MOUNDS OF SEPULTURE.
[Illustration: Fig. 49.—GROUP OF SEPULCHRAL MOUNDS.]
Mounds of this class are very numerous. They are generally of
considerable size, varying from six to eighty feet in height, but
having an average altitude of from fifteen to twenty or twenty-five
feet. They stand without the walls of enclosures, at a distance more
or less remote from them. Many are isolated, with no other monuments
near them; but they frequently occur in groups, sometimes in close
connection with each other, and exhibiting a dependence which was
probably not without its meaning. They are destitute of altars, nor
do they possess that regularity which characterizes the “temple
mounds.” Their usual form is that of a simple cone; sometimes they
are elliptical or pear-shaped.
These mounds invariably cover a skeleton, (in very rare instances
more than one, as in the case of the Grave creek mound,) which at
the time of its interment was enveloped in bark or coarse matting,
or enclosed in a rude sarcophagus of timber,—the traces, in some
instances the very casts of which remain. Occasionally the chamber
of the dead is built of stone, rudely laid up, without cement of
any kind. Burial by fire seems to have been frequently practised by
the mound-builders. Urn burial also appears to have prevailed, to a
considerable extent, in the Southern States.
With the skeletons in these mounds are found various remains of art,
comprising [p162] ornaments, utensils, and weapons. The structure
and contents of a few mounds of this class will sufficiently explain
their general character.
[Illustration: Fig. 50.]
[Illustration: Fig. 51.]
Fig. 50 exhibits a section of a large sepulchral mound situated on
the third terrace, on the east bank of the Scioto river, about six
miles below the city of Chillicothe.[104] It is the largest of the
group, represented in the cut (Fig. 49) at the head of this chapter.
There are no enclosures nearer than a mile; though there are three
or four other mounds of 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 (as represented in the
section) from the west side, commencing at about one third of the
height of the mound from the top, and was carried in a slanting
direction towards the centre. The soil of the mound is a sandy loam,
entirely homogeneous throughout, though much compacted and slightly
different in color towards the centre, where water cannot penetrate.
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 perfectly retained their
form, though entirely carbonized, and the earth immediately above as
well as beneath 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 sarcophagus or
framework of timber, Fig. 51, now reduced to an almost impalpable
powder, but the «cast» of which was still retained in the hard
earth. This enclosure of timber, measuring from outside to outside,
was nine feet long by seven wide, and twenty inches high. It had
been constructed of unhewn logs laid one upon 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 of wood,—at any rate, a
whitish stratum of decomposed material remained, covering [p163]
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
recovered. It was so much decayed that it crumbled to powder under
the lightest touch. Of course, no portion of the cranium, of the
slightest value for purposes of comparison, was recovered.
Around the neck of the skeleton, forming a triple row, and retaining
their position as originally strung and deposited with the dead,
were several hundred beads, made of the compact portion of marine
shells and of the tusks of some animal. Several of these still retain
their polish, and bear marks which seem to indicate that they were
turned in some machine, instead of being carved or rubbed into shape
by hand. A few laminæ of mica were also discovered; which completed
the list of articles deposited with this skeleton, of which any
traces remained. The feet of the skeleton were about in the centre
of the mound; a drift beyond it disclosed 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.
As a general rule, to which this mound furnished one of a very few
exceptions, whatever occurs in the mounds, whether they be sepulchral
or sacrificial in their purposes, is deposited immediately beneath
the apex and on a level with the circumjacent plain.[105] The
predominance of storms from a certain direction, and various other
circumstances, may have contributed to alter the apparent centre of
the mound. In the case of a mound of this kind which was opened at
Gallipolis on the Ohio river, the skeleton was found in a «cist»,
or chamber, excavated beneath the original surface. This can always
be detected by a strongly marked line and the uniform drab color of
the earth below it. The superstructure of the mounds is more or less
mottled, as the materials entering into their composition are variant
in character and color,—a circumstance which has elsewhere been
sufficiently explained.
The charcoal layer is a frequent though by no means an invariable
feature in mounds of this class, and would seem to indicate that
sacrifices were made for the dead, or funeral rites of some
description, in which fire performed a part, celebrated. This is
further confirmed by the fact that fragments of bones and some few
stone implements have been discovered in the layer of charcoal. The
fire in every case was kept burning for a very little time, as is
shown from the lack of ashes, and by the slight traces of its action
left on the adjacent earth. That it was suddenly heaped over while
glowing, is also certain.
A smaller mound, standing close by the one above described, was also
excavated, but without any satisfactory results. It is probable the
investigation was not sufficiently thorough. [p164]
[Illustration: Fig. 52.]
[Illustration: Fig. 53.]
Fig. 52. This tumulus, selected as a type of the second description
of sepulchral mounds, is situated upon the broad and beautiful
terrace on which Chillicothe stands; about one mile to the north of
that town.[106] It is fifteen feet in height by sixty-five or seventy
feet base, and is composed of earth taken up from the surrounding
plain. A shaft eight feet square was sunk from the apex. Nothing
worthy of remark was observed in the progress of the excavation,
until the skeleton at the base of the mound was reached. It was
deposited with its head towards the south; and, unlike the one above
described, had been simply enveloped in bark, instead of having been
enclosed in a chamber of timbers. The course of preparation for the
burial seemed to have been as follows: The surface of the ground
was first carefully levelled and packed, over an area perhaps ten
or fifteen feet square. This area was then covered with sheets of
bark, on which, in the centre, the body of the dead was deposited,
with a few articles of stone at its side, and a few small ornaments
near the head. It was then covered over with another layer of bark,
and the mound heaped above. This skeleton was better preserved
than the one last mentioned, but not sufficiently well to be of
much value for purposes of comparison. The skull was found broken
into small fragments and completely flattened beneath the weight
of the mound, which had been so great as to imbed the bones in the
original level; so that, when the fragments were removed, a nearly
perfect mould of the skeleton was exhibited. The subject had been
a man of the ordinary size, not exceeding five feet ten inches in
height. The lower maxillary or jaw-bone, wanting the «condyles»,
was recovered. It exhibited some remarkable features, which will
be noticed elsewhere. The articles found with the skeleton were
few in number, and consisted of a stone tube and a stone implement
or ornament, designed probably for suspension. The latter is three
inches [p165] long, one and a half broad, and three fourths of an
inch in thickness, and weighs five ounces. Both articles are composed
of a compact limestone, the surface of which was originally highly
polished. Near the head of the skeleton were found a couple of
bear’s teeth which, from their position, were probably used as ear
ornaments. Just at the head and also at the foot of the skeleton had
been placed a small stick of timber, probably to retain the covering
of bark in its place. That the envelope of the skeleton, in this
case, was bark and not matting, was shown from the texture of the
material, which was distinctly to be traced in the decomposed mass,
as well as from other circumstances. From certain indications, it
was, at first, thought the bark in the vicinity of the skeleton had
been painted of a red color, as portions adhered to the bones, giving
them a reddish tinge. This probably resulted from other and natural
causes.
The charcoal layer was not observed in this mound, though it may
have existed to one side or the other of the excavation. Several
other large mounds occur on the plain in the vicinity of the one here
described, a number of which were examined with similar results.
It may be observed that in most instances, in mounds of this
description, the skeleton is found enveloped in bark or matting,
(it is difficult in some cases to decide which,) instead of being
enclosed in a chamber of timber.
[Illustration: Fig. 54.]
Fig. 54 exhibits a section of a mound in which burial by fire had
been practised.[107] It is situated within the corporate limits
of the city of Chillicothe, and was originally above twenty-five
feet in height, though now reduced to about twenty. The customary
shaft was sunk from its apex. At six feet below the surface a layer
of charcoal, corresponding in all respects with that described in
connection with the first example of mounds of this class, was
found. It was placed a little to the eastern side of the mound, a
circumstance not shown in the figure, which exhibits a section from
north to south. Upon the original level of the earth was found a
deposit or layer of charcoal and ashes six or eight feet square and
from six inches to a foot in thickness. In this layer were discovered
fragments of human bones; a stone hand-axe; several thin pieces
of copper which had been worked into shape; and also a number of
stones of the harder and less common kinds, fragments of sienite,
gneiss, etc. The stone hand-axe here obtained, it is a remarkable
fact, is the only one which has been recovered from the mounds,
which incontestibly belonged to [p166] the builders. Several of
like character have nevertheless been found elsewhere. It is figured
under the head of «Implements». The fire in this case had been a
strong one, as is evidenced from the fact that the skeleton had
here been almost entirely consumed. That it had also been heaped
over while burning, was shown by the charcoal, which was coarse and
clear, and by the baking of the earth immediately above it. In some
instances, in which burial by incremation has been practised, the
entire skeleton is traceable. In such cases it has been observed
that the charcoal occurs beneath as well as above the skeleton,
demonstrating that the body had been placed upon a pyre of some sort
before burning. Remains of art, for obvious reasons, are not abundant
in this description of sepulchral mounds; nor is the supplementary
charcoal layer of frequent occurrence.
The gradual slope, resembling a graded way, upon the southern side of
this mound, is a feature not easily explained. It would seem at first
glance to be designed as a passage to the top. The more probable
conclusion however is, that it is a supplementary mound, which by
cultivation and the lapse of time has become so merged in the larger
one at its side as not to be distinguishable from it. Sepulchral
mounds of various sizes, joining and running into each other, are
common. This mound is nearer to enclosures than any other of the
class yet examined.
Mounds of this, as well as of the first class, were often disturbed
by the later Indians. Their remains are frequently found, in some
cases in large quantities, as if the mound had been used for a long
period as a general burial-place. Such was the case with a large
mound, situated six miles above the town of Chillicothe, in which
a great number of burials had been made, at various depths, from
eighteen inches to four feet. The skeletons were, in places, two
or three deep, and placed without arrangement in respect to each
other. Some were evidently of a more ancient date than others,
showing, from their condition as well as position, that they had
been deposited at different periods. One or two were observed in
which the skull had been fractured by blows from a hatchet or other
instrument, establishing that the individual had met a violent death.
With some, rude vessels of pottery, and stone and bone implements,
had been deposited; and, in a small mound close by, a «silver
cross», of French origin, was discovered,—all going to establish the
comparatively recent date of these burials. In sinking a shaft five
feet square, no less than «seven» skeletons, the lowest about four
feet from the surface, were exposed. Beneath all of these, at the
depth of fourteen feet and near the base of the mound, were found
traces of the «original deposit» of the mound-builders. In this
case, had the investigation been less complete, it might have been
concluded that this mound was a grand receptacle of the dead, and
“contained many thousand human skeletons.” Another proof is here
furnished of the necessity of thoroughness in explorations of this
character, in order to arrive at correct conclusions.
The ceremonies of interment, so far as we are enabled to deduce
them from these monuments, were conducted with great regularity and
system. None of those disturbances mentioned by various writers,
where the remains seem to have been heaped together without order
and without care, have been observed in the course of these
investigations, except in cases where recent deposits had been made.
[p167] On the contrary, all the circumstances seem to indicate that
burial was a solemn and deliberate rite, regulated by fixed customs
of, perhaps, religious or superstitious origin. It is possible that
in certain cases, a special practice was prescribed. We may thus
account for the presence or absence of the charcoal layers, and
also for the practice of incremation in some instances and simple
inhumation in others.[108]
In a very few of the sepulchral mounds, a rude enclosure of stone
was placed around the skeleton, corresponding to that of timber in
others. No mounds possessing this peculiarity fell under notice
during the investigations here recorded: there can, however, be
no doubt of the fact. A mound within the limits of Chillicothe
was removed a number of years since, in which a stone coffin,
corresponding very nearly with the «kistvaen» of the English
antiquaries, was discovered. The stones are said to have been laid up
with great regularity.[109] In some instances a pile of stones seems
to have been heaped carelessly over the skeleton; in others it was
heaped upon the timbers covering the sepulchral chamber, as in the
mound at Grave creek.
«Urn burial» does not seem to have been practised in the valley of
the Ohio. It is nevertheless undoubted that in some of the Southern
States, by either the ancient races or the more modern Indians,
burials of this character were frequent. This is sufficiently
established by the discovery in the mounds and elsewhere, of earthen
vessels containing human remains, generally but not always burned. In
the mounds on the Wateree river, near Camden, South Carolina, ranges
of vases, filled with human remains, were discovered. A detailed
account of these is given by Dr. Blanding, in a preceding chapter.
(See page 106.) When unburnt, the skeletons seem to have been packed
in the vase, after the flesh had decomposed. Sometimes, when the
mouth of the vase is small, the skull is placed, face downwards, in
the opening, constituting a sort of cover. Entire cemeteries have
been found, in which urn burial alone seems to have been practised.
Such a one was accidentally discovered, not many years since, in St.
Catharine’s island, on the coast of Georgia. The vases were coarse
in material, of rude workmanship, from eighteen to twenty inches
in height, and filled with burned human bones. One of the vases
from this locality is now deposited in the museum of the Georgia
Historical Society.[110] [p168]
The relics of art found in these mounds possess great uniformity of
character. Personal ornaments are most common, such as bracelets,
perforated plates of copper, and beads of bone, ivory, shell, or
metal. Few weapons, such as spear or arrow points, are found; stone
implements are more common. Many of these articles are identical
with those found in mounds of the first class. Plates of mica
are of frequent occurrence; they are sometimes of large size and
considerable thickness. Instances are known in which this material
has been found in vast quantities, dispersed over and sometimes
completely covering the skeleton. It seems not unlikely that a degree
of superstitious regard attached to it, or that it was sacred to
certain purposes. The plates are often cut into regular figures,
discs, ovals, etc. Vases of pottery are occasionally, but not often,
found. Of all these varieties of relics appropriate notice will be
taken in a subsequent chapter.
In all of the sepulchral mounds opened and examined in the course
of these investigations, with a single exception, the human remains
have been found so much decayed as to render any attempt to restore
the skull, or indeed any portion of the skeleton, entirely hopeless.
With this experience, it is considered extremely doubtful whether any
of the numerous skulls which have been sent abroad and exhibited as
undoubted remains of the mound-builders, were really such. A few are
possibly genuine; this can only be determined by a full understanding
of the circumstances under which they were obtained. The fact that
they were found in the mounds, in view of the variety of deposits
which have been made at different periods, is hardly presumptive
evidence that they belonged to the builders.
Considering that the earth around these skeletons is wonderfully
compact and dry, and that the conditions for their preservation are
exceedingly favorable, while they are in fact so much decayed, we
may form some approximate estimate of their remote antiquity. In
the barrows of the ancient Britons, entire well-preserved skeletons
are found, although possessing an undoubted antiquity of at least
eighteen hundred years. Local causes may produce singular results,
in particular instances, but we speak now of these remains in the
aggregate.
It has already been observed, that, as a general rule, each mound was
raised over a single individual. The mound at Grave creek furnishes
the only exception to the remark within the range of our observation.
The mounds of the Southern States are probably of different
construction, and some of them may perhaps be regarded as general
cemeteries.
[Illustration: Fig. 55.]
[Illustration: Fig. 56.—GREAT MOUND AT GRAVE CREEK.]
The Grave creek mound, although it has often been described,
deserves, from its size and singularity of construction, more than
a passing notice. It is situated on the plain, at the junction of
Grave creek and the Ohio river, twelve miles below Wheeling, in the
State of Virginia. It occurs in connection with various works now
much obliterated, but is not enclosed by circumvallations. It is one
of the largest in the Ohio valley; measuring about seventy feet in
height, by one thousand [p169] in circumference at the base. It was
excavated by the proprietor in 1838. He sank a shaft from the apex
of the mound to the base, («b a», Fig. 55,) intersecting it at that
point by a horizontal drift («a e e»). It was found to contain two
sepulchral chambers, one at the base, («a»,) and another thirty feet
above («c»). These chambers had been constructed of logs, and covered
with stones, which had sunk under the superincumbent mass as the wood
decayed, giving the summit of the mound a flat or rather dish-shaped
form.[111] The lower chamber contained two human skeletons (one
of which was thought to be that of a female); the upper chamber
contained but one skeleton in an advanced stage of decay. With these
were found between three and four thousand shell beads, a number
of ornaments of mica, several bracelets of copper, and various
articles carved in stone. After the excavation of the mound, a light
three-story wooden structure was erected upon its summit. It is
indicated by «b» in the section. [p170]
In respect to the number of sepulchral chambers and enclosed
skeletons, this mound is quite extraordinary. It may be conjectured
with some show of reason, that it contained the bones of the family
of a chieftain, or distinguished individual among the tribes of the
builders.
It is common to find two or three, sometimes four or five, sepulchral
mounds in a group. In such cases it is always to be remarked that one
of the group is much the largest, twice or three times the dimensions
of any of the others; and that the smaller ones, of various sizes,
are arranged around its base, generally joining it, thus evincing a
designed dependence and intimate relation between them.
[Illustration: Fig. 57.]
Plans of three groups of this description are herewith presented,
Fig. 57.
NUMBER 1 is situated six miles below Hamilton, Butler county, Ohio.
The relative sizes, positions, etc., of the mounds composing it, are
indicated in the plan. The largest is twenty-seven feet high; the
rest range from four to ten feet in height. [p171]
NUMBER 2 occurs upon the plain in the immediate vicinity of
Chillicothe, and is numbered 4 in the Map of a section of the Scioto
valley, Plate II. The small one indicated by the letter «j» was
excavated, and found to contain the skeleton of a girl enveloped in
bark, in the manner already described. The largest of the group is
about thirty feet in height.
NUMBER 3 is situated in Pike county, Ohio, and is indicated in the
plan of the “Graded Way” near Piketon, Plate XXXI.
Something like this arrangement was observed by Com. WILKES, in the
mounds of Oregon. They occurred in groups of five, as shown in Fig.
58,—the largest occupying the centre.
[Illustration: Fig. 58.]
May we not conclude that these groups are family tombs; the principal
mound containing the head of the family, the smaller ones its various
members? In the case of the Grave creek mound, it is possible that,
instead of building an additional mound, a supplementary chamber
was constructed upon a mound already raised,—a single mound being
thus made to fill the place of a group. This suggestion derives
some support from the fact that the second chamber is placed, above
the lower vault, at about the usual height of the larger sepulchral
mounds.[112]
It is not to be supposed that the mounds were the sole cemeteries
of the race that built them. They were probably erected only over
the bodies of the chieftains and priests, perhaps also over the
ashes of distinguished families. The graves of the great mass of the
ancient people who thronged our valleys, and the silent monuments
of whose toil are seen on every hand, were not thus signalized.
We scarcely know where to turn to find them. Every day the plough
uncovers crumbling remains; but they elicit no remark,—are passed
by and forgotten. The wasting banks of our rivers occasionally
display extensive cemeteries, but sufficient attention has never
been bestowed upon them to enable us to speak with any degree of
certainty of their date, or to distinguish whether they belonged to
the mound-builders or a subsequent race. These cemeteries are often
of such extent, as to give a name to the locality in which they
occur. Thus we hear, on the Wabash, of the “Big Bone Bank,” and the
“Little Bone Bank,” from which, it is represented, the river annually
washes many human skeletons, accompanied by numerous and singular
remains of art, among which are more particularly mentioned vases and
other vessels of pottery, of remarkable and often fantastic form.
At various places in the States north of the Ohio, thousands of
graves are said to occur, placed in ranges parallel to each other.
The extensive cemeteries of Tennessee and Missouri have often been
mentioned, and it has been conjectured that the caves of Kentucky
and Ohio were grand depositories of the dead of the ancient people.
We have, however, nothing at all satisfactory upon the subject,
[p172] which still continues to invite investigation. It is not
improbable that many of the dead were burned, and that their ashes
were heaped together, constituting mounds. Such an inference may not
unreasonably be drawn from certain facts which will be presented when
we come to speak of the anomalous or unclassified mounds. It may
however be remarked in this connection, that no very distinct traces
of the ancient burial-places can be expected to be found. If, from
the mounds where, from their protection from the action of moisture
and other decomposing causes, the enclosed remains would be most
likely to be well preserved, it is found almost impossible to recover
a single entire bone, it is not to be wondered at that the remains
of the common dead are now nearly or quite undistinguishable from
the mould which surrounds them. The apparent absence therefore of
any general cemeteries of the era of the mounds, may be regarded as
another and strong evidence of the remote antiquity of the monuments
of the West.
It should be remarked before proceeding further, that the position
of the mound-skeletons, in respect to the east or any other point of
the compass, is never fixed. They are nearly always found disposed
at length, with their arms carefully adjusted at their sides. None
have been discovered in a sitting posture, except among the recent
deposits; and, even among these, no uniformity exists: some are
extended at length, others lie upon their sides bent nearly double,
others still in a sitting posture; and in a few cases it seems that
the bones, after the decomposition of the flesh, had been rudely
huddled together in a narrow grave.[113]
FOOTNOTES:
[104] Numbered 1, in the “Map of a section of twelve miles of the
Scioto valley,” Plate II.
[105] “In the investigation of barrows, marks of interment are
frequently found near the surface; but investigation must not
terminate upon such a discovery. Experience has convinced me that
these were subsequent interments, and that the primary deposit was
«always laid on the floor of the barrow, or within a cist in the
native soil»”—«Sir R. C. Hoare on the Barrows and Tumuli of Great
Britain».
[106] Numbered 2 in Map Plate II.
[107] Numbered 3 in the Map, Plate II
[108] Among the ancient Mexicans the dead were burned, except in
cases where death had been caused by leprosy or other incurable
disease of that order. Boys under seventeen years of age were also
denied that sacred rite. The Hurons, on the other hand, burned the
bodies of those who had been drowned or killed by lightning.
[109] This feature was remarked by Mr. LESUEUR, in some of the mounds
opened by him, in the vicinity of New Harmony, Indiana. He found, at
the base of several, a level space, upon which was a right-angled,
oblong parallelogram, formed of flat stones, set edgewise and
covered over with similar stones. Some decayed bones were found in
them.—«Travels in North America by Prince Maximilian», p. 80.
[110] Rev. WM. B. STEVENS, Athens, Ga.
[111] In the construction of this mound the builders had availed
themselves of a small natural elevation, above which the tumulus was
raised. The vault «a» had been sunk in this elevation. It was an
exact parallelogram, constructed by setting upright timbers around
the sides and covering these with logs placed horizontally, above
which were piled a quantity of loose stones. The second vault appears
to have been smaller than the first, but corresponded with it in
structure.
For detailed descriptions of this mound and its contents, see an
account by Dr. CLEMENS, published in 1839, in «Morton’s Crania
Americana», p. 221; by the proprietor of the mound, Mr. TOMLINSON, in
the «American Pioneer» for 1843, vol. ii. pp. 195–203; and by HENRY
R. SCHOOLCRAFT, Esq., in the first volume of the «Transactions of the
American Ethnological Society», 1846.
It should be remarked that some discrepancies exist between these
several accounts. That of Dr. Clemens, which is the earliest,
states that in carrying in the horizontal excavation, “at the
distance of twelve or fifteen feet, were found numerous masses
composed of charcoal and burnt bones. Before reaching the centre, a
passage-way was discovered to a vault at the base; this passage had
an inclination of ten or fifteen degrees, and had been covered with
timbers, of which the impression in the earth alone remained. The
vault itself appeared to have been covered with timbers and loose
stones. After removing all the rubbish from the vault, two skeletons
were found, one on the east, the other on the west side. The former
was the smaller and more perfect of the two. * * * On reaching the
lower vault from the top it was determined to enlarge it for the
accommodation of visitors. In so doing ten more skeletons were
discovered, all in a sitting posture, but in so fragile a state as to
defy all attempts at preservation.”
It may be suggested, that the smaller or female skeleton in the
vault, as well as those surrounding it, were the remains of victims
sacrificed, in accordance with barbarian practice, as attendants in
the world of spirits upon the chieftain, in honor of whom this mound
was erected. This practice was common among the Natchez, Mexicans,
Peruvians, and other aboriginal nations.
[112] The barrows denominated the “Bell Barrows,” of England, are
thought, by English antiquarians, to be a modification of the “Bowl
Barrow,” formed by placing a new top upon the latter, and otherwise
enlarging it, for the purpose of fresh interment. It is common in
this description of barrows, to find one burial above the other, as
at Grave creek.
[113] The North American Indians, in their burials by inhumation,
very generally placed the body in a sitting posture. Their customs
of burial were, however, extremely variant. Some of the tribes to
this day, after enveloping the bodies of their dead, place them
on scaffolds or in the forks of trees. Among some of the Southern
Indians, they were exposed until the flesh parted from the bones,
which were then gathered with various ceremonies and deposited in
the huts of the relatives, the temples of the tribe, “the medicine
house,” or in buildings specially dedicated to the purpose. The
Mexicans, in cases where burial by inhumation was practised, placed
their dead in a sitting position: so too did the Central Americans
and Peruvians, as is sufficiently evidenced by an examination
of their tombs. It is a great mistake, however, to suppose that
the custom was anything like universal either among the ancient
inhabitants of more recent tribes.
[p173]