Archaeologia Nova Caesarea: 1907-1909 . Fig. g. Axe, Celt and Gouge of Delaware Indians. The occurrence of burial moimds in New Jersey have beenfrequently reported, but in every instance of which I haveknowledge, it was a natural hillock or out-reaching ridge,with sufficient clay at its base to preserve it against the wearand tear of the elements. Such a feature in a landscape ^Historical Collections of New Jersey: Barber and Howe, 2nd Ed.,1856, p. 122. 6i would not escape an Indians notice, and its utilization as aburial place would be a very apt suggestion, but that atumulus was ever deliber
Archaeologia Nova Caesarea: 1907-1909 . Fig. g. Axe, Celt and Gouge of Delaware Indians. The occurrence of burial moimds in New Jersey have beenfrequently reported, but in every instance of which I haveknowledge, it was a natural hillock or out-reaching ridge,with sufficient clay at its base to preserve it against the wearand tear of the elements. Such a feature in a landscape ^Historical Collections of New Jersey: Barber and Howe, 2nd Ed.,1856, p. 122. 6i would not escape an Indians notice, and its utilization as aburial place would be a very apt suggestion, but that atumulus was ever deliberately built is open to question, al-though earthworks for defense are recorded by those whohad seen them and questioned the Indians as to their originand purport. It can be said safely that the Delaware In-dians were in no sense mound-builders, but appear occas-ionally to have been mound-dwellers. An examination of one such natural hillock gave evidencethat it had been palisaded near the top and a house erected. Club-head and ornaments of Delaware Indians. within the enclosure. The earth showed the effect of longcontinued fire in one limited spot. No handiwork of theoccupants was found except innumerable potsherds. Theplace appeared to have been burnt and never re-occupied,and no trace of a burial could be found. It is probable thata great many reported mounds were such places as I havedescribed, and yet the counterfact of such burial places asthat upon the Rancocus creek is not to be overlooked. That 62 Indians should desire to be buried on its banks is not whole valley of the stream was almost one continuousvillage. Nowhere, except in the irreclaimable marsh, arerelics of the alx)rigines wanting. The sands are full ofthem. Objects of argillite are more abundant than thoseof jasper and quartz, and are so mingled with pottery andimplements of knowm Indian manufacture that no distinc-tion can be drawn between later Indians and the argilliteman, unless indeed there is
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