Chipped limonite hoes
Charred maize kernels and cobs (and in Ohio, beans and squash seeds)
Cloth and feather cloth remains
Basketry, matting and colored textile impressions
Marine shell vessels
Tortoise shell dishes
River mussel shell spoons with “handles”
Excellent polished black and painted pottery with occasional variation
of form—shallow bowls, beakers, effigy and globular shapes
A coarser duty Woodland ware with elongated bodies and pointed or
flattened bases
Large areas with village refuse and numerous mounds
Post holes outlining an oval or circular area (rare)
Pottery statuettes showing dress and ornaments worn
Jewelry of copper, silver, meteoric iron, cut and polished shell
beads, small marine shells, bears teeth sometimes set with
copper, pearls or colorful stones, etc.
Ear ornaments of copper, etc.
Marine shells from south Atlantic and Gulf Coasts of United States
Mica from North Carolina
Obsidian from Wyoming (?)
Copper from Lake Superior region
Galena from northwestern Illinois
Native pearls from river clams
Gorgets of stone, shell and copper (breastplates)
Pearls and ground shell beads distributed over the torso of skeleton
Deer antlers near human skull in grave
Cut maxillaries (more rarely mandibles) of bear or man on skeletons as
if worn as pendants
_Cassis madagascarensis_ shell vessels
Copper hatchets and adzes etc.
Platform type tobacco pipes
Medium to large “dome-shaped” burial mounds enclosing
Log (rarely stone) tomb chambers
Bundle burials and ossuaries in mounds with central tomb (northern
Illinois)
Cemeteries near mounds (southern Illinois)
Bodies buried generally in extended position rarely flexed and often
accompanied by pots, weapons and artistic products
“Pipes of Pan”
Beautifully chipped broad spearheads of special subtypes
Effigy dagger with sheath made from bears’ teeth
Planting-raising economy supplemented by hunting and collecting
Crops: Maize, beans, squash, tobacco
Weaving of cloth, basket- and mat-making
Clothing: Wrap-around-skirt for women, breech cloth for men,
supplemented by robes in cold weather, feather cloth robes in
ceremonies. Mocassins for women and probably for men.
Large villages (or clusters of villages) as well as small settlements
The wigwam (for lower classes?)
Possibly log cabin dwellings for highest social class, logs laid
horizontal as in tomb chambers
Rise of wealth, rich and extensive trade
Dug-out boats (?)
Two or three social classes seem to be indicated by burial customs
Chiefs—a political form of government, with some of the clans,
possibly bear, wolverine and bobcat, predominant in certain
areas
A tribe organized either politically or into clans with subsidiary
districts or villages and political or clan chiefs.
Chiefs may have worn deer antler headdresses.
Chiefs probably wore feather headdresses, feather cloth robes, mantles
embroidered with pearls shells and cut shell beads, and other
insignia of office.
Tomb chambers probably for chiefs with relatives and retainers slain
to accompany them
Chief person in tomb sometimes woman (May indicate matrilineal descent
or simply ranking woman of highest caste)
Maxillary (jaw) pendants worn maybe as trophies of war and hunt, or to
indicate clan of a chief (?)
Doubtless the pipe served (as it did later) as a safe conduct to
visiting officials, travellers and traders, and a signature
and seal to important agreements whether economic, political
or intertribal
Probably a formalized religion based on the chief food plant, maize
Regularly appointed priests
The priest probably wore feather robes and insignia of rank and
position
Religion probably included ceremonies connected with plant- or
maize-raising
Deities or gods with special powers related to food-raising, etc.
The spring or planting festival
The green corn or first fruits festival
The harvest festival and perhaps minor festivals revolving about the
deer
High-ranking priests were probably of the highest caste and their
bodies given special care on death, elaborate funeral
ceremonies and burial in the tomb chambers of mounds, with
tribal mourning
Beautiful pipes either with or without long wooden items probably
figured largely in the religious ceremonies
Shamans probably still practiced the healing art (and black magic).
They probably used herbals instead of mineral medicines
High development of art in pottery, ceramic, copper and stone
sculpture, in engraving on bone in personal adornment and
technological expertness