Picture by the Ohio Historical Society
Adena Flint Spear Points
Picture by the Ohio Historical Society
Adena men used flint spear points to hunt with. These pear points were often made by percussion and pressure chipping. Some points may have been made from leaf-shaped knife blades while others were made from rough pieces of flint. The knife blades have pointed tips and rounded bases. these spear points were multipurpose artifacts used for cutting and scraping. (Potter, 28-29)
Adena Mound
Picture by the Ohio Historical Society
The Adena Indians were the first in this area of Ohio to build earth mounds over the remains of their dead. From this, they were called "mound builders". The ceremony and construction of these mounds were a very important part of Adena life. The Adena permitted some bodies to decompose until only the bones remained. The bones were then gathered together and put in a bundle burial. A mound of earth covered each burial to mark it and to protect it from predators. Over a period of years, many mounds grew in size because of accumulation of burials. Other burials were made either at the edge of the original mound or on top of it. Each burial was covered with more earth. One mound in central Ohio grew in this way over a period of several hundred years and when it was excavated, it revealed both early and late Adena burial practices. (Potter, 32)
Adena Pipe
Picture by the Ohio Historical Society |
The Adena Pipe is the most famous pipe made by the Adena Indians. It was found with a burial beneath the original Adena Mound in Ross County, Ohio. Instead of an animals head represented on the pipe, an entire human figure was carved around the smoking tube. The individual portrayed probably was not a physically normal-sized person, but a dwarf. This person had a muscular body, short arms and legs and a big head. This pipe was most likely smoked as part of a special ceremony. The Adena Pipe was used to smoke plants. the plants were stuffed in the bowl between the feet of the pipe and the smoke was drawn through the mouth piece at the top of the head. (Potter, 30-31) |
Model Adena Indian Home
Picture by the Ohio Historical Society
The homes of the Adena Indians were circular in shape, being 18 to 20 feet in diameter. The frame of the house is made by setting wooden posts into the ground at an angle so that the tops lean outward. The walls of the house were made from vines and other woody materials woven between the pairs of wooden posts. The sides of the house were protected by the overhanging wooden roof and the outward slope of the posts which kept the rain from running down the walls. (Potter, 25)