156 



Hopewell Mound Group 



teeth found with various skeletons. The first pair (a) are probably the 

 teeth of the panther, and are cut in a peculiar manner. B and c accom- 

 panied skeleton 213 of Mound 23. With this skeleton were found 

 fragments of a remarkably fine textile fabric. The interior of the pair 

 of teeth, shown in b, has been removed, and opening into each of these 

 cavities are four perforations. On the reverse side from that shown, the 

 cut ends of the teeth are semicircular instead of straight; and when 

 the teeth are placed together, a hole is formed, about one-half an inch 

 in diameter, into which a pearl may have been inserted. It is probable 

 that these teeth, with cut ends joined, were sewn to cloth or leather. 

 In c, the teeth are cut diagonally, and a hole is drilled into the cut end 

 of each tooth at one side of the pulp cavity. D and e were taken, with 



other canine teeth of the bear, from 

 the skeleton having the copper head- 

 dress in the form of deer antlers. In 

 d, the teeth are simply cut across, as 

 shown in the drawing, exposing the 

 natural pulp cavity. In e, the interior 

 of each tooth has been removed, and 

 the cut edges are somewhat disinteg- 

 rated. The pair indicated at/ have the 

 natural pulp cavity enlarged, and the 

 cut ends somewhat rounded. There 

 is a small perforation into the cavity through the wall of each tooth. 



"More than one hundred and twenty canine teeth of the bear, cut 

 and ornamented in a similar manner to the specimens illustrated, were 

 taken from the altars of the large mound. These ornaments are frag- 

 mentary, and are colored black throughout by the confined smoke of 

 the altar fires. In two specimens, the cavity for the pearl is surrounded 

 by a circular row of small, shallow holes. Not only were the canine 

 bears' teeth cut, sawed, and ornamented in various ways by the builders 

 of the great Ohio earthworks, but they were so highly prized as orna- 

 ments that their form was copied in antler, shell, stone, copper, and 

 wood. In a few instances, the counterfeit was so well executed that it 

 deceived professional archaeologists. ' ' 



Fig. 35 (on p. 140) is an imitation bear's tooth made of what 

 appears to be limestone. Fig. 57 is one of a pair of ornaments made of 

 wood, carefully covered with thin copper. One side is imperfect, and a 

 few fragments are missing; but a diagonal perforation still remains 

 which shows that they were fastened or suspended in the same manner 

 as genuine teeth. Fig. 52 is a drawing of an imitation tooth made of a 



Fig. 54- 

 Sectional Drawings of Teeth (a from 

 Skeleton 241, b from Skeleton 277). 



