia of his office, and what his privileges? Who are entitled to speak in the councils of the tribe? What laws have they; for instance, what are the punishments for theft, for adultery, for murder; and by whom are punishments inflict- ed? Social life—Is slavery known among them? Is female chastity prized? What is the treatment of women by their husbands; of children by their parents? What is the division of labor between husband and wife? What festivals have they? enumerate them by their native names, and describe their import, and the manner in which they are celebrated. What ceremonies do they observe at births, marriages, and funerals? Are women obliged to live apart during their monthly terms, or after giving birth to a child ? At what age do marriages take place, and what degrees of consanguinity are prohibited? May a man marry into the same band or tribe to which he belongs, or must he go to another for a wife? Do children belong to the tribe of the father or of the mother? Is polygamy practised? Do the several wives stand on a footing of equality, or is one superior to the rest; and if so,'why? How is the body disposed of after death; and what articles, if any, are buried with it? Warn—Do the warriors array themselves in a peculiar attire and join in the war-dance before setting out? What are their weapons? \Nhat is their treatment of captives, especially if females? Do they practise scalping, and shave their own heads, all but the scalp-lock? filediciner—Are there any persons in the tribe whose profession it is to practise the cure of diseases, or is this a part of the business of the priest, or so-called “ medicine-man ?” What is their mode of treating the principal complaints? Do they practise blood-letting, tooth—pulling, or any other surgical operations? What plants do they use as remedies, and for what complaints is each one applied? It is ’ETHNOLOGY. 1 I hardly necessary to say that collections of such plants and their seeds should be made for cultivation and experiment at home. Literature.—Have they any thing partaking of the nature of a lit- erature among them; that is, have they any songs, tales, fables, and especially any historical legends? If they have, an endeavor should be made to record and preserve them; not so much for the informa- tion they may directly convey, as for the insight they must necessarily afl'ord into the mental idiosyncrasy of the people. If there is any one capable of writing the language, it is much to be wished that these - things should be set down in the original words, as well as an English translation. If the Indians, like many tribes in the older States, use pictorial im- ages for the purpose of recalling to memory the themes and general tenor of their songs, &c., specimens should be collected and delineated, and accompanied by copies of ,the documents they are intended to il- lustrate. Calendar and Astronomy.—What divisions of time are in use among the Indians! How many days do they reckon to a month, and how many months to the year? What names are given to these days, and to the months; and What are the literal meanings of the names? Have they any length of the natural year? What names do they give to individual stars and constellations, particularly to those of the zodiac; and how do they account for eclipses? How do they ascer- tain and name the points of the compass? Have they any theory re- specting the nature and motions of the stars, and respecting the causes of wind, rain, hail, snow, thunder, &c.? History.—-Have the tribe, as far as their knowledge extends, always lived on their present territory; if not, from what direction did they come, and to what other tribes do they state themselves to be related .9 What changes have been introduced among them by intercourse with the whites? With what tribes have they been, and are they now, at war? Give the name of their principal chief, and of any other emi- nent men among them, and of their predecessors, as far as they are remembered. Antiquities—Earthworks, of various forms and dimensions, and for various purposes, as for defence against enemies, for watch-towers, for funeral monuments, have been found in great numbers in the valley of the Mississippi and elsewhere; and an examination of their structure and contents has disclosed a variety of the most interesting facts re- specting the races that erected them. If time and opportunity be afforded of properly examining one of them, it is highly desirable that s .. r-a- ..” wAGer-I- —.|v~',v.~r>*1- lines et les fleches. Provenance : cap Stephens; ile Saint—Michel; Norton- Sound. n‘h‘mmcfi: mm >.. r......,-.‘ -Mflm 111 92. ——- 93. -— CATALOGUE DES COLLECTIONS Planchette formant levier, servant a lancer les jave— lines et les fleches. Provenance : Seleznolfsky ; ile‘ d’Afognak; archipel de Kadiak. La fleche ou la javcline étant placée sur la partie supérieure do In planchetto, ou une rainure est réservée a ceteffet, y est retenue par une petite pointe a la téte 2 la personne voulant alors lancer la fleclxe, tient la planchette entre le pouce, qui la retieut par-dessous, et le lroisieme et quatrieme doigt, qui tiennent les chevilles placées dans la partie inférieure de la planchette, l’index en-dessus soutenant la fléche qu’il tient en place : ayant donné suffisamment de force a la fleche ou a la javeline par un mouvement acce’léré d'avant en arriére, on lache l’index qui retienl la fleche ou javeline ; celle-ci alors, n’étant plus retenue dans la partie inférieure de la planchette, forme un angle avec cette derniere, angle dont le sommet est a la pointe ou sommet de la rainure; donnant alors un prompt mouvement, on envoie la fleche dans la direction demandée, la planchette faisant l’eflet de levier. Javeline avec flotteur, employee pour la chasse a la baleine blanche (Beluga). Provenance : Cap Stephens; ile de Saint-Michel;Norton— Sound. ‘ Lajavelino est composée d’une pointe en cuivre montée en 05, et qui aussitot que l’animal est frappé se décroche du corps de la javeline, restant attachée a la longue courroie ou remni en peau de lion de mer ou de phoque, qui lui—méme est attache au flotteur : le flotteur est fait d’une peau ddphoque soufflée; quand le Beluga est une fois atteint, il sonde. reste quelque temps sous l’eau, puis revient a la surface; on le frappe a nou— veau d’une autre de ces javelines,et ainsi de suite jusqu’a ce que le nombre de flotteurs suit assez considerable pour l’empécher de sonder a nouveau, quand alors on l’acheve. On emploie pour la lancer la planchette a levier n° 94-92. 9h. — 95. —— 96. —— 97. —— 98. —— 99. — RAPPORTE‘ES DE L’AMERIQUE BUSSE. 15' Javeline avec pointe en obsidienneP employee pour {;, la chasse a la baleine. . , tiennes. . La pointe de javeline ici employee répond an meme but que la lance d’ardoise des Kaniagmioutes : la baleine, Que les Aléoutes ne chassent que dans les baies, meurt généralement nu bout de quelques jours et vient s’échouer sur lescotes; les Aléoutes ne s’attaquent guere qu’aux deux eSpéces de baleines les plus petites, c’est-a—dire le Megapteria versabilis et le Ba- lcenoptera oelifera. Javeline avec pointe d’ardoise, employée dans la chasse a la baleine. Provenance : Selegnoffsky; ile d’Afognak; archipel de Kadiak. - C’est la javeline qui sert a lancer les ‘lances du n° 85. On emploie pour la lancer la planchette a levier 11" 94-92. Harpon employé dans la chasse a la baleine. Provenance : ile de Nounivak; mer de Behring. La pointe de ce harpon est formée d’une dent de morse tres— remarquable en cela qu’elle est tout a fait droite. \ Provenance : Ounalashka (port Iliouliouk); iles Aléouj Javeline a quatre pointes en ivoire, employee dams la chasse aux oiseaux. Provenance : ile de Nounivak; mer de Behring. Javeline a trois pointes en ivoire, employee dans la chasse aux oiseaux. ‘ Provenance: ile de Nounivak; mer de Behring. Javeline a trois pointes en ivoire, employee dans la chasse aux oiseaux. ' Provenance : Kouingak; fleuve Kuskaquim; mer de Behring. ‘ .ry, H _ -713 "N “5‘..._.r..i ~‘~r—r-:’- 16 CATALOGUE DES COLLECTIONS 100. — Javeline a trois pointes en ivoire, employee dans la chasse aux oiseaux. Provenance : ile de Nounivak; mer de Behring. 101. — Javeline avec pointe en ivoire. Vers le milieu de la javeline se trouvent trois autres pointes, pour qu’au besoin, si la‘pointe principale n’a pas atlvint Poiseau7 l’une (le celles qui se trouvenL sur le céte puisse l’atteindre. Employee a la chasse aux oiseaux. Provenance : Kouingak ; fleuve Kuskaquim ; mer de Behring. ‘ 102. —- Javeline semblable a la précédente. Provenance : ile de Nounivak; mer de Behring. 103. — Javeline semblable a la précédente. Provenance : Tutsagmioute; ile de Saint-Michel; Norton— Sound. 101. — Grande Javeline avec flotteur et pointe mobile, employee dans la cliasse aux phoques., Provenance : 'l‘utsagmioute; Ile de Saint—Michel; Norton— Sound. 105. — Petite Javeline a flolteur et pointemobile, employee dans la chasse aux animaux marins. Cetle javeline se lance avec la planchette a levier n° 94—92. Provenance : Kouingak; fleuve Kuskaquim; merde Behring. 106. — Petite Javeline a flotteur, semblable a la précédente. Provenance : Tulsagmioule; ile de Saint—Michel; Norton— Sound. 107. — Javeline employee dans la chasse aux animaux marins, avec pointe mobile. Cette javeline se lance avec la planchette a levier n° 91—92. Provenance : Noushagak; baie de Bristol. BAPPOBTEES DE L’AMEHIQUE BUSSE. 408. — Javeline semblable a la précédente. Provenance : Tutsagmioute; ile de Saint-Michel; Norton Sound. ; 109. — Javeline semblable a la précédente. Provenance : Noushagak; baie de Bristol; 'mer de Behring ii 110. — Assommoir eniployé pou1 achever les animauX' marins. \ Provenance : ile de Nounivak; mer de'Behring. 1M. — Petite Javeline a cinq pointes, d’un tres—joli travail~ employee pour la chasse aux petits oiseaux. A Se lance a la main. Provenance : ile de Nounivak; mer de Behring. M2. — Petite Javeline semblable ala précédente, la point-.7 du milieu brisée. i Provenance : Ile de Nounivak; mer de Behring. M3. — Une Ligne, employee pour la péche sous la glace; en hiver. ' Provenance : Tutsagmioute; ile de Saint-Michel; Norton- Sound. Mh-H. — Quatre Fleches, employees dans la chasse a Loutre marine. ’ ' Provenance: Seleznoffsky; 1ledAfognak; archipeIIKadiak 1. ‘ 118-211. —— Sept Fleches avec pointe en 0S, employees a: la cha sse aux rennes. , ‘ Provenance: Kouingak; fleuve Kuskaquim; mer de Behring: 125. -— Fleche a deux pointes d’ivoire, employee a la chasse aux oiseaux. Provenance : Noushagak; baie de Bristol; mer de Behring, i 18 CATALOGUE DES COLLECTIONS 426. -— Fleche a trois pointes en os, servant a la chasse aux oiseaux. Provenance : ile de Nounivak; mer de Behring. L . \ - / \ 127-31. —. Cinq Fleches avec pomle en 0s, employeesa la chasse au renne. Provenance? ile de Nounivak; mer de Behring. 4.32. — Fleche avec pointe en ardoise, servant a la chasse au castor. Provenance : Kouingak; fleuve Kuskaqnim; mer de Behring. 133-35. — Trois Fleches avec pointe en fer, servant a la chasse au castor. Provenance : Noushagak; baie de Bristol; mer de Behring. 136. -— Ligne de Javeline en peau de lion de mer, avec pointe en ardoise. E . . ’ . i; Provenance :. Noushagak; bale de Bristol; mer de Behring. i, . . “137. — Une autre, data, avec ornements en 1v01re. ,. Provenance : lle de Nounivak; mer de Behring. :438. —-— Un Carquois en peau de phoque avec un ornement formé d’une dent de morse. Provenance : Kouingak; fleuve Kuskaquim; mer de Behring. .139. — Arc esquimau. Provenance : Nushagak; baie de Bristol; mer de Behring. 1M0. — Arc esquimau. Meme provenance. 1M. — Arc esquimau. Provenance : [ile de Nounivak; mer de Behring. M2. Arc esquimau. Provenance : Seleznofisky; ile d’Afognak; archipel. Kadiak. ‘ 111.3.— Petit Arc dont se servent les enfants pour s ’hahitue au tir. '_ Provenance : T utsagmioute; il‘e Saint-Michel; Norton“ Sound. AAA-11111 bis. —— Paire de raquettes ou souliers a neige. Provenance : redoute Nulato; fleuve Youkou. " 1115. Costume esquimau en peau de loup arctique. Provenance : Noushagak; baie de Bristol. 4/16. - Costume de femme esquimau-Malehmioute. 111.7. 1118. M9. \ RAPPORTEES DE L’AMERIQUE aUsse \ Provenance: Saint—Michel; ile de Saint—Michel; Norton? Sound. ’ Chapeau tressé .en écorce de racine de pin, e ,. employé par les Kaniagmioutes quand ils You; dans leurs Kayaks pour se protéger du soleil. Provenance: Ourouptsoffsky; ile d’Afognak; archipel d E Kadiak. ‘ -. Le meme que le precédent, peint en bleu avec- différents dessins. Provenance : Wood—Island (Lesnoi); archipel de Kadiak. Visi‘ere en bois avec figures d’animaux. Employee par les Esquimaux pour se protéger de la ré- flection’ du soleil sur la mer quand ils vont en Kayak. Provenance: cap Stephens; ile de Saint-Michel; Nortoni' Sound. V i 150. 151. 152. 153. I455. {155. 156. 157. C'ATALOGUE DES COLLECTIONS Aloudak, plat en bois. Provenance : Seleznoffsky; ile d’Afognak; archipel de Kadiak. Aloudak, plat en bois. Provenance : Seleznofisky; ile d’Afognak; archipel de Kadiak. / Kantag, plat en bois incrusté d’ornements en ivoire. Provenance : ile de Nounivak; mer de Behring. Kantag, plat en bois. Provenance : Saint-Michel; ile de Saint-Michel; Norton- Sound. ' Petit Panier fait en écorce de bouleau,avec un manche en ivoire. Provenance : Saint-Michel; ile de Saint-Michel; Norton— Sound. Deux paires de Lunettes a neige. Employees par les Esquimaux pour protéger leurs yeux contre la reflection du soleil sur la neige. Provenance : Saint-Michel; ile de Saint-Michel; Norton- Sound. Pipe Malehmioute ornée avec des verroteries. Provenance: Tutsagmioute; ile de Saint-Michel; Norton- Sound. ‘ Pipe ornée de verroteries. Provenance : Saint-Michel; ile de Saint-Michel; Norton- Sound. BAPPOBTEES DE L’AMERIQUE BUSSE. é » 158. — Pipe Malehmioute. v! Provenance : Saint-Michel; 116 de Saint-Michel; Nortonjfigi Sound. MW) . ET 159. — Pipe Malehmioute, Provenance: Saint-Michel: ile de Saint—Michel; Norton, Sound. h 160. — Un Kamleika, vétement impermeable en intestinl, de morse. ’ Provenance : Katmay; péninsule d’Aliaska. 161. — Capuchon en fourrure. Provenance : ile de Nounivak; mer de Behring. 162. —- Un Kamleika en intestins d’ours. Provenance : Kaxlouk; _partie occidentale de Kadia arcllipel de Kadiak. 163. —— Oumiak. Batnau fait en peaux, monté avec personnages en costurq de guerre. Provenance: Ourouptsofl‘sky; ile d’Afognak; archipel d; Kadiak. 5' 16h. — Oumiak. ' 4, Provenance 2 Gavan Sviatavo Pavia; ile de Kadiak; archip' de Kadiak. “FE: *. 165. f Oumiak (petit modele). Provenance :Igak (Orlovie); ile de Kadiak; archipel if Kadiak. ' ‘ 166. — Kayak ou Baidarka armé pour la péche a la balei (petit modele). " Provenance: Wood-Island ( Lesnoi ) ; archipel de Kadiak. .6'7. .— 69. —- 73. — CATALOGUE DES COLLECTIONS Kayak 011. Baidarka (petit modele). Provenance : Wood-Island (Lesnoi) ; archipel de Kadiak. v68. — Kayak avec rnodeles de fleches avec pointes en ivoire (pelit modéle) . Provenance : Ounalashka; iIes Aléoutiennes. Oumiak (modele Malehmioute). Provenance : Saint-Michel; Hes de Saint-Michel; Norton- Sound. Oumiak (modele Malehmioute). Provenance : Saint-Michel: iles de Saint—Michel; Norton~ Sound. - Aouadak. Vessie que ceux qui vont a la péche de la baleine portent Loujours attachée a la hauteur du genou, de sorte que si par malheur leur Kayak est renversé par la baleine, ils puissent malgré cela 1e retourner et y remonter.‘ Provenance : Seleznoffsky; ile d’Afognak; archipel de Kadiak. Sac brodé, travaillé aveC du fil fait de nerfs de baleine. Provenance : Starie Gavan; partie méridionale de Kadiak; archipel de Kadiak. Ceinture faite en pOils de Pore-Epic. Provenance : cap Stephens; ile de Saint-Michel; Norton- Sound. '7l1. —- Piece brodée, travaillée avec du fil fait de nerfs de de baleine. Provenance : WOOd—Island (Lesnoi); archipel de Kadiak. 175. — 176. — 4 76 bis. ' {177. — 5178. — 179. —— 180-81. BAPPORTE‘ES DE L’AMEBIQUE~RUSSE. Kolbak. Bonnet en verroteries et écailles de Dentalium (Ayaqua). Porté par les jeunes filles kaniagmioutes dans les grandes cérémonies. ' Provenance : iIe d’Apognak; archipel de Kadiak. Kalnha'it, instrument de musique. Espece de castagnettes faites en bec de macareux (mormon cirrhata) et employees par les Esquimaux dans Ieurs danses. Provenance: Ourouptsoffsky; ile d’Afognak; archipel de Kadiak. ' — Kalnhal’t, dito. Espece de castagnettes en becs de macareux (mormon cirrhata). ~ Provenance : Starie«Gavan; partie méridionale de Kadiak; archipel de Kadiak. Tchaouiak. Tambourin employé dans les danses. Provenance : Ourouptsoffsky; ile d’Afognak; archipel de Kadiak. Tchaouiak. Tambourin employé dans les danses. Provenance: Starie—Gavan; partie méridionale de Kadiak; p archipel de Kadiak. Deux bandes en fanons de baleine, employees dans , les cérémonies du Chamanisme. A Provenance : Kadiak; archipel de Kadiak. I 1 — Deux Masques présentant au plus haut degré 1e type esquimau, employés dans les cérémonies ' chamaniques des Kaniagmioutes. fl Provenance : ile d’Afognak; archipel de Kadiak. 4 k 1 24 CATALOGUE DES COLLECTIONS 182. — Série des masques ernnloyés dans les danses reli— gieuses par les Kaniagmiontes (petit modele) . Provenance: Igak (erovie); ile de Kadiak; archipel de Kadiak. 183. — Série de masques (petit modele) employés par les Kaniagmioutes dans leurs danses chamaniques ou religieuses (série d’Afognak). Provenance : ile d’Afognak; archipel de Kadiak. 18h-99. — Série de masques ayant servi dans les danses chamaniques On. religieuses (grandeur natu— relle). Provenances diverses : Hus de Kadiak et d’Afognak; archi- , pel de Kadiak. A 200-241. — Série de masques ayant servi dans les danses chamaniqnes ou religieuses des Kaniag— mioutes (grandeur naturelle). Provenances {iiverses : iles do Kadiak eL d’Afognak; archi- pel de Kadiak. 212-2111. — Série de trois masques (Chougichak). Ce sont, selon Ies Kaniagmioutes, ceux qui ont la plus grande puissance, et ils les regardent avec teTreur. Provenance: baie d’lliaski; ile d’Afognak; archipel de Kadiak. 215-216. —— Deux masques, avec dessins représentant dif’fé— rents animaux. Prevenance : ile d’Afognak; archipel de Kadiak. 217. — Deux masques employés par les Kaniagmioutes (Chougichak et Anhalfixpak) . Provenance: Kattani; ile d’Afognak; archipel de Kadiak. 217 bis. BAPPOBTEES DE L’AMERIQUE BU-SSE. -—- Objets provenant de la caverne d’Aknanh; entree du port Delareff ; ile d’Oungo; fie, Shumagin. Les difl‘érents objets exposes sous ce titre ont éte’ retirés de la caverne en question et présentent le plus grand inté‘rét K en ce qu’ils sont d’une époque antérieure a la conquéte des ‘ ,Busses dont les missionnaires ont détruit, sans rien nous en . garder, tous les monuments de l’ancienne croyance des Aléoutes. Partout 01‘1 ils entendaient parler de l’existence d’une de ces cavernes par un de leurs convertis, ils s’y rendaient .et jetaient tout ce qui s’y trouvait a la mer. Celle que nous avons ' visitée n’a probablement d1“: sa conservation, jusqu’a nos jours, ’ \ qu’a sa position presque inaccessible, falaise preSque a pic. Plusieurs personnes avaient été en- terrées dans cette caverne; il serait ditficile d’en fixer le nombre vu l’état '01‘1 elle se trouvait, toute une partie s’étant etfondrée. Lescorps avaient éte’ déposés sur une litiere en mousse, dans une position allongée (difi‘érant en cela de la maniere dont ; les Esquimaux occidentaux enterrentJeurs morts en repliant les membres sur le corps). Les ossements étaient dans un mau- vais état de conservation, et ilne me futpossible derapporter que / deuxcranes (n05 2 et 3 du present catalogue). Les autres objets, tels que les marques et autres pieces étantenfOuis dans la mousSe _ ou placés dans des parties 01) ils n’avaient point subi l’action ‘ de l’air, étaient dans un meilleurétat, conservant encore pour la :' plupart leurs couleurs. Il est a remarquer que, malgré toutes ‘ mes recherches, il me fut impossiblede decouvrir d’instruments en pierre en en es, matieres qui étaient celles employees par les Aléoutes au moment on les corps y ont été déposés. Le tout ‘ était en bois, représentant toutes especes d’instruments de chasse et de péche : lames, pointes de fleches, harpons, etc., peintes en différentes couleurs (noir, blanc, rouge et bleu, qui ' étaient les seules couleurs connues des Aléoutes). Les masques trouvés dans cette cavernc avaient probable- ment été places sur la face des personnes enterrées, pour empé- cher que leur esprit en sortant du corps ne vit les mauvais . esprits qui sont supposes les entourer. Il est une chose curieuse a mentionner, c’est que tousnces masques préseutent des repré- a (mi—chemin d’une’f It ,5. G 5‘ 26 CATALOGUE DES COLLECTIONS sentations de tatouages; l’une d'elles, de forme circulaire,forme des dessins que nous ne retrouvons que chez les populations océaniennes. COLLECTIONS EXPOSEES sous LA VITRINE PLATE 218. —— Ivoire sculpté représentant un Esquimau dont le type est tres—exact. ‘ Provenance; cap Stephens; ile de Saint-Michel; Norton- Sound. 249. — Ivoire soulpté représentant une figure humaine. ‘- Provenance : Tutsagmioute; iIe de Saint—Michel; Norton- , Sound. 220. —- Ivoire sculpté repre’sentant une figure humaine. i i (Petit sujet dans une position assise, les bras collés sur les ” genoux.) 1, Provenance : Kouingak; fleuve Kaskaquim; mer de is Behring. I 221. —- Ivoire sculpté représentant une figurine humaine. Provenance : ile de Nounivak; mer de Behring. -222. -— Ivoire sculpté représentant une téte de serpent. Provenance : ile de Nounivak; mer de Behring. 223. —. Couteau en ivoire imitant les couteaux européens (Sheath—knife) . Provenance : cap Stephens; ile de Saint-Michel; mer de Behring. 22h. — 225. —— 226. — 227. — 228. — 229. — 230. —— 231. — 232. — 2:53. -—- BAPPOBTEES DE L’AMEBIQUE BUSSE. 27f; Petit couteau en ivoire sur lequel sont gravés des 3 dessins au poincon. Provenance : Tutsagmioute; ile de Saint-Michel; Norton- Sound. Petit couteau en ivoire. Meme provenance. Petit couteau en ivoire. Méme provenance. Instrument en ivoire servant a serrer les noeuds. Meme provenance. Un dito. Méme provenance. lvoire sculpté représentant un Morse. Provenance : lle de Nounivak; mer de Behring. Piece en ivoire avec différents dessms circulaires _» en noir auxquels sont attaches trois petits cachalots en ivoire. Provenance : Tutsagmioute; ile de Saint-Michel; Norton— Sound. Ornement porté dans le cartilage du nez. Provenance : Tutsagmioute; ile de Saint-Michel; Norton; : Sound. Un dito. Meme provenance. Petit modele de kayak en ivoire. Provenance : Ougashik; péninsule d’Alsarka; baie de Bristol. 28 CATALOGUE ‘DES COLLECTIONS 23h. .- Etui servant in mettre les aiguilles. Provenance : Tutsagmioute; ile de Saint-Michel; Norton- Sound. 235. — Polissoir en es. ‘ Méme provenance. . 236-39. — Quatre cuilleres avec manche sculpté en come d’Argali. Provenance : ile de Kadiak; archipel de Kadiak. 2110. — Poupée portant 1e costume de femme malehmioute. Pr0venance: Tutsagmioute; ile de Saint—Michel; Norton- SOund. “2111. — Piece de brOderie sur peau de renne. Méme'provenance. 2&2-l15. — Fruits échoués sur les cOtes de l’archipel de 2116. — 250. 4 Kadiak et regardés par les Kaniagmioutes comme des talismans. Provenance : ile de Kadiak; archipel de Kadiak. Navette en ivoire servant a faire 1e filet en reinni. Provenance : Tutsagmioute; ile de Saint—Michel; Norton- Sound. 2h7-h9. — Trois paires de boucles d’Oreilles. Meme provenance. Un pendant d’oreilles en verroteries etauquel est attache une dent de renard. Meme provenance. RAPPOR-T‘EE-S DE L’AMEBIQUE- RUSSE. 29 251. _ —— P-iéce en ivoire qui se porte au-dessous -et au milieu de la levre inférieure. Provenance : ile de Nounivak; mer de Behring. 252. — Piece en serpentine (‘9) se portant comme pendants,» d’oreilles. Provenance : ile de Nounivak; mer de Behring. 253-58. —-— Petites labrets en ivoire qui se portent de chaque cote de la bouche dans les trous pratiqués a cet effet. Provenance : ile de Nounivak; mer de Behring. 259—60. — Instruments servant a percer l’objet que l’on veut coudre avant d’y passer l’aiguille. D’un joli travail comme sculpture sur ivoire. Provenance: Starie-Gavan; partie méridionale de I’ile de Kadiak; archipel de Kadiak. 261. — Aiguilles en 0s. Provenance: Starie—Gavan; partie méridionale de We do Kadiak; archipel de Kadiak. 262. —- Fil fait de nerf de baleine. Provenance :Starie—Gavan; partie méridionale de I’ile de Kadiak; archipel de Kadiak. 263-6lt. —- Deux sacs brodés, afin de montrer 1a finesse du travail. Provenance: Igak (Orlovie); Ile de Kadiak; archipel de Kadiak. 30 CATALOGUE DES COLLECTIONS, ETC. 265. — Deux instruments servant aux Esquimaux pour aspirer 1e tabac qu’ils prisent. Provenance : Tutsagmioute; ile de Saint=Michel; Norton- Sound. L. 266. — Ivoire sculpté représentant les membres inférieurs d’un phoque. [’ Provenance : ile de Nounivak; mer de Behring. ALPH. PINART. Paris, Is 22 novembre 1872. pAms. — J. (ILAYH, IMPRIMI-tun, 7, HM: SAI‘NT-nlfix‘fll'l. — 1:907] U. C. BERKELEY LIBRARIES ll lllfllllflflllfllflll CDSE'BIHBE THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIMY 1m. _..V H. .w