W. H. PRATT. president's ANNUAL ADDRESS. 1 53 



dwellings must have been of the most imperfect and perishable char- 

 acter, no traces of them being found. 



They practised cremation, though but to a limited extent, and on- 

 ly upon great and unusual occasions. 



They lived in a very simple manner, possessed few mechanical con- 

 trivances, but were a laborious, pains-taking people. That they had 

 some system of barter with neighboring tribes at least, (though per- 

 haps limited to mpre occasioTial exchanges as opportunity offered) is 

 shown by the occurrence in the mounds of large sea shells, which, at 

 the nearest, must have come from the Gulf of Mexico; obsidian from 

 the far west; mica, not to be found in this region; galena, etc. 



Copper was evidently a rare and highly valued article among them; 

 its rarity seems to indicate that they did not work the copper mines 

 of Lake Superior or anywhere, and were not mvich in communication 

 with any people who did. 



Small nuggets of drift copper are still occasionally found here, we 

 have several in our museum, picked up in this vicinity; and a nimier- 

 ous people, dwelling here for a long period, would be likely to find 

 the greater portion of all such specimens existing here, and if thev 

 did so, that would, furnish a quite sufficient source of supply of ma- 

 terial for all the copper relics yet discovered, without the necessity 

 of drawing upon the mines. That the mound-builders had no know- 

 ledge of the art of smelting is well shown by the following facts: 



The numerous copper axes, awls, beads, etc, and the very rare sil- 

 ver ornaments are evidently of the pure native metal, and hammer- 

 ed^ none are found bearing the slightest indications of having been 

 melted; no molds or crucibles, or fragments of any have ever been 

 found, although they would l)e of the most imperishable character, 

 even more so than the pottery which is exceedingly common. 



If cast in molds, many would be made of identical size and form, 

 whereas no duplicates are ever found. 



If, as has been argued, though I believe on insufficient grounds, 

 the copper implements collected in Wisconsin exhibit indications of 

 having l)een formed in molds, it would have no bearing whatever up- 

 on the origin of those of Iowa, which are of a very different tyj^e; 

 those of the north l)eing mostly of the more modern forms of spears 

 and knives; and not usually found in mounds, but scattered on the 

 surface or in the shallow Indian graves. 



The copper "axes," so called (and very inappropriately, too) in no 

 [Proc. D. A. N. 8., Vol. III.] 30 [March 9, 1882.) 



