[Illustration: Fig. 27—The Mound-builder Tobacco Pipe.]
The Mound-builders cultivated and smoked Tobacco long before civilized
people knew of the plant. Above is a picture of one of their Tobacco
Pipes, in which they have shown their artistic ability by carving it in
the image of the Dog, their only domestic animal. Several hundred pipes
like this one have been found in mounds in Ohio, representing many
different animals and birds, and the human form has also been found. The
American Indian not only taught the white man the use of tobacco, but it
was probably from pipes very much like those of the Mound-builders, with
stem and bowl, from which our modern tobacco-pipes are copied.
This Pipe is made of Ohio Pipestone, which is found in Scioto County.
The Tobacco Pipes of the Mound-builders and prehistoric Indians are made
not only of this material, but of several kinds of stone, including
limestone, slate, steatite or soapstone, and granite.
“CEREMONIAL” OBJECTS
[Illustration: Fig. 28—Charms, Badges and Talismans.]
Almost every collection of “Indian relics” contains one or more
specimens, like those shown above, that are difficult to account for.
They are called by the Archæologists “Ceremonial” objects, because they
are believed to have been used in mysterious ceremonies of the
Mound-builders and Indians. The specimen marked “A” is a pendant or
Gorget, and was worn suspended from the neck. Specimen “B” is a
Bannerstone, and “C” is a Crescent. They probably were mounted on wooden
handles and served as badges of authority or rank. Other Ceremonial
objects are tubes (D), Cones, Bars, Bird-shaped objects, called
Bird-stones, and others.