While we know our northern friends may not feel it, in the South, Spring is
here. So we thought we'd share a few of our gardening sites appropriate
for this time of the year. Along with gardening, there's grilling, and getting
ready to diet so that you can fit back into that bathing suit this summer!
2. Wood. As already stated
it is only in some of the mounds that
charred wood is found. This specimen is from
the mound at Contcheteheng, at the head of
Rainy River. It stands beside the Rapids.
This mound has supplied many interesting
remains. From this fact as well as from its
situation, I would hazard the opinion that
here, as at the great Rainy River Falls,
three miles farther down, there were
villages in the old mound building days. It
is a fact worthy of notice that the site of
the first French Fort on Rainy River, St.
Pierre built by Verandrye in 1731, was a few
hundred yards from this mound.
3. Bark. Specimens of birch bark were found
near by the bones. It was no doubt
originally used for swathing or wrapping the
corpses buried. That a soft decayable
substance such as bark, should have lasted
while a number of bones had decayed may seem
strange. No doubt this may be explained in
the same way as the presence among the
remains in Hochelaga, on the Island of
Montreal, of preserved fragments of maize,
viz., by its having been scorched. The
pieces of bark seem to have been hardened by
scorching.
4. Earth. The main earth of the mound is
plainly the same as that of the soil
surrounding it. By what means the earth was
piled up, is a question for speculation. It
seems a matter of small moment. Possibly
that the earth was carried in baskets, or
vessels of considerable size is sufficient
to account for it. My theory is that the
mound was not erected by a vast company of
busy workers as were the pyramids, but that
it was begun at first for purposes of
observation, that as interments were from
time to time made in it sufficient earth was
carried up to effect the purpose, until in
centuries the enormous aggregate of earth
was formed. Among the earth of the mound are
also found in spots, quantities of red and
yellow ochre. The fact that the skulls and
bones seem often to have a reddish tinge,
goes to show that the ochre was used for the
purpose of ornamentation. Sometimes a skull
is drawn out of the firm cast made by it in
the earth, and the cast is seen to be
reddened by the ochre which was probably
smeared over the face of the slain warrior.
The ochre is entirely foreign to the earth
of which the mound is made, but being earthy
remains long after even pottery has gone to
decay.
5. Ore. Lying near this skull as if they had
been placed in the hands of the corpse were
two pieces of metallic ore, one of which is
before you. A fresh section of it shows it
to be Arsenical Iron Pyrites, each piece
weighing four or five ounces. No doubt the
shining ore and its heavy weight attracted
notice, although it is of no commercial
value. The probabilities are that this ore
was regarded as sacred, and possibly having
been considered valuable was placed beside
the corpse as the ancient obolus was laid
beside the departed Greek to pay his fare to
crusty Charon.
1. Stone Implements. The stone articles
found, no doubt form a very small proportion
of the implements used by the lost race. I
am able to show you three classes of
implements.
(a.) Scrapers. (See C. Figure 1.) These were
made after the same manner and from the same
material as the flint arrow heads, found so
commonly all over this continent. They are
usually of an oval or elongated diamond
shape, of various thicknesses, but thin at
the edges. Their purpose seems to have been
to assist in skinning the game, the larger
for larger game, the smaller for rabbits and
the smaller fur bearing animals. Probably
these implements were also used for scraping
the hides or skins manufactured into useful
articles.
(b.) Stone Axes and Malls. In the mound on
Red River was found the beautiful axe of
crystalline limestone, which approaches
marble. From the absence of stone so far as
we know of this kind in this neighborhood,
it is safe to conclude that it came from a
distant locality. There are also gray stone
celts and hammers used for crushing corn,
for hammering wood and bark for the canoes,
and other such like purposes, in time of
peace; and serving as formidable weapons in
time of war. In the mound on the Red River a
skull was discovered having a deep
depression in the broken wall, as if crushed
in by one of these implements.
(c.) Stone Tubes. (See B Fig. 1.) These are
among the most difficult of all the
mound-builders' remains to give an opinion
upon. They are chiefly made of a soft stone
something like the pipestone used by the
present Indians which approaches soapstone.
The hollow tubes (see figure B.) vary from
three to six inches in length, and are about
one-half an inch in diameter. They seem to
have been bored out by some sharp
instrument. Schoolcraft, certainly a
competent Indian authority states that these
tubes were employed for astronomical
purposes, that is to look at the stars. This
is unlikely; for though the race, with which
I shall try to identify our mound builders
are said, in regions further south, to have
left remains showing astronomical knowledge,
yet a more reasonable purpose is suggested
for the tubes. From the teeth marks around
the rim, the tubes were plainly used in the
mouth, and it is becoming generally agreed
that they were conjuror's cupping
instruments for sucking out as the medicine
men pretended to be able to do the disease
from the body. The custom survives in some
of the present Indian tribes. A lady friend
of mine informs me that she has a bone
whistle taken from a mound in the Red River
district.
2. Horn Implements. (See D. Figure 1.) The
only implement of this class that we have
yet found is the fish spear head (Fig. D.).
It was probably made from the antlers of a
deer killed in the chase. Its barbed edge
indicates that it was used for spearing
fish. It is in a fair state of preservation.
3. Copper. No discovery of the mounds so
fills the mind of the Archaeologist with joy
as that of copper implements. Copper mining
has now by the discovery in the Lake
Superior region, of mining shafts long
deserted, in which copper was quarried by
stone hammers on a large scale, been shown
to have been pursued in very ancient times
on this continent. It is of intense interest
for us to know that not only are there mines
found on the south side of Lake Superior,
but also at Isle Royale, on the north side
just at the opening of Thunder Bay, and
immediately contiguous to the Grand Portage,
where the canoe route to Rainy River, so
late as our own century, started from Lake
Superior. According to the American
Geologists the traces for a mile are found
of an old copper mine on this Island. One of
the pits opened showed that the excavation
had been made in the solid rock to the depth
of nine feet, the walls being perfectly
smooth. A vein of native copper eighteen
inches thick was discovered at the bottom.
Here is found also, unless I am much
mistaken, the mining location whence the
Takawgamis of Rainy River obtained their
copper implements. Two copper implements are
in our possession, one found by Mr. E.
McColl in the grand mound, and the other by
Mr. Alexander Baker in a small mound
adjoining this.
(a.) Copper Needle or Drill. (See A. Fig.
1.) This was plainly used for some piercing
or boring purpose. It is hard, yields with
difficulty to the knife, and is considered
by some to have been tempered. It may have
been for drilling out soft stone implements,
or was probably used for piercing as a
needle soft fabrics of bark and the like,
which were being sewed together.
(b.) Copper Cutting Knife. (See E. Fig. 1.)
This, has evidently been fastened into a
wooden handle. It may have been used for
cutting leather, being in the shape of a
saddler's knife, or was perhaps more suited
for scraping the hides and skins of animals
being prepared for use.
Some
twenty miles above the mound on the Rainy
River at Fort Frances a copper chisel buried
in the earth was found by Mr. Pither, then
H. B. Company agent, and was given by him to
the late Governor McTavish. The chisel was
ten inches long, was well tempered, and was
a good cutting instrument. Another copper
implement is in the possession of our
Society, which was found buried in the earth
100 miles west of Red River.
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