Indiana Archaeology 65 
ocean shells, pearls, crystals of galenite and large lumps of lead ore, 
also a few platform pipes of limestone and steatite. Most abundant of 
the copper pieces were the spool-shaped ear ornaments of various sizes 
and make, and are most important by indicating an inter-tribal trade 
extending to Mexico. They were found on each side of the head in the 
cases of uncremated burials, so were judged to be ear ornaments. That 
they were used as such is substantiated by an effigy tubular pipe found 
Fig. 6. Copper Ear Ornaments. 
in the Adena mound (see Figure 4). This figurine is a peculiarly 
Mexican design, and similar ear ornaments appear in carvings of most 
Mexican gods or idols. This is plainly to be seen in Figure 5, the 
mask of a Mexican god in the British Museum. This god Xipe was 
the Mexican deity known as the God of Sowing, and the invocation to 
this god is interesting to us here in the land of maize or Indian corn, 
as it voices the following appeal: “Put on your golden garment; why 
does it not rain? It might be that I perish,—I, the young maize plant.” 
And yet no similar carving representing a deity or idol has been found 
among the American Indians. It is said that idolatry was unknown in 
Mexico previous to the reign of the Aztecs. Possibly this Ohio culture 
antedates the Aztec period. One of these copper ear ornaments is shown 
in Figure 6. It is in five separate pieces, hammered from the thin 
sheets of copper found frequently in the graves. It was a far cry from 
Ohio to old Mexico, but aboriginal man seems to have been equal to it 
in more cases than one. 
Another characteristic relic of this latter culture is the grooved 
axe, made of the hardest stones, mostly of granite. They had some 
special use, for they are peculiar to the Ohio valley and the territory 
west, of which Illinois is about the center. They range from consider- 
ably less than a pound in weight to over thirty pounds, and a majority 
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