CHUNK YARDS. 269 



by him, both in his "Second Memoir," and also in the 

 "Ancient Monuments of the Mississippi Valley" (p. 120). 

 The " Chunk Yards," now or lately in use among the Creeks, 

 and which have only recently been abandoned among the 

 Cherokees, are rectangular areas, generally occupying the 

 centre of the town, closed at the sides, but with an opening 

 at each end. They are sometimes from six to nine hundred 

 feet in length, being largest in the older towns. The area is 

 levelled and slightly sunk, being surrounded by a low bank 

 formed of the earth thus obtained. In the centre is a low 

 mound, on which stands the Chunk Pole, to the top of which 

 is some object which serves as a mark to shoot at. Near each 

 corner, at one end, is a small pole, about twelve feet high ; 

 these are called the " slave posts/' because in the " good old 

 times" captives condemned to the torture were fastened to 

 them. The name " Chunk Yard" seems to be derived from 

 an Indian game called " Chunke," which was played in them. 

 At one end of, and just outside, this area stands generally 

 a circular eminence, with a flat top, upon which is elevated 

 the Great Council House. At the other end is a flat-topped, 

 square eminence, about as high as the circular one just men- 

 tioned ; " upon this stands the public square." 



These and other accounts given by early travellers among 

 the Indians certainly throw much light on the circular and 

 square enclosures ; some of which, though classed by Messrs. 

 Squier and Davis under this head, seem to me to be the 

 slight fortifications which surrounded villages, and were un- 

 doubtedly crowned by stockades. We have already seen that 

 the position of the ditch is in reality no argument against 

 this view ; nor does the position of the works seem conclu- 

 sive, if we suppose that they were intended less to stand a 

 regular siege than to guard against a sudden attack. 



The Sepulchral mounds are very numerous in the central 

 parts of the United States. " To say that they are innurner- 



