essay

In search of the ideology of the Adena-Hopewell climax

hopewell archaeology : the chillicothe conferenceKent, OhioPublished In 1979 • Pages: 258-265

By: Hall, Robert L..

AbstractBrief abstract written by HRAF anthropologists who have done the subject indexing for the document
Hall uses ethnographic analogies from the Old and New Worlds to interpret Adena-Hopewell burial mounds. Hall proposes bird designs and panpipes may relate to concepts of fertility, the use of special muds in burial mounds may be connected to creation myths (where mud from beneath the primordial waters is brought to the surface to form the first land) or world renewal rituals, and bone awls used to pin down skins or mats over burials is reminiscent of another creation myth (whereby Earthmaker held down the four corners of the world to hold it in place). Archaeological examples of these and other associations are given. ''Burial mounds' were regarded as the material expressions of prehistoric rituals that also served functions other than burial, most of which may probably be found represented in historic tribal ceremonies…' (page 265). Only the data pertaining to Hopewell or Hopewell-like artifacts were indexed for OCM (Outlline of Cultural Materials) subjects.
SubjectsDocument-level OCM identifiers given by the anthropology subject indexers at HRAF
Theoretical orientation in research and its results
Comparative evidence
Burial practices and funerals
Mythology
Sacred objects and places
Ethnogeography
traditionCulture name from the Outline of World Cultures (OWC)
Hopewell
HRAF PubDateThe date HRAF published the document
2004
RegionThe area the document pertains to
North America
Sub RegionThe more specific area the document pertains to, which is located within the Region
Eastern Woodlands
Document TypeMay include journal articles, essays, collections of essays, monographs, or chapters/parts of monographs
essay
Evaluation
Creator TypeThe type of person writing the document, e.g. Ethnographer, Missionary, Archaeologist, Folklorist, Linguist, Indigenous Person, and so on.
Archaeologist
Document Rating A ranking done by HRAF anthropologists based on the strength of the source material on a scale of 1 to 5, as follows: 1 - poor; 2 - fair; 3 - good, useful data, but not uniformly excellent; 4 - excellent secondary data; 5 - excellent primary data.
4: Excellent Secondary Data
AnalystThe HRAF anthropologist who subject indexed the document and prepared other materials for the eHRAF culture/tradition collection
Sarah Berry ; 2003
Field DateThe date the researcher conducted the fieldwork or archival research that produced the document
not specified
Coverage DateThe date or dates that the information in the document pertains to
Middle Woodland and the ethnographic present
Coverage PlaceLocation of the research culture or tradition (often a smaller unit such as a band, community, or archaeological site)
Illinois and Ohio; United States
NotesAdditional notes
Robert L. Hall
For bibliographical references see document 11: Brose and Greber
LCCNLibrary of Congress Control Number
79088607
LCSHLibrary of Congress Subject Headings
Hopewell culture