Burial Mounds of the Northern Sections of the United StatesThomas, Cyrus
History
Burial Mounds of the Northern Sections of the United States
Thomas, Cyrus
Indians of North America -- Funeral customs and rites; Mounds -- United States; Wyandot Indians
A shaft 12 feet square at the top and narrowing downward was sunk to the
base. At the depth of 4 feet, in a very hard bed of earth and ashes
mixed, were found two much decayed human skeletons, both stretched
horizontally on their backs, heads south, and near their heads several
stone implements. From this point until a depth of 24 feet was reached
the shaft passed through very hard earth of a light-gray color,
apparently clay and ashes mixed, in which nothing of consequence was
found. When a depth of 24 feet was reached the material suddenly changed
to a much softer and darker earth, disclosing the casts and some decayed
fragments of timbers from 6 to 12 inches in diameter. Here were found
fragments of bark, ashes, and also numerous fragments of animal bones,
some of which had been split lengthwise. At the depth of 31 feet was a
human skeleton, lying prostrate, head north, which had evidently been
enclosed in a coffin or wrapping of elm bark. In contact with the head
was a thin sheet of hammered native copper. By enlarging the base of the
shaft until a space some 16 feet in diameter was opened, the character
and the contents of the base of the mound were more fully ascertained.
This brought to light the fact that the builders, after having first
smoothed, leveled, and packed the natural surface, carefully spread upon
the floor a layer of bark (chiefly elm), the inner side up, and upon
this a layer of fine white ashes, clear of charcoal, to the depth,
probably, of 5 or 6 inches, though pressed now to little more than 1
inch. On this the bodies were laid and presumably covered with bark.
The enlargement of the shaft also brought to view ten other skeletons,
all apparently adults, five on one side and five on the other side of
the central skeleton, and, like it, extended horizontally, with their
feet pointing toward the central one but not quite touching it. Like the
first, they had all been buried in bark coffins or wrappings. With each
skeleton on the east side was a fine, apparently unused lance-head about
3 inches long, and by the right side of the northern one a fish-dart,
three arrow-heads, and some fragments of _Unio_ shells and pottery. No
implements or ornaments were found with either of the five skeletons on
the west side, although careful search was made therefor. In addition to
the copper plate, a few shell beads and a large lance-head were found
with the central skeleton. As there were a number of holes resembling
post-holes, about the base, which were filled with rotten bark and
decayed vegetable matter, I am inclined to believe there was a vault
here similar to the lower vault in the Grave Creek mound, in which the
walls were of timbers set up endwise in the ground. But it is proper to
state that the assistant who opened the mound is rather disposed to
doubt the correctness of this explanation.
In order to show the character of the smaller burial mounds of this
region, I give descriptions of a few opened by Colonel Norris.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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