The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1876-12-02
The Mound Builders.


described, the Smithsonian Institute,
collection 10 the government building
continues 90 into the age Of copper. mauy
rare and valuable specimens of this elias,
of products Of aboriginal skill being
shown. The implements include oelts OF
chisels, axes. hstobets aud other cutting
tools, all being hammered out of cold net.
al instead Of being cast. The Indian,
never shaped copper by any other process
than the tedious one of slowly hammerina
it into the form required, and yet it is
strange that. although 10 placing il up.
on their funeral piles they must have seen
the copper melt aud assume the shape oi
surrounding obstacles, the idea of casting
it never occurred to them. There are
also displayed large quantity of leather
beads. bracelets. tubes. probably used for
Pipe stems. and other articles of utility
or ornament, all roughly shaped. but
some of them finely polished, perforators,
harpoon heads, fish hooks knivos--or,
rather, instruments shaped like knives.
but without an edge-and great variety
Of whistles. The whistles are made iu all
sorts OF forms, from many kinds of shells
and several parts Of animals. What
their use was eau only be ooDjectured.
as some of them only give forth mere
squcak, while others eound loud aud shrill.
Several are made Of birds bills. Near
this collection are number of shells used
as cups for holding asphaltum. q sub.
stance largely employed by the Indians
as kind of glue, and some of tho cups
still havo the esphaltum in them. The
beads are globulsr only in exceptional
cases. Generally they are large. fat
disks, ooarsely made. and as inartistic as
they must have been useless. The next
row Of cases contains many valuable rel.
los left by the mysterious mouod-builders
Of centuries or ages ago. These mounds
have beeu found 10 many different por.
tious Of the country, but all are made on
the Same general principle, and all con.
tain remains of the dead, curious old pot
terry. strange weapons, etc. The mound.
builders we're evidently totally different
people from the Indians Of the North and
West, and some enthusiasts have endeav.
ored to identify them with the Toltecs,
who we're conquered by the Aztecs, the
theory being as they journeyed south.
they erected these mounds on the way.
But one Of the first lessons deduced from
history teaches that mental advancement
or culture always begins 10 warm coun.
tries where food and clothing may be
obtained without labor, and the mind is
therefore left free for reflection Then
as tho seeds Of advancement are carried
north, they are moro and more developed
by people who seize every improvement
which can minister to their necessities.
Again, Indians and the mound builders
ornamented their pottery with fgures
impressed with basket.work, or cut With
cprisusl slv.Nsrueh s'nnA Hailaa The 'i:--
tush. 70 stamp which, being cylindrical 10
shape, was rolled around the vase so that
the raised surfaces could follow 10 any
direction in regular lines. One remark
able specimen of a funeral urn exhibited
was found 10 Georgia in a low mound
always (so far es the records extend, GOV.
cred with impenetrable osne.brake lying
beneath vast swamp.forest, which 10
subject to the yearly overflow Of the o.
nee river the urn is only two feet in
height by foot 10 diameter, and is or.
nsmented with basket work figures.
When found it had 40 arched lid and was
Theoretically sealed; on opening the
strange relic remains of teeth. fngers,
toes.&c.. we're found, but they soon crum-
bled to dust when exposed to the air.
There is no way to estimate with any
degree Of certainty the age of this funer.
al urn, but, very unfortunately. dis.
oovery has been made which shows con.
clusively that all the mound builders did
not live so many ages ago as some theo.
rists would have US believe. DR.. Swift
found iu mounds 10 both Maryland and
Louisiana itho same typical vessels. aud
with them the remains Of the us scrofixs
or common hog. As the hog was not
known in this country until introduced
by the Spsnisrds in the middle Of the
10th century, it is very evident that the
mounds 10 question must have been Of
still more recent date. In exploring
another mound Dr.. Swift came upon the
remains OF q horse connected with several
vases and two chipped and polished jas.
per celts. As the horse was introduced
by the Spsniards at about the same time,
and as the relics found 10 1t correspond
closely to thoss discovered in places where
it Is impossible to Ok date. 1t is pre-.
sumable that the other mounds are not Of
much more ancient origin. Ooly about
6fty years ego the Sioux chief Blsokbird
was buried In tho presence of several
whites after fashion not greatly differing
from that Of the mound builders. The
dead chief was mounted on his favorite
pony, spear 10 hand. and with all the
weapons or implements which could be
OF sDy possible use iu this or the next
world. and over him was then piled q
mound eighteen feet high. Among the
southern Indians tho same kinds Of
mounds are found and all.contsiu pottery,
celts, perforators. stone hammers, etc..
whilo some Of them hold the remains OF
the Jesuit fathers who came over 10 the
seventeenth century. Between one hun
dred and 6fty and one hundred and
seventy five years ago Del Prais saw the
southern Indians manufacturing the long
uecksd pottery and oFnHmentipg it with
basket work. Taking all the evidence
offered by both theorists. it seems more
than probable that the strange specimens
of mound property in the government
building must have been the work Of
southern Indians moro advanced than
the tribes left behind by the northward
movement. Many interesting carvings
In stone aud eartheuware are also exhibit.
cd. some Of them showing marked artistic
genius. combined with considerable skill
aud others having faint resemblance to
the objects intended to be represented