USA > Georgia > The history of Georgia, Volume I > Part 3
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That this ancient population was essentially shocked and de- moralized by Spanish and French incursions ; that ideas of gov- ernment, worship, and native power, long entertained, were sadly overturned ; and that the influence of the European upon the in- stitutions and customs of these peoples was most disastrous, can scarcely admit of a reasonable doubt. That the abandonment of many of their established notions and customary labors is to be attributed to this violent and sudden upheaval of preconceived ideas, to the ravages of foreign diseases, to disintegration and loss encountered at the hands of Europeans and experienced in wars fomented by this new order of things, and that these Indians, recognizing their inferiority and weakness when contrasted with the intelligence and power of the white race, discontinued in large measure their primitive industries and neglected their weightier efforts, may be regarded as not improbable. That in this changed condition of affairs we find at least a partial expla- nation of the discontinuance of the custom of monnd-building may be fairly claimed.
While it may not be confidently asserted that the Indians of the sixteenth century and their progenitors were the authors of all the earth-works found in this region, and particularly of the larger terraced mounds and truncated pyramids, and while we may be unable fully to explain how later tribes became less patient of labor and neglectful of customs which gave rise to such enduring monuments, the likelihood is that these earth- works were constructed in the olden time by peoples akin to and possessed of no higher art and civilization than characterized the nations resident here at the dawn of the historic period.
Among these Southern tumuli we occasionally meet with ani-
ماطم الشخصمة
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CLASSIFICATION OF TUMULI.
mal, bird-shaped, and emblematic earth and stone works allied to structures of that class so frequent in Wisconsin, and some- times observed in other localities in the West.
Without attempting an exact classification or minute descrip- tion of these prominent indications of early occupancy and prim- itive labor, we may note the existence of truncated pyramids, constructed of earth, rising from ten to seventy-five feet above the level of the valleys and fertile plains upon which they are located. Generally frustums of four-sided pyramids, they ma- terially differ in size ; some of the largest containing, at the top, a level area of an acre.
The approaches to their summits were effected not infre- quently by means of inclined planes and graded paths, either di- reet or winding. Occasionally these structures are supplemented by terraces and platforms or curtains. The slope of their sides is such as would be assumed by earth and clay conveyed in bas- kets and earthen vessels and deposited from above. Sometimes standing alone, these structures are often associated with conical mounds, frustums of smaller pyramids, and grave-mounds.
If builded near a river, these tumuli were now and then inclosed by circular or semicircular earth-walls, or by canals communi- cating with the stream, and, at the upper ends and along their courses, developing into artificial ponds which served as fish-pre- serves. Introduced from the river into these artificial lakes, - the narrow mouths of which were closed by gates made of cane and slivers of wood, - the fishes were there bred, and were thence caught with nets, various forms of which were in use among these Indians. The limits of the ancient towns are indicated by the trend of these canals and parapets. The spaces thius in- closed were often considerable, and within them may yet be seen the remains of elevated roads, wells, traces of covered ways lead- ing to the water, and chunky-yards.
Some of the more prominent of these truncated pyramids and cones may, we think, be recognized as elevations prepared for the erection of temples for sun worship ; while others of less altitude were seemingly intended as foundations for the residences of kings, micos, and priests. By more than one of the early historians are we informed of the existence of large artificial tumuli, with precipitous sides and flat tops, located in valleys and near the banks of streams, which were erected for the purpose of sustain- ing the houses of chiefs and their families. Wooden stairways, made by cutting inclined planes fifteen or twenty feet wide,
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THE HISTORY OF GEORGIA.
flanked on the sides with posts and with poles laid horizontally across the earthen steps, afforded facile access to their tops. . At the foot of such a mound a square was marked out around which were established the dwellings of the principal members of the tribe. Outside appeared the cabins of the common people. A disposition to dignify the residence of the mico, a willingness at all times to elevate the ruler above his subjects, and a desire to promote his safety and that of his family are assigned as motives for the expenditure of so much labor.
Indicating the chosen seats and towns of these peoples, pro- claiming the subjection of the general labor to the undisputed will of king and high priest, betokening the supremacy of the governor over the governed, certifying the fixed character of the population, and illustrating the attention bestowed upon the erec- tion not only of temples for sun worship, but also of substantial structures denoting the extent, permanency, and accord of the settlement, such tumuli and their dependent works are full of in- terest and afford material for careful study.
A second class of tumuli worthy of mention includes conical mounds, truncated and situated upon commanding bluffs and hill-tops, which served as signal stations in this densely wooded region. In the absence of bugle note, the roll of drum, the boom of cannon, and the flight of the electric spark, fires kindled upon their summits, with their glare by night and smoke by day, gave tokens which, repeated from kindred mounds along the reaches of rivers or on answering eminences, within a period much shorter than that allotted to the swiftest runner warned tribe and nation of approaching danger. These mounds of observation may be recognized by their peculiar locations and relative positions, and by the fact that when opened they are found to contain nothing other than the traces of fire underlying the roots of overshadow- ing trees.
Springing from the depths of extensive swamps and in regions liable to inundation may be seen tumuli of considerable dimen- sions which served either as retreats during seasons of sudden overflow, or as foundations for the dwellings of those who here hunted and fished.
It was manifestly the custom of the Florida tribes in the six- teenth century - a practice too which had long been observed - to dignify the last resting-places of their dead with coverings of earth, stone, or shells. This method of perpetuating the memory of the departed, and of imparting prominence and permanency to
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GRAVE-MOUNDS.
thier graves appears, during periods the most remote and in localities widely separated, to have suggested itself as most natu- ral, convenient, and enduring.
Those mighty mound-tombs of Scythian kings towering along the banks of the Borysthenes, that prince of tumuli which for more than twenty-five hundred years has perpetuated the mem- ory of Alyattes, the grave of the murdered Agamemnon, He- phæstion's tomb, the burial-place of Patroclus, and the countless barrows and sepulchral tumuli scattered over the plains, peo- pling the valleys and crowning the hills of Europe, Asia, Africa, America, and the islands of the oceans, all attest the universality of this custom.
Compared with each other, these tumuli give evidence of vary- ing ages. Hundreds of years agone, some of them were aban- doned to the guardianship of the forest trees, while a few have been erected since commerce was established with the white race. Appearing singly and in groups, they vary in size from the almost obliterated mound scarce swelling above the ground littered with sherds of pottery and fragments of bone, to the well-preserved tumulus five and twenty feet high and possessing a base diameter of a hundred feet. The prevailing type is con- ical, although structures ovoidal in outline are not uncommon. The tendency of the aboriginal population being toward the rivers and deep swamps, the rich valleys and the sea-coast where water, oysters, mussels, fishes, and game were easily procurable, where streams afforded facilities for communication, and where a generous soil made amends for the rude cultivation bestowed, the sites and antiquity of villages and resorts are certified by these monuments.
Later generations - whether direct descendants of the former, or strangers to them, we cannot positively either affirm or deny, - oblivious of ancient memories and less patient of labor, util- ized many of these older tumuli for the purposes of secondary interments. Thus will appear instances of sepulture on the tops and sides of mounds, only a few feet below the surface, evi- dently the work of more recent tribes, while the skeletons and property of the dead in whose honor these tumuli were heaped up lie at the bottom and on a level with or below the surrounding earth. Wasted by the elements, robbed of distinc- tive recollections by the oblivion of time and the carelessness of those who came after, and torn by the furrows of a new civiliza- tion, -
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THE HISTORY OF GEORGIA.
" The very generations of the dead Are swept away, and tomb inherits tomb Until the memory of an age is fled."
In Plate XL. of the " Brevis Narratio," Le Moyne furnishes an illustration of the mound which the Florida Indians heaped above their dead kings and priests : "Defuncto aliquo Rege ejus Provincice, magna solemnitate sepelitur, § ejus tumulo crater, è quo bibere solebat, imponitur, defixis circa ipsum tumulum multi's sagittis."
Adopting this suggestion, confirmed as it is by later narratives and observations, we will not greatly err in designating sepul- chral tumuli containing a single skeleton as chieftain or priest mounds. Such distinguished dead, so far as our experience goes, were never burnt. Prior to inhumation, the corpses were placed upon the ground, where they were sometimes held in a sitting posture by being lashed to a post. Possessions of value were laid at the feet or placed by the side, and then the earth was piled above by mourning friends and obedient subjects. For its further protection, prior to the construction of the tumulus, the body was sometimes defended from contact with the rising earth by a clay covering, several inches thick, sun-dried or baked, and closely resembling a large earthen pot, inverted. From such mounds have been obtained some of the choicest specimens of the workmanship of these peoples in stone, bone, and shell.
Among other nations the custom obtained of depositing in wooden chests, carefully made and placed upon shelves, the skele- tons of kings, chiefs, noted warriors, and priests. Near by, and in smaller chests and canc-baskets, were accumulated valuable furs, robes of dressed skins, mantles woven of the inner rind of trees, and of a species of grass, well beaten and resembling flax, feather coverings of various colors, and stores of pearls. The mausoleum at Talomeco, which served as a receptacle for such coffins and chests, is said to have been a hundred paces long and forty broad. Its lofty roof was constructed of cane reeds, and the entrance to the temple was guarded by gigantic wooden stat- ues, carved with considerable skill, some of them twelve feet high. Armed with various weapons, they maintained threaten- ing attitudes and ferocions looks. Within were statues of vari- ous shapes and sizes. Similar receptacles were observed among the Natchez and some of the Virginia tribes.
In certain localities cremation was practiced by these Southern Indians. The contents of not a few grave-mounds consist of
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FUNERAL CUSTOMS.
calcined bones, charred fragments of pipes, pottery, and various articles of use and ornament, and partially consumed pieces of wood. In such busta were multitudes of skeletons remanded to nothingness.
Urn burial also obtained, particularly in the case of children ; -- the funeral vase containing the bones being made of terra cotta. Securely covered by a lid of the same material, the ves- sel was deposited in the common earth, or committed to the keep- ing of the general grave-mound.
It being no easy task, with the rude implements, friable earthen vessels, and frail baskets at command, to construct a large sepul- chral tumulus, these peoples were in the habit of reserving the skeletons of their dead until they accumulated sufficiently to war- rant a general inhumation. Primitive undertakers with their long nails stripped the decaying flesh from the bones, disjointed the skeletons, placed the cleaned bones in coffins or chests fabri- cated of canes and splints, and stored them away in the village bone-house, where, marked for the recognition of relatives, and well guarded, they remained until they so multiplied as either to fill the structure, or to enlist the sympathy of the community in the erection of a grave-mound.
Upon a day appointed, the kindred of the deceased repairing to the bone-house, and taking up the coffins of their respective dead, followed one another in the order of seniority. Accompa- nied by the inhabitants of the town or nation, they proceeded to some designated spot in the vicinity of the settlement, where, in pyramidal form, the chests were deposited on the ground. In some instances wood was added and fire applied to the pile. During the cremation relatives and friends sat around chanting songs and smoking, or indulged in funeral dances, and delivered orations eulogistic of the virtues and valor of the deceased. The pipes then used were finally contributed to the pyre, and above the collected ashes the multitude set about erecting the family or tribal grave-mound. Generally, however, the coffins contain- ing the skeletons and personal property of the dead were placed in order upon the ground and the earth piled above.
Where cremation occurred, it seems no addition was made to the tumulus when once completed. Although family or tribal mounds in which the dead were entombed without being burnt usually contain but a single stratum of bones, we find examples of the gradual formation of large grave-mounds by consecutive burials ; the different strata indicating that the skeletons had lain
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THE HISTORY OF GEORGIA.
for unequal periods in the ground, and being separated from each other by intervening layers of earth.
Sometimes small islands were dedicated almost exclusively to the purpose of sepulture.
In the vicinity of the coast, oyster, clam, periwinkle, and conch shells were freely employed in covering grave-mounds, thereby imparting a permanency which they would not otherwise have possessed. Lacustrine and fluviatile unios and bivalves were expended in a similar way. Such protection afforded no mean defense against the disintegrating influences of time and the elements. Scattered upon sea-islands, along headlands, and near the borders of lakes and rivers are numerous mounds com- posed either wholly or in part of shells. There they have stood for centuries, and there, if undisturbed, they will endure for an indefinite period.
In certain localities may still be seen stone-piles designating the spots where warriors perished in battle.
Another mode of sepulture is represented by stone graves, parallelogrammic, cruciform, or square in outline, some two feet deep, and from eighteen inches to seven feet in length. The sides consist of rough slabs of stone set on edge. The bottoms are paved with small bowlders, and the tops covered with stone slabs. Thus were formed rude sarcophagi or vaults. In some the corpse was deposited at full length, the arms being disposed by the side. In others, the bodies were laid with the arms ex- tended at right angles, which explains their cruciform shapes. Frequently the skeleton was disjointed ; the skull being placed in the centre of the vault, and the long bones arranged compactly around it. Thus was it accommodated within a narrow compass. The smallness of many of these sarcophagi suggested to careless observers the impression that they were the graves of a race of pigmies. Curious and interesting are the relics with which these vaults abound, and their contents will amply reward further re- search.
Within the rayless recesses of caves have been found shriveled bodies, various articles of dress, and implements fashioned by the red race ; but these retreats have been bnt partially explored. A thorough and scientific investigation of their floors and avenues will doubtless impart additional information most valuable and interesting.
It would be entertaining to recount the funeral customs of these peoples as revealed by grave-mounds, as recorded by early
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MISCELLANEOUS STRUCTURES.
observers, and as modified in after years by contact with Euro- peans. But such a description lies not within the limits of this sketch. Nor is it permitted, in enumerating the obvious proofs of early possession and combined labor, to do more than allude to the existence of circumvallations of earth and stone by which hill-tops and eminences were fortified; to the presence of embank- ments of earth, and ditches isolating considerable areas and pro- tecting villages, temple-mounds, and play-grounds ; to the remains of chunky-yards, with their tumuli, elevated spaces, and earth- banks (seats for spectators), of pottery kilns of stone, and pits whenee clay was dug for the manufacture of fictile ware, and to traces of open-air workshops. We mention also among these indicia of primitive occupancy extensive refuse piles and shell heaps, composed of marine, fluviatile, and lacustrine shells, upon the animals of which the natives fed and from which they ex- tracted many pearls.
Intermingled with the debris of these long-continued encamp- ments will be seen the bones of fishes, birds, terrapins, alligators, snakes, buffaloes, deer, and other animals, sherds of pottery, arrow and spear points, net sinkers, and manufactured imple- ments of various kinds.
In these refuse piles human bones have been found, split longi- tudinally, as though the marrow had been extracted from them, and conveying the impression that cannibalism was, at some time and among some peoples, practiced within the limits of ancient Florida.
While it may be regarded as a matter of speculation whether the builders of the largest monuments of early constructive skill within the confines of Georgia were the actual progenitors of the Indians who were occupying the region when it was first visited by Europeans; and while we may not fully comprehend how it came to pass that later tribes were apparently more nomadic in their habits, less addicted to combined and consecutive work, and neglectful of customs which seemingly obtained among the peo- ples whose united industry compassed these enduring structures, in the light of the Spanish narratives, after a careful survey of the objects themselves, in view of all the facts which have thus far been disclosed both by personal investigation and the observation of others, and while freely admitting that the modern Indians, from various causes, had ceased to engage in the erection of works, the completion of which, with the indifferent implements at con- mand, involved so much tedious labor, we nevertheless see no
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THE HISTORY OF GEORGIA.
good reason for supposing that these prominent tumuli and inclo- sures may not have been formed in the olden time by peoples of the same race, and no further advanced in the scale of semi-civi- lization than the red men native here at the dawn of the historic period. In other words, we do not concur in the suggestion that the Mound-Builders were distinct from, and superior in art, gov- ernment, and religious ideas to, the Georgia tribes of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries.
Aside from the profuse and fanciful ornamentation of their bodies with pigments of red, white, yellow, and black, the South- ern Indians displayed no little taste in depicting marks, signs, images, and symbols on prepared skins, wood, bone, and stone. The smooth bark of a growing tree or the face of a rock was in- cised in commemoration of some feat of arms, in explanation of the direction and strength of a military expedition, or in solemni- zation of a treaty of peace.
Upon precipitous slopes, and at points almost inaccessible, have been noted carved and colored representations of the sun, accompanied by rude characters the significance of which is in the main unintelligible to the present observer.
Roughly cut intaglios in imitation of the human form, of the hands and feet of men, of the tracks of buffalo, deer, and other animals, of bows and arrows, canoes, cireles, and various figures are still extant. Ignorant of alphabet, phonetic sign, or digit, these peoples, by means of this primitive system of picture-writing and intaglios, sought to perpetuate the recollection of prominent events, and by such visible shapes to communicate desired intel- ligence. This effort was supplemented by the use of wampum, which, in certain cases, possessed a significance scarcely inferior to that of the knotted quipu.
The boldest attempts at sculpture are expressed by images, sometimes two feet high and more, carved out of a talcose stone, and representing the human figure, both male and female, usually in a sitting or kneeling posture. From the existence of such objects, and of images of terra cotta and wood, it may be inferred that something like idol or hero worship obtained among these primitive peoples.
Proofs are not wanting to confirm the belief that the worship of the Priapus was observed among not a few of the Southern nations. As the sun was adored as the author of light and joy, of heat and increase, so was this symbol of the life-giving princi- ple saluted with homage, and accredited with the attributes of divinity.
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IMPLEMENTS OF COPPER, STONE, BONE, ETC.
Ignorant of iron and bronze, these primitive peoples indulged in the use of copper. Treating it as a malleable stone, they hammered it into various forms of use and ornament, among which may be enumerated ceremonial axes, gonges, chisels, knives, spear-heads, arrow-points, wristbands, armlets, anklets, gorgets, spangles, beads, pendants, rods, and spindles for perforating pearls. That the principal supply of this metal was proenred from the ancient mincs of Lake Superior seems highly probable. So extensive were the aboriginal trade relations that there would have been no difficulty in transporting both the ore and the manufactured objects. An examination of copper implements, taken from the graves of these Southern Indians, justifies the suggestion. That they were ignorant of the art of melting copper, and that they did not invoke the agency of fire to facili- tate the manufacture of articles from this material, may be safely asserted. All the specimens we have seen present a laminated structure, and we are not aware that any moulds for casting have yet been found. Small nuggets of gold and silver, perforated for suspension as ornaments, have been taken from ancient graves. Relies of this kind are very rare. Such were possibly the tink- lets of gold to which Cabeça de Vaca refers. Copper objects of primitive fabrication are not abundant within the territory for- merly occupied by the Southern tribes. Articles made of hema- tite are frequently obtained.
Among these Southern Indians the manufacture of implements of stone, bone, and shell was general and very excellent. Speci- mens of unusual beauty and symmetry attest this fact. Liv- ing in a genial climate, the warm earth yielding spontaneously many fruits, forest and river abounding with animal life, and the contest with nature for subsistence being by no means ardu- ous, these peoples enjoyed every opportunity for sport, amuse- ment, personal decoration, and for the exhibition of taste and skill in the fabrication of articles of use and ornament.
Famous were the arrow-makers of this region. Traces of their open-air workshops may be seen not only in elevated localities, but even on the coast, and upon knolls in the depths of swamps where nuclei, transported from great distances, were splintered and chipped into desired shapes. These arrow and spear points are remarkable for beauty of material and excellency of work- manship. Party-colored jaspers, smoky, milky, and sweet-water quartz, pure crystals, chalcedony, and varieties of flint and chert were the favorite stones from which these implements were
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TIIE HISTORY OF GEORGIA.
fashioned. Among them every known form finds expression, and they are of all sizes, from the delicate point scarce half an inch in length to the formidable spear or lance-head fourteen inches long and weighing considerably more than two pounds. The light, tough river cane (Arundinaria macrosperma) formed the customary shaft for these points. Shafts split from hard wood, and rounded and smoothed by means of grooved coarse-grained stones, were also in use. Spear-heads fastened to wooden han- dles were hurled in battle, were employed at close quarters to parry blows and deliver thrusts, and proved serviceable in the capture of sturgeon and large game. It would appear that the manufacture of these implements was somewhat monopolized by particular individuals in each tribe, who devoted their time and labor to their fabrication, and acquired a dexterity quite remark- able when we consider the limited tools at command. As these objects were finished, they were often secreted in the ground, whence they were taken from time to time and disposed of as occasion offered.
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