176 Hopewell Mound Group 



appears that they were right in their contention that the life and 

 customs of the Hopewell culture people were quite different from those 

 of the later Indians. At this time we may not subscribe to their enthu- 

 siastic claim that it was a civilization, but we must accord them a full 

 meed of praise; for more than seventy-five years ago they discerned 

 that the culture was peculiar and distinctive. When describing the 

 various art-objects found, attention was called to the skill and art- 

 sense evinced in their manufacture. Some of them seem beyond the 

 ability of a barbaric people. Some of the quartz crystals, for instance, 

 are perforated with holes a scant millimeter in diameter. M'cGuire was 

 able to drill in stone and metal with aboriginal tools, and his observations 

 are of great value; but I doubt his ability to drill quartz crystals. 



It is not necessary in these pages to enter into a discussion of cosmic 

 symbols, }. r et there is abundant material for such study in both the 

 Hopewell and other mound collections. Many of the early writers on 

 American archaeology thought that works of the type described on these 

 pages were erected for religious purposes. One author suggested that 

 within the square enclosure a certain clan resided, or perhaps the clan 

 elders, and that another clan lived within the large circle. Several 

 writers have observed that the Hopewell walls, mounting as they do 

 from one terrace to another, did not afford protection against an assault 

 by enemies. Other enclosures are so constructed as to give little pro- 

 tection to the village within. In the light of modern explorations it 

 seems safe to assume a religious character for most of these squares, 

 circles, and geometric figures. It is difficult for us to always grasp the 

 Indian's point of view, but it seems to, me that the people who built 

 the Hopewell, Turner, Liberty, Mound City, and other groups depended 

 upon the potency of their "medicine," quite as much as on the strength 

 of their walls or the courage of their warriors. In brief, they erected 

 around their village clan groups or sacred buildings, these squares, 

 circles, and other combinations, all of which were suggested by their 

 religious beliefs. 



There is no evidence that the Hopewell people had domestic animals, 

 and no bones of the prehistoric dog were found in the village site. 



The most interesting question, that with reference to the origin of 

 the Hopewell people, cannot be answered. We cannot at present assign 

 to them positive classification under the Algonkin; yet their pottery 

 and other artifacts seem to indicate that they were quite likely of that 

 stock. At one time I was of the opinion that these Indians came from 

 the south and moved northward. I now believe that after their defeat 

 by the Iroquois the remnant of them moved to the South, and mingled 



