Adena
Mound Culture in the Ohio River Valley
Mar 23, 2009 Jeffrey R Gudzune
As the mound builders of Poverty Point spread throughout the northeast, they not only impacted the landscape but influenced the development of new civilizations. While they possessed a limited agricultural base, the people of Poverty Point engaged in trade with other indigenous tribes. It was through these various trade missions that they most likely introduced aspects of their own culture--possibly even the techniques used in the construction of mounds. As they expanded their sphere of influence, the people of Poverty Point set up new encampments throughout Louisiana, Arkansas, Tennessee, Missouri, and Florida. The presence of these new trade centers most likely had an influence on developing civilizations. The Adena of the Ohio river valley have been identified as the most likely successor civilization to that of Poverty Point. The Adena share many cultural traits with Poverty Point and also practice mound construction.
Roots of Adena Culture
Somewhere between 100 and 500 B.C., the Adena culture began to take root along the Ohio river valley. The early Adena were a hunter-gatherer society, but eventually established an agriculture that cultivated pumpkins, sunflowers, and gourds. They were also know to have grown tobacco for ceremonial use. The establishment of agriculture allowed the Adena to flourish and establish a sedentary lifestyle that eventually expanded into Ohio, West Virginia, Kentucky. Indiana, Pennsylvania, and New York. While most of what is known about the Adena comes from an examination of their mounds, it has been determined that they were highly skilled artists, carved intricate tools for both ceremonial and agricultural use, and designed a variety of pottery. All of this was evident through the excavation of Adena mounds located in West Virginia, Ohio, and Pennsylvania.
Adena Mound Construction
Like the people of Poverty Point, the Adena constructed their earthworks as monuments to the dead. Excavations of these burial mounds has revealed log lined chambers that contain examples of intricately carved stone tools, stone pipes, pearls, and copper gorgets (a type of armor meant to protect the throat). The discovery of this last item reinforced the belief that the Adena were highly skilled at metalwork and may have engaged in trade with the valuable material. It is known that the people of Poverty Point possessed metals but did not actively engage in metal work--at least, no evidence has been found to support that they did. Could the people of Poverty Point have engaged in trade with the early Adena? Once completed, the tomb would be covered with yellow clay and stones to form a circular dome. In many cases, the Adena constructed effigy mounds to venerate animals that were important to their spiritual life. These effigy mounds were constructed in the same manner as the burial mounds, except that they were often shaped like animals. The most prominent example of such a design is the Great Serpent Mound, located in Brush County, Ohio.
Effigy Mounds
The Great Serpent Mound is the largest of the Adena effigy mounds in North America. Located in the heart of Adena territory, the serpent is so named because it resembles a snake with a coiled tail. The mound itself is 440 meters in length and is composed of the same materials as the burial and effigy mounds located throughout Adena territory. While little is known about the specific workings of Adena culture, the veneration of animals suggests their importance to the spiritual development of the community. As they expanded into new territories, the Adena continued to construct new mounds, both for monuments to the dead and as symbols of spiritual devotion.
Fate of the Adena
So far, no one has been able to determine what happened to the Adena. They grew strong and expanded their society to dramatic new heights, but there seems to be little evidence of their prosperity past the year 400 A.D. The most likely explanation for the sudden decline of Adena culture would be the rise of a rival civilization that either merged with the Adena or proved a sufficient threat to their dominance in the region. The next culture to take root, the Hopewell, did occupy much of the same area as the Adena. Regardless of their fate, the Adena have made a lasting impact on the landscape of North America.
Sources:
Le Roy H Appleton, American Indian Design and Decoration. (New York: Dover Publication, Inc., 1971).
Marck C Carnes, Ed. U.S. History. (New York: MacMillan Library Reference, 1998).
David M. Jones and Brian L. Molyneaux. Mythology of the Native American Nations. (London: Hermes Press, 2006).
Carl Waldman, Atlas of the North American Indian. (New York: Checkmark Books, 2000).
Carl Waldman, Encyclopedia of Native Tribes. (New York: Checkmark Books, 2006).
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