Indians of North America--Antiquities

Busycon contrarium has a wide distribution through both time and space
in Midwestern Archaeological sites. The areas of maximum occurrence
·for this shell are the coastal areas from Monroe to Gulf County along
the Florida Gulf Coast. The most probable source of this shell for
trade to Midwestern archaeological sites was the Apalachicola Bay area.
As this shell was traded inland to Midwestern Archaeological sites it
was consistently incorporated into a sacred class of artifacts. Its
utilization as a ceremonial vessel in busk or Green Corn ceremonies is
the most probable reason for its wide distribution through both time
and space in so many different cultures of the Eastern United States.

Hopewell and Hopewell related sites in the midwest and southeast
United States are presented through an analysis and comparison
of ceramic and non-ceramic artifacts and traits. Consideration
of the sacred/secular distinction for Hopewell,
Tchefuncte-Marksville, Troyville, Coles Creek, Deptford-Yent,
Cartersville-Tunacunnhee, Early Swift Creek-Green Point, and
Weeden Island are discussed as well as their economic, religious,
political, and social systems. Interregional comparisons
suggest that the east side deposit type mounds of the
Weeden Island cultures along the northwest Florida coast and
adjacent areas reflect the burial customs of midwestern
Hopewell and its southeastern affiliates. The east side deposit
type mounds are shown to be derived from midwestern
Hopewell, but have closer affinities with the southeastern
Hopewellian affiliates (Marksville, Yent, and Green Point).
Parallelism between Hopewell and Weeden Island cultures revolves
around a ceremonialism presumably associated with a
corn based economy.