Moundbuilder peoples

MOUND BUILDERS

The term, "Mound Builders," refers to North Ameri-can Indians who built large monuments of earth as burial places and as platforms to hold temples and houses of chiefs. The three main groups of the Mound Builders were the Adena, the Hopewell and the Mississippian.

The Adena culture began to build large burial mounds in about 700 B.C. in what is now southern Ohio. Their mounds are single heaps of earth made by piling dirt, stones and other materials over the dead. The size of the mound increased as bodies were added. Carved out of stone with the use of flint, effigy pipes were common gifts placed in the tombs. Images on the pipe included various animals such as the owl, hawk, eagle, dog, and raccoon. Other objects found in mound burial sites include copper ear ornaments and bracelets, necklaces of fresh water pearls, bear teeth, copper axes, pottery vessels and flint implements.

The most famous Adena mound is Great Serpent Mound, near Hillsboro, Ohio.