THuMAs.] THE MOUND-BUILDERS. 609 



There are i>erbaps sufficient data on which to base a theory of cre- 

 mation, as has been done l)y Dornian,' whose remarks on the subject 

 are appropriate in this place : 



It> is extremely doubtful whether a groat error has not been made by many 

 able Ainoricau archeologists in (leMominatiiisj; a class of artificial mounds " altar 

 mounds." Manj' things have tended to lead tlniiu into this error. The burial cus- 

 toms of the aboriginal Americans ha\'0 not been thoroughly investigated. A sup- 

 posed great antiquity has been ascriljod to them, and a special race of monnd- 

 builders has been created to furnish builders for tlic great monuments of what has 

 been called an extinct race. Whence they came and where they have gone has puz- 

 zled the brain of many an antiquarian. This imaginary people, with an elaliorate 

 ritual of sacrifice oftered on the altars so carefully covered with an abuiulance of 

 earth to protect them from tbe sacrilegious hands of barbarian intruders, will, how- 

 ever, eventually be resolved into a very primitive people and tlieir sacrificial altars 

 turned into cremation pyres, where the bodies of the dead were liurned with their 

 worldly effects and a tumulus erected over their remains. Upon most of these suj)- 

 posed altars human bones have been found ;^ in a few, however, their absence is 

 noted by explorers. They may have been reduced to ashes, but it is not necessary 

 to account for their absence in this way alone, for the custom, as we have seen, was 

 very prevalent of preserving the bones after cremation and removing tliem, and 

 among many of the tribes they were reduced to a powder, which was used in some 

 liquid as a drinking potion for the relatives. The altar-mound theorists have had 

 to. account for the presence of human biraes by the hurrible rite of human sacrifice. 

 The conclusion that the mounds of this class were devoted to this superstitious rite 

 does not appear to be satisfactorj-. They rather appear to indicate that cremation 

 was practiced. The sacrificial origin of these mounds has been inferred from the fact 

 that articles of only one class occur in them. This would only indicate that a divis- 

 ion of labor was established, becau.se with their belief iu a future life and a contin- 

 uance of all the eniplojnients of the present life many of the products of any skillful 

 person and material for new labor would be deposited with sucli a person. On this 

 subject of sacrifice, running as it does through all their ceremonial life, I would refer 

 the reader to that part of this work devoted to that subject. Evidences have been 

 found of cremation iu Florida mounds. 



Notwithstandiufi tlie opinion in regard to cremation so confidently 

 expressed in this quotation, there are some strong reasons for doubting 

 its correctness, as will hereafter be shown. 



The term "mound-builders," although adopted from necessity, is an 

 unfortunate one, as its constant use has accustomed the mind to look 

 upon the authors of these ancient works as one people, thus fixing in 

 the mind an unproven theory and checking to some extent that inves- 

 tigation of the subject which is necessary to a correct conclusion. 



It is not asserted, nor does the author wish to be understood as now 

 maintaining, that all these expressed and implied theories are incor- 

 rect. Whether the mound-builders devoted much of their time to 

 religious ceremonies, whether they were accustomed to make religious 

 sacrifices, whether there were sacred inclosures, sacrificial and temjile 

 mounds, etc., are questions to be settled, if possible, by careful inves- 

 tigations and legitimate deductions. ^Tlie protest expressed is against 

 the method which has been so generally followed of taking them for 

 granted, and then, without any proof of their correctness, proceeding 



' Origin of Primitive Superstitions, p. 187. ^ This is an error. — C. T. 



12 ETH 39 



