The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-10-03
PROF. THOMAS ON THE MOUND
BUILDERS.
The Bureau of EthnOIOgy's Efforts
TO Ascertain Who They Were.
From the Washington Star.

TO Ascertain Who They Were.
From the Washington Star.
The bureau of ethnology believes that it
has now solved one Of the greatest prob
lens which have ever bewildered the
American historian. 1t has at last come
to a point where it can answer the ques-
ton: Who were the mound builders?''
This question has been debated by arch
aeologists and ethnologists the world
over for a hundred years or more. Even
since the latter part of the last century,
when the antiquity of these mounds was
first realized, speculation has been rife
as to who were the people able to con-
struct edihces differing so widely from
the modern habitations of the modern
Indians.
DR.. Franklin attributed them to De
Soto and his followers. Savants of the
present century have said that they were
temples, others sacrifcial affairs, and still
Others burial structures, built by tribe
now lost in oblivion. The Introduction to
every historical text book devoted TO this
continent, and taught to the American
and foreign youth, as well, opens with a
chapter on this subject. Almost all of
these speak of the mound builders as a
prehistoric race distinct from the Indians,
and who were driven out by the latter.
This has been the state of affairs even up
to the present day.
But the opinion of the bureau of eth
nolOgy is that all these historians have
gone aStray on this question. In other
words, it is now believed that the mound
builders were no more than the ances-
first Europeans landed on our shores.
Prof. MCGEE, chief ethnologist of the bu-
reau, in announcing this decision says
that its Importance Will be felt by the
makers and readers of history in all parts
of the world.
1t was as early as 1865 that Maj. Powell.
the present chief of the bureau, began to
examine the mounds of Ohio. Since 1881
a systematic line of work has been car
ried on under Prof. Cyrus Thomas and a
corps of assistants, who have examined,
possibly all of the many hundreds of pre-
historic mines to be found in the whole
eastern half of the continent This work
has now been completed. In considering
the opposing opinions of those who believe
that man first landed on the Pacific coast
and those who think he first arrived on
the Atlantic side Prof. Thomas splits
the difference" with them by concluding
that he came to both sides i'm two distinct
tribes, each afterward occupying a dis
tinct half of the continent. In other
words, the Indians were two separate
races of men.
Very briefly the arguments made by
Prof. Thomas in behalf of the bureau are
as follows; All the ancient artificial
work known as mounds" found east of
the Rockies are attributed to those tribes
found in possession of this region at the
time OF its discovery, and their ancestors.
II is probable that there was intercourse
between some tribes of this region and
the early people of Mexico and Central
America, as well as the Pueblo tribes but
the three latter named races must not be
given any credit for building the mounds.
The Indian has been considered unable
to build such structures because of the
universal opinion that when first discoV-
cred by Europeans he was the same row
ing, unhoused, and unagricultUral being as
he Is to-day. The Indian, however has
degenerated since the coming of the white
man. Judging from the extent of their
works, the mound builders must have had
liked villages, and they must have de-
pended upon agriculture rather than the
hunt for food. This pointed to the sup
posed TACT that they were not Indians.
But latest Investigation proves that when
first visited by Europeans there was
scarcely tribe between the Atlantic and
the prairies but which had its fixed seat
But how about the Northmen-I.ief
Ericsson and his band? Did they eventu-
ally spread over the continent building
such edihces as these mounds? There is
no historical evidence that any other race
besides the Indians ever occupied this re-
glon before the discovery of Columbus In
al probability the Mortimer did discover
America long before Columbus but they
leIt no people here, nor any permanent
ers. -- I'M
But what were the mounds used for
In some southern districts it was Gus
tomary to build dwellings on low ter
races, apparently artificial When
deaths occurred it seems to have been
me practlce to bury the bodies beneath
the earthen floors. The houses were then
set on IRE and mounds were heaped over
the ruins while still smoldering. These
houses were built by setting upright
sticks in the ground and joining them
by Interviewing twigs or canes, thcl
plastering these rude walls with clay,
and finally matching the roofs This is
exactly as described by the early French
explorers.
The fact that great many mounds
nave been found near streams subject
to overflow, has led many archaeologists
10 believe that they were built for the
purpose of raising the houses above the
floods. Historical records state that
Moscoso, who after De Soto's death sue
soldiers, visited an Indian town along the
mississippi when the river overlooked to
the tree tops. The city was surrounded
by mound of earth, to be used as a
mouse was built upon a mound, in case
the dixie should ts'eak. Prof. Thomas
has also found historic al evidences that
some Indians living in the south when
first visited by white men built mounds
Tor fortlhcation in warfare. These he
scores as convincing points, for If one
tribe could do it, why couldn't another?
But in addition to all this evidence
there are found to have been great sim
ilarties between the mound builders and
Indians, which convince Prof Thomas
that they were one and the same people.
They both used stone implements so
similar that ii was difficult to tell them
apart. Both cultivated maize and relied
upon it for food. Both were great smok-
ers of tobacco and their pipes were sim
liar in form. There is also a marked
similarity between engraved shells. COP
per articles, stone images, and many
other implements found among both.
Meanesf Man nm Earth