MOUND BUILDERS OF OHIO

AFTER THE PALEO AND ARCHAIC INDIANS CAME A GROUP OF NATIVE AMERICANS LIVING IN OHIO KNOWN AS THE MOUND BUILDERS. THE MOUND BUILDERS, AS THEIR NAME SAYS, BUILT MOUNDS OF VARIOUS SIZES AND SHAPES.

THEY BUILT THEIR MOUNDS FOR BURIAL THEY BUILT THEIR MOUNDS FOR BURIAL. SKELETONS OF NATIVE AMERICANS HAVE BEEN FOUND IN THE MOUNDS. THE MOUNDS WERE BUILT FOR RELIGIOUS PURPOSES. SOME MOUNDS WERE BUILT WITH A FLAT TOP. ON THE TOP WAS LOCATED A TEMPLE IN WHICH WORSHIP TOOK PLACE. PERHAPS THE MOUNDS WERE USED FOR PROTECTION. AT THE TOP OF A MOUND ONE COULD SEE AN ENEMY OR ENEMIES APPROACHING.

THE NEXT PICTURE SHOWS A MAP OF NORTH AMERICA THE NEXT PICTURE SHOWS A MAP OF NORTH AMERICA. IT SHOWS PLACES WHERE MOUNDS ARE LOCATED IN THE UNITED STATES.

AS YOU CAN SEE, THE MOUNDS WERE LOCATED ALONG RIVERS IN THE MISSISSIPPI, OHIO AND ARKANSAS RIVER VALLEYS.

THIS MAP SHOWS HOW MANY MOUNDS ARE LOCATED IN OHIO!!!

SOME MOUNDS WERE SHAPED LIKE CONES, LIKE THIS VERY TALL MOUND, THE MIAMISBURG MOUND, NEAR DAYTON, OHIO.

OTHER MOUNDS HAD SHAPES OF ANIMALS OR OTHER CREATURES. THESE ARE CALLED “EFFIGY” MOUNDS. THE MOST FAMOUS OF THE EFFIGY MOUNDS IS THE SERPENT MOUND LOCATED IN ADAMS COUNTY, OHIO.

THIS IS A DRAWING OF THE SERPENT MOUND THIS IS A DRAWING OF THE SERPENT MOUND. IT SHOWS A SERPENT WITH AN OPEN MOUTH, POSSIBLY ATTEMPTING TO SWALLOW AN EGG.

THE NEXT PICTURE IS AN EXAMPLE OF A TEMPLE MOUND. THERE ARE ALSO TEMPLE MOUNDS. THEY WERE FLAT ON THE TOP. ON THE FLAT AREA THERE WAS AN OPEN TEMPLE MADE OF WOOD. FROM HERE, WORSHIP TOOK PLACE. WE KNOW THIS IS TRUE BECAUSE FRENCH EXPLORERS OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER SAW SUCH MOUNDS IN USE AND WROTE DOWN WHAT THEY SAW. THE NEXT PICTURE IS AN EXAMPLE OF A TEMPLE MOUND.

HERE ARE TWO OTHER MOUNDS THAT ARE FOUND HERE IN THE OHIO AREA.

WE DON’T KNOW WHAT THE MOUND BUILDERS LOOKED LIKE WE DON’T KNOW WHAT THE MOUND BUILDERS LOOKED LIKE. ALL WE CAN DO IS GUESS. HERE ARE SOME SCULPTORS’ AND ARTISTS’ IDEAS OF WHAT THE MOUND BUILDERS LOOKED LIKE.

THIS LOOKS MORE LIKE WHAT WE WOULD THINK OF AS A “MODERN” INDIAN, BUT THE ARTIST SAYS HE THINKS MOUND BUILDERS LOOKED LIKE THIS WHEN THEY DRESSED UP!!!!!

WE DO KNOW WHAT THEIR HOMES, OR WIGWAMS, LOOKED LIKE WE DO KNOW WHAT THEIR HOMES, OR WIGWAMS, LOOKED LIKE. ARCHAEOLOGISTS HAVE FOUND THE REMAINS OF THE POLES TO THE WIGWAMS IN THE GROUND. THESE HAVE BEEN FOUND BY THE DOZENS AROUND VARIOUS MOUNDS.

HERE ARE VARIOUS ARTIFACTS FOUND IN MOUNDS HERE IN OHIO HERE ARE VARIOUS ARTIFACTS FOUND IN MOUNDS HERE IN OHIO. THERE ARE TOOLS, WEAPONS, POTTERY, PIPES AND OTHER ITEMS.

THERE ARE 3 GROUPS OF MOUNDBUILDERS HERE IN OHIO: THE ADENA THE HOPEWELL THE FORT ANCIENT

THE ADENA PEOPLE WERE IN OHIO FIRST THE ADENA PEOPLE WERE IN OHIO FIRST. THEY BUILT LARGE MOUNDS LIKE THE MIAMISBURG MOUND. THEY ALSO BUILT EFFIGY MOUNDS LIKE THE SERPENT MOUND.

THE HOPEWELL PEOPLE CAME TO OHIO AFTER THE ADENA. THEY BUILT MOUNDS TOO. THE HOPEWELL MOUNDS WERE OFTEN IN REGULAR SHAPES LIKE CIRCLES, SQUARES AND RECTANGLES. THEY ALSO BUILT GROUPS OF MOUNDS IN PATTERNS SUCH AS CIRCLES, AS IN CIRCLEVILLE, OHIO.

THE FORT ANCIENT PEOPLE WERE A PART OF THE HOPEWELL PEOPLE. THEIR VILLAGE IS LOCATED ON THE LITTLE MIAMI RIVER. THEY BUILT THEIR MOUNDS IN PATTERNS IN THEIR VILLAGE.

YEARS AGO THE MOUNDS WERE JUST DUG INTO THOUGHTLESSLY, LOOKING FOR ARTIFACTS, AS THIS NEXT SLIDE SHOWS.

SOME FARMERS JUST GOT RID OF THE MOUNDS SO THEIR LAND WOULD BE FLAT AND EASIER TO FARM. ALL THE ARTIFACTS WERE LOST OR THROWN AWAY!!!

TODAY, ARCHAEOLOGISTS CAREFULLY INVESTIGATE MOUNDS FOR ARTIFACTS SO WE CAN LEARN ABOUT THE GREAT GROUPS OF MOUNDBUILDERS WE HAD HERE IN OHIO!!!

THE DESCENDANTS OF THE MOUNDBUILDERS ARE THE “HISTORIC” TRIBES HERE IN OHIO, SUCH AS THE SHAWNEE, MIAMI, MINGO AND WYANDOT.

THE MOUNDBUILDERS WERE FARMERS!!!!!

BUT THE MAIN WAY THEY GOT THEIR FOOD WAS FROM FARMING!!!! DO YOU GET IT???? THE MOUNDBUILDERS WERE FARMERS!!! THEY ALSO HUNTED SOME, FISHED SOME AND GATHERED SOME… BUT THE MAIN WAY THEY GOT THEIR FOOD WAS FROM FARMING!!!!

IN REVIEW: THE MOUNDBUILDERS IN OHIO BUILT MOUNDS FOR BURIAL, RELIGIOUS CEREMONIES AND (PERHAPS) PROTECTION

THERE ARE 3 GROUPS OF MOUNDBUILDERS IN OHIO: THE ADENA THE HOPEWELL THE FORT ANCIENT (PART OF THE HOPEWELL GROUP)

THE MOUNDBUILDERS ARE THE ANCESTORS OF THE HISTORIC INDIANS OF OHIO. THE HISTORIC INDIANS OF OHIO SUCH AS THE MIAMI, SHAWNEE, WYANDOT, MINGO ARE THE DESCENDANTS OF THE MOUNDBUILDERS.