Hopewell Culture Essay Example For Students

Hopewell Culture Essay Studiedsince the discovery of the conspicuous mounds in Ross County Ohio, the Hopewellhave been an archaeological enigma to many. The tradition is so named for theowner of the farm, Captain Hopewell, where over thirty mounds were discovered. Earlier studies focused more on the exotic grave goods such as precious metals,freshwater pearls, many of these objects had come from all corners of thecontinent from the Rocky Mountains to the Gulf of Mexico, and north to themid-Atlantic coastline (some say Hopewellian influence reached Nova Scotia). Earlier scholars of the Hopewell (1950s through 1960s) were well aware ofthe influence of the Interaction Sphere, yet concluded that the Hopewell,in terms of lifestyle were a cult and had no influence on daily life. Laterstudies suggest otherwise, as more and more information surfaces along with newinsightful interpretations. It is widely accepted that the Hopewell are thenext generation of the Adena. That is to say that the Adena gave rise tothe Hopewell, who had, as speculated migrated into the Ohio River Valley fromIllinois. The Hopewell have been described as a more elaborate and flamboyantversion of the Adena. Whether the Hopewell overpowered the Adena or simplymingled with and mixed into the culture, is not certain, yet there has been noevidence of warfare to support the former. The result was a cultural explosionencompassing a vast majority of North America east of the Rocky Mountains to theAtlantic coast. The Hopewell flourished in the Middle Woodland from 200 B.C. toAD 500. The environment was nearly what it is today. Temperate with lakes,streams, wetlands and flood-plains, the people took advantage of the seasonalweather in the Ohio River Valley via foraging as well as hunting and gathering. The cultivation of domestic strains of beans and maize was well on its way as itwas implemented in small amounts, catching on later in the time period. Thevegetation was a prairie/forest mix of deciduous trees, walnut, oak, variousgrasses and shrub. The fauna of the region included many species of waterfowl,turkey and other species in great abundance that are found today (perhaps inmore abundance than found today). Larger fauna included buffalo, bison, deer,and elk and smaller animals such as rodents, raccoons, beaver and the like. Aquatic life included freshwater mussels and clams, many fishes (bass, catfish,etc.) and turtles. As we will see, the people made abundant use of these floraand fauna as food, clothing, container, ceremonial and ornamental objects. Asfor changes through time in the environment, it is theorized (by some) that itdid in fact shift to a wetter one, perhaps driving the people to higher groundor otherwise drier climates. Core settlement, as noted was along the Ohio Riverand its estuaries on flood-plains, as well as on or near wetlands. Major areasof population density include Newark and Chillicothe as well as Marietta. Theseareas provided a lush environment of flora and fauna species that were widelyexploited over the centuries by the inhabitants. Living quarters, althoughscarcely studied, consist of scatterings of small villages with largersettlements located near and around major mound complexes. Some of these smallervillages seem to have been occupied seasonally while settlement was mor e thanlikely permanent in the larger loci surrounding the mounds. Some dwellings havebeen found to consist of saplings stuck into the ground in a circle, broughttogether in the center and covered with elm bark or mats of woven grasses. Postmolds from various areas in Ohio and Illinois indicate oval patterns as well asrectangular long-houses with rounded corners. Larger houses ranged from 18 to 25feet long and one was as large as 4448 feet, suggesting a large gatheringplace, perhaps for trading, council meetings or ceremonial practices. The dressof the people reflected their beliefs, trading practices and even wealth. Ornaments were worn head to foot. Womens hair were pinned back with dowels ofwood or bone in a bun or knot and a long sort of ponytail. When nursing, womenwore their hair braided and tied up in a shorter ponytail that was held togetherby a mesh or net-like bag. Typical male hairstyle was a sort of mohawk on topwith their hair pulled back into a bun in the back. As for male dress, a warriorwore a loincloth of dyed material with patterns on it (resembling a diaper; forlack of better description). He carried a long spear, an atl-atl, wearingvarious necklaces of bone, shell and stone beads including bear claws, sharktooth and other exotic items. The closest that these ancient north Americanscame to an iron age is revealed in their use of copper as breast plates andhelmets in warfare. Members of both sexes wore earspools (yo-yo shaped earrings)of copper as well as bracelets and necklaces. Mica was cut and shaped intovarious ornaments for headdresses in the form of animals, birds of prey t alons,geometric figures, human hand, and bear claw. Mica would be integrated intoclothing and on garments that would sparkle and reflect light, somewhat likesequins. Not much more is known about dress, due to the fact that textilesdeteriorate rapidly in the archaeological record. Very little is known of socialand political customs; ideas being drawn from ethnographic analogy (of Iroquois,the possible descendants) as well as being pieced together from archaeologicalcontexts. More than likely the people operated under matrilineal kinship. Theylived in long-houses dominated by the oldest female member of the family andwhen a couple was married, the husband would move into the wives house andbecome a part of their social unit. These new husbands had very little if anysay in household matters. The children belonged to or were affiliated withtheir mothers family, the males owing allegiance to that unit. There were,however male chiefs who represented households and villages in tribal affai rs. Evidence for hereditary monarchy is briefly described from a report in the1950s. It documents that a number of skeletons found in some mound structureshad a rare physical trait. This trait was a bony growth in the ear that wasgenetically transmitted. Peoples found to harbor this growth were found inassociation with vast riches of pearls, beads, precious metals, large amounts ofmica and the like, quite possibly the inbred mark of royalty within atribe or tribes. The subsistence base of the Hopewell consisted of hunting,gathering and to a lesser extent cultivation of local plant species, dependingupon where they lived. Hunting was done primarily with spears and projectilepoints, with the Indians making use of an instrument called and atl-atl. Onewould attach a spear to the atl-atl and hurl it at the target, the implementproviding not only a more powerful throw, but giving the spear a more finelytuned trajectory. Also used at this time were the bow and arrow, a big step intechnological innovation at the time. This is evident in the archaeologicalrecord with the finding of smaller projectile points such as the SquibnocketTriangle. As for throwing spears, larger projectile points were used, resemblingthe Jacks Reef Corner Notched, broad knife blades and corner notchedprojectile points being preferred as well as being typical of the Hopewell. Role Of Airplanes In World War II EssayThe lend-ees would then be obligated to the Big Man, perhaps having towork harder to pay back the favor. This, along with burial customs is theoverall effect of the Hopewell interaction sphere facilitating the so-calledBig Idea. It was a philosophy, a way of life be it not all encompassing inthe lives of distant trade partners, yet affecting them through ritualceremonialism (in some areas as evidenced by presences of mounds) andtrade-good manufacture. This dispersal reached Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin,Iowa, Missouri, New York, the Northeast and eastern Rocky Mountain states andinto the deep south. The best-known aspects of the Hopewell are their ceremonialand burial practices centering on earthworks and burial mounds. Earthworksincluded animal effigy mounds (coinciding with animal platform pipes. Correlation?), geometric shapes, and a particular recent find, the GreatHopewell Road. Found in Ohio, it runs from Newark to Chillicothe, in a straightline through swamps and streams, thought to be a spiritual or pilgrimage route,rather than one of trading. Burial mounds were usually enclosed by a raisedembankment, symbolizing a sacred place. Earthworks were found in conjunctionwith burial mounds, near burial mounds or even distances away, some taking uphundreds of acres. The great Serpent Mound is a good example, yet isthought of as Adena. As for mortuary customs, three quarters of the bodies hadbeen cremated, full fleshed burial was probably a privilege of higher rankedindividuals, they were buried in full flexed position. Structures called CharnelHouses were erected where the dead were de-fleshed and then taken for cremation. First, brush was cleared from the burial area, including trees and topsoil. Claywas then lain down and then an inch of sand that was compacted. A large woodenstructure (some with no roofs, possibly to expose flesh to the elements forremoval) was built, sometimes with smaller rooms inside to accommodate others orextra grave goods and furniture. Cremations were done in clay lined pits duginto the floor after the bodies had been stripped of flesh and left there orplaced inside the log cabin structure. They were then surrounded by high-qualitygrave goods mentioned above, artisans or craftsmen being interred with largeamounts of their medium of specialty or trade including pearls, mica andobsidian. One mound was found with 12,000 pearls, 35,000 pearl beads, 20,000shell beads, nuggets of copper, meteoric iron, silver, sheets of hammered goldand copper, and iron beads. These houses were left standing or were burnt downand then covered with a mound taking up to and including one million bask et-fullsof earth. This was done periodically, layering burial on top of burial, perhapsindicating lineage, that it was that clans mound. Some of the skeletons hadcopper noses affixed to their skulls (nasal cavities). The mounds were probablyreserved for those in high status positions, sizes ranging from ten to fiftyfeet high and larger. The number of these earthworks in Ohio alone reaches10,000, however, many have been lost in this and other areas due to plowing anderosion. The Hopewell decline is as much a mystery as its origins and practices. The Hopewell exchange systems seem to have deteriorated around AD 500;Moundbuilding ceased, art forms were no longer produced. War and mass murder isunlikely, for there is no evidence for fighting (none even during the era). Perhaps it was the decimation of big-game herds of buffalo, deer and elk due tothe technology of the bow and arrow. Support for this theory lies in thedisappearance of atl-atl weights around the same time as the collapse. This, inconjunction with colder climatic conditions could have driven the animals northor west, as weather would have a detrimental effect on plant-life, drasticallycutting the subsistence base for these foods. Along with this, food productionof maize and other hardier plants would have been more important than tradingexotic goods. Another theory suggests that they eventually dispersed for unknownreasons, moving perhaps south, integrating with the Mississippian culture or tothe northeast, lending to the ancestral Iroquois theory. Whatever the case maybe, the Hopewell have left their indelible mark on Ancient Native North AmericanCulture in a way Archaeologists and Historians have never encountered. BibliographyFagan, Brian M. Ancient North America 1995 (revised) Thames and Hudson Ltd.,London. Jennings, Jesse D. Prehistory of North America 1968 McGraw-Hill Inc.,New York. Spencer, Robert F. / Jesse D. Jennings The Native Americans (secondedition) 1977 Harper and Row, Publishers, New York. Ceram, C.W. The FirstAmerican 1971 Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Inc., New York Recent Fieldwork atHopewell Culture National Historic Park www.nps.gov/hocu/recent%20fieldwork.htmHome Page for Jackson, Jennifer M. www.ucsu.colorado.edu/~jacksoj/ Archaeology:Woodland 3: Hopewell www.uiowa.edu/~anthro/webcourse/naarch/hopewell.htmResearch finds Hopewell Indians were in park www.wcinet.com/th/News/010398/Front/90294.htmWoodland Period www.uiowa.edu/~osa/cultural/wood.htm