44 CERTAIN SAND MOUNDS OF 



Florida Indians and by those of Oregon " to remove any temptation to desecration 

 of the grave which might otherwise exist." 



Mr. Beauchamp 1 tells us, speaking of later Indians, that " one feature of the 

 copper kettles found in the ossuaries, or bone-pits, is hardly creditable to the Cana- 

 dian Indians, at least the Hurons. When placed in graves they were almost uni- 

 versally perforated at the bottom, to render them useless, and so prevent robbery 

 of the tomb." We presume reference is made to the kettles. 



Of this same custom prevailing among the Hurons we read 2 elsewhere that 

 " after the arrival of the French, brass kettles were often buried with the bones. 

 These were purposely damaged at the time of interment by having a large hole 

 knocked in the bottom with a tomahawk. As many as twenty of these kettles 

 have been found in some ossuaries, especially those of the townships of Medonte. 

 Besides kettles, they buried copper and glass beads, wampum, pipes, pottery, copper 

 and stone axes, chisels, and, in fact, almost everything to be found in a Huron 

 household." 



We are of the opinion that the mutilation of pottery was practised in the 

 observance of some sacred rite, rather than for removal of incentive to theft. 

 Unbroken articles of great value to aborigines, as we are told, were placed with the 

 kettles by the Hurons, while we have observed how mounds, perfect mines of 

 wealth, were left unmolested by the Indians of Florida, inspired, doubtless, by a 

 superstitious terror or reverence for the dead. 



We are unable to find, however, that Indians other than those of the St. 

 John's River, made mortuary pottery with perforation of the bottom previous to 

 baking. 



Nothing indicating contact with Europeans was found on the base of the Vol- 

 usia mounds. One bead of blue glass was thrown out from the largest mound while 

 digging the second course. That is to say, one series of spadefuls had been dug 

 from the surface. A spade penetrates about 8 inches. If the bead lay on top of 

 the contents of the spade, as to which we have no means of knowing, its depth 

 below the surface was 8 inches. If, on the other hand, its position was beneath 

 the surface of the second course, it may have attained a depth of 16 inches. 

 These mounds are reported by the inhabitants to have been under cultivation, and 

 well marked furrows are in the neighborhood. A considerable party working with 

 trowels a number of days would, it would seem probable, have discovered beads 

 with the skeletons had any existed, and it is our belief that this solitary bead, at 

 one time superficial, owed its position when found to the agency of the plow. 



Blufftojst. 



Bluffton, formerly Orange Bluff, lies on the east bank of the St. John's, about 

 four miles south of Volusia, Volusia County. It has long been under cultivation 



J The American Antiquarian, May, 1890, page 167. 

 2 Annual Report Canadian Institute, 1887, page 58. 



