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7. The Indian Mounds of Iberville Parish
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7 THE INDIAN MOUNDS OF IBERVILLE PARISH Fred B. Kniffen* Introduction This study of Indian mounds is the second such to be included with a Parish geological bulletin.1 The study was undertaken both on its own merits as a contribution to the archaeology of Louisiana, and as an aid to the unravelling of the most recent geologic history of Iberville Parish. It was planned originally to cover both Iberville and Ascension Parishes, as is the case with the sections on geology, but with limited time available it seemed desirable to restrict the study to what appeared to be, with the objectives in mind, the more important of the two Parishes, Iberville. However, not only was every known Indian mound in Iberville Parish visited and examined , but field work was extended to a generous area of overlap into the neighboring Parishes. The present survey of prehistoric remains is the second to be conducted for this part of Louisiana. Late in 1912 and during the early months of 1913, the area was visited by Clarence B. Moore 2 of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, as a part of his great archaeologic survey of the southeastern United States. Moore made no pretense of including every site, restricting his visits to points easily accessible by river steamer. He gives excellent and accurate descriptions of each mound or group of mounds visited, but he paid little attention to surface collections of potsherds and other artifacts, being mainly interested in skeletal remains and burial * The writer gratefully acknowledges the very material field and laboratory assistance rendered by Mr. Walter Beecher. 1 The first: A preliminary report on the Indian mounds and middens of Plaquemines and St. Bernard Parishes: Louisiana Dept. Cons. Geol. Bull. 8, pp. 407-422, 1936. 2 Some aboriginal sites in Louisiana and in Arkansas: Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia Jour., 2d ser., vol. 16. pt. 1, pp. 6-19, 1913. 189 190 furniture.s The present survey conducted no excavations , but rather stressed the making of surface collections . The difference in point-of-view and method of the two surveys is such that there is little duplicatiop effort; rather, the two supplement each other. Types of sites The search for sites was largely limited to visits to mounds known to the inhabitants of the area studied. (See map, fig. 22.) A thorough questioning of local trappers, moss-gatherers, fishermen, and swampers yielded probably as complete a cataloging of the sites a~ can ever be compiled. In very few instances was constant vigilance along the line of travel rewarded with the discovery of a previously unreported site. All the sites examined may be placed in one or two classes: mound or midden. The map includes another class of somewhat different category: reported sites, or those not visited by the survey, whose map location is only approximate. The term "mound" is applied to those structures given definite and intentional form by their builders. In this area mounds are composed primarily of earth, occasionally with minor amounts of shell. They appear to have been used largely as tumuli, since nearly every one contains human remains. The mounds are quite uniform in shape, nearly all being referable to the class described as truncated pyramids. They vary greatly in size, from one 'that is some 25 feet square on top and four feet high, to one that is 200 feet square by 18 feet in height, and supports a group of farm buildings on its terrace-like surface. Middens are irregular accumulations of shells and animal remains, the domestic refuse resulting from a period of residence by a primitive population. In this area middens frequently take the form of long, well-defined ridges, one reaching a length of 700 feet, a width • Burial furniture: weapons, pottery, etc.. interred with bodies. 416 Kniffen [3.238.254.78] Project MUSE (2024-03-29 09:14 GMT) 191 LEGEND • HISTORIC eOMPLEX + ~;:O:'~Y~UO;~LTi::s AND A BAYOU CUTLER COMPLEX • :~~~S~I~~~U g~~~:x;;o o COMPLEX UNDETERMINED - MOUNO. OTHD:WISE 9 MIDDEN + REPORTED SITE 1.2 ETC SITES REFERRED TO IN TbY - ·-18Ef:VILL.E PARISH SCALE IN MILES • .0 Figure 22. Indian mounds and middens of Iberville Parish and vicinity. of 100 feet, and a maximum height of six feet. Intermingled with the primary constituents of the middens are slacked shells and other evidences of fire, potsherds, projectile points, and sundry additional suggestions of domestic activities. Midden heaps have frequently functioned as burial sites, so...