Lesson 3 - State Parks & Early Woodland Cultures

In the Early Woodland Period, from 1,000 to 200 BCE, there existed a people in Indiana referred to in the present day as the Adena culture. The name Adena is taken from the farm of a man named Thomas Worthington, who lived in Chillicothe, Ohio in the 19th century. The name Adena was given to this civilization by archaeologists to help us understand what we know or can infer about their cultures from artifacts and symbols that have been found. The Adena were not one large group or tribe, but were more likely a group of interconnected communities living mostly in Ohio and Indiana. The Adena were significant for their food cultivation, pottery and sizable commerce network that covered a larger area from the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico. This period is often associated with mound builders. The Adena, who built the mounds, were the earliest of these peoples. Their successors also used the mounds.

Over a period of 500 years, the Adena culture evolved to become what we call the Hopewell tradition. Much like the Adena, the Hopewell were not one large group, but should be viewed as a group of interrelated societies. The name Hopewell was given to this civilization by archaeologists. Just as with the Adena, the Hopewell’s trade networks connected them with other cultures. In fact, some archaeologists see the Hopewell simply as the high point of the Adena. With the Adena-Hopewell, we see the beginnings of social hierarchy. The evolution from hunter-gatherers to agriculture meant stability as well as economic and population growth. Out of that growth came social hierarchy. From there it is a short leap to tribes and chiefdoms. We do not have evidence of the Hopewell in Indiana after 500 CE, but some archaeologists think that sometime before European contact they became the Miami or Shawnee.

The Woodland Period is often associated with mound builders. These earthworks were used by early Woodland peoples for various religious and ceremonial reasons. More than 300 of these mounds have been identified in central Indiana. All of them are on the eastern side of a river. When the mounds were used by the Adena-Hopewell, they had no trees. They removed the trees with fire to keep the view open. Adena and Hopewell are names given to these groups by archaeologists, not names they were known by in the time in which they lived.

Each mound has four main parts: embankment, ditch, platform and gateway. The embankment is the actual earthen mound, which creates the perimeter around the ditch. The dirt removed from the ditch was used to build up the mound. The ditch is in the middle of the enclosure and is dug first. Dirt was loaded into baskets and placed on the mound. The platform was located in the center of the ditch at ground level. Finally, the gateway serves as a break in the outer embankment, creating an opening for people to enter the enclosure at ground level.

The mounds at Mounds State Park were built around 250 BCE. The Great Mound is the largest among ten found at the park. The Great Mound was most likely used for ceremonies, but we do not know for sure. The Adena built the mound but the Hopewell used it for burials. Fiddleback Mound is in the shape of a figure eight (much like a fiddle). Archaeologists believe that Fiddleback was a midden (i.e., a trash heap). The Circle Mound is actually rectangular. Most of the mounds on the park’s map are grouped at the southern end of the property. Circle Mound is on the northern end. Fomalhaut Mound is relatively small, standing only about a foot high. Unlike the other mounds, it has two gateways. The final mound on the park’s map is Woodland Mound. It is a small mound likely used for astronomy.

Archaeologists believe that the complex of mounds at Mounds State Park was constructed primarily to help the Adena-Hopewell track astronomical events over the course of a year. In other words, the mounds served as a calendar to tell the peoples of the Woodland Period when the seasons were going to change.

The Mississippian Culture was another mound-building civilization. These people lived in the Midwestern portion of the country from 800 to 1600 CE. The Mississippians built large mounds with platforms on top, upon which they built houses and important public buildings. The staple food for this culture was maize (what we call corn). Evidence tells us that Mississippians used river shells to strengthen their pottery. Like the Adena-Hopewell, Mississippians had a large trade network. The Mississippians had a similar but more fully evolved social hierarchy than the Adena-Hopewell. The hierarchy included use of the chiefdom as a political structure. The Mississippians left behind physical evidence of their daily life. We call such items artifacts. Studying these artifacts can help us understand who the Mississippians were and what their life was like. Mississippian is a name given to this group by archaeologists, not a name they were known by in the time in which they lived.

Collecting artifacts is illegal without permission from the property owner. Qualified archaeologists who have submitted a plan and been granted a permit by the DNR Division of Historic Preservation & Archaeology (DHPA) are the only people who have permission to dig for and collect artifacts on state property.

Sometimes accidental discoveries happen. If someone finds an artifact it’s best for them to leave it alone, make note of the location, and immediately contact the park’s office.
If someone reports that what they’ve found may be human remains, the park office will immediately call the county coroner’s office.

Another issue to consider is something called NAGPRA, which stands for Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act. This federal law makes sure that important Native American cultural items — especially human remains but also other sacred items — are returned to their descendants if they are found. Archaeology is a science, but there are larger questions to consider: What does it mean to dig up another culture’s family and heritage? Sometimes these activities can go against religious beliefs of native people. What do you think of the morality of conducting archaeological research? What are the pros and cons?