Shanna Hart

The Newark Earthworks and the Hopewell Indians

Location: Outside in park like setting, walking on a mostly level grassy area, the tour will be
given in person
Length of Tour: 1 hour for walking tour and 15-30 min for the end of tour activity
Audience: The tour is open to anyone who visits the park. All ages are welcome and could be
accommodated with the addition of some extra explanations for children. This tour would be
directed toward people who do not know a lot about the earthworks or the Hopewell Indians.
Potential Problems: This tour can be conducted from early spring to late fall. It can also be
conducted in most weather with the use of umbrellas and coats. The ground where the walking
tour is conducted it flat and smooth, any wheelchair that can go in grass should be fine.

Teaching Strategies: I plan to use the teaching strategies discussed in Buchholz (2015).
Introduction:
Hello, my name is Shanna Hart welcome to the Newark Earthworks. Today we are going
to talk about the Hopewell Indians, the creators of these earthen mounds here in Newark and
other places around Ohio. I have been studying the Hopewell Indians as part of obtaining my
bachelor’s degree in anthropology the study of human culture. To start our tour I would like to
know what kinds of things you have been told about the earthen mounds or the Hopewell
Indians. As we walk along this tour you can ask questions at the end of each stop. Also, at the
conclusion of the tour we have a fun interactive exhibit you can try.

1. Today as we stand just outside of the earthen mounds I am going to give some back
ground information about the Hopewell Indians. This group of Native Americans lived in
Ohio from 100 B.C. to 500 A.D. They built burial mounds and large earthen enclosures
in geometric shapes. Some of these shapes include circles, squares, and octagons. They
used them as burial sites, as well as, a gathering place for social and ceremonial events.

The Hopewell Culture was not one group of people but rather at least 22 groups of people
related by trade and interaction. The locations of these groups have been mapped and
called the “Hopewell Interaction Sphere.” These groups inhabited more than 20 states in
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the U.S. and parts of Canada. Here is a picture of that shows where the different groups
where located. Are there any questions before we move to next area?

2. As we walk in to the mound area what is something that you notice? One of the first
things I notice is how tall the mounds are and how tall the trees are. I think of these trees
being really old, but when these mounds were built all of the trees in this area had been
cut down. The Newark Earthworks is the largest set of geometric earthen enclosures in
the world that extend over 4-square-miles. These mounds were created by people using
digging sticks, baskets, and a lot of human muscle power. Can you imagine carrying big
baskets of dirt and rock on your back to make these huge mounds?

This Newark Complex is made up of several different shapes that have been found to
align with the rising and setting of the moon. The one we are looking at now is the Great
Circle Mound, it is nearly 1,200 feet in diameter with eight foot high walls and a five foot
deep moat surrounding it. Around the entrance to the circle the walls reach up to 14 feet
in height.
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The earth works that is located at what is now Mound Builders Country Club not very far
from here and is the site of Octagon Mound. The Octagon Mound encloses 50 acres with
eight walls that are 550 feet long, and six feet high. Parallel walls join the Octagon to an
ellipse shape enclosing 20 acres. That area was used as a cemetery for the Newark
complex. The complex at the Country Club is not open to the public at this time.
However, the Ohio History Connection is working to make it open to the public and have
all of the Newark mounds added as a World Heritage site. That would make this Ohio’s
first World Heritage site. Here is an aerial picture of what the mounds would have looked
like. As you are looking as this picture I want you to think about how big these sites are
and how perfect the shapes are. They didn’t have any of our modern tools or mathematics
for surveying the land. What do think are some of the ways they built the shapes so
perfectly? Are there any questions at this point in the tour?

3. As we walk over here closer to the mound itself we will talk about how they were
constructed. The mounds were built up in layers over a long period of time. Burial
chambers are often found in the oldest parts of the mounds. The burial chambers are not
very deep with the walls and floor being constructed out of logs or rock. Here is a photo
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of what a deconstructed mound looks like. Archeologists the professionals who study
people from the past can find a lot of information by excavating or digging up the
mounds, but what is a major problem with that? The mounds are destroyed and we no
longer get to enjoy them. Most of the mound sites in Ohio have already been destroyed
by humans coming in and resettling the land. It is now important to find ways to preserve
and protect the ones that are left.

4. Now as we walk towards the center of the circle where the Eagle Mound is located, we
are going to talk about the people who created the mounds, the Hopewell people. The
Hopewell people built temporary structures for their homes and ceremonial centers. Their
homes were made of bent logs covered in reed, tree bark and some animal skins. The
ones built for ceremony, were very large and could hold hundreds of people. Here is a
picture of what their houses may have looked like. In the area we are now standing there
would have been one of their large ceremonial buildings. After looking at the picture can
you imagine what it would have been like to stand in a structure like that with hundreds
of people? What kinds of things could you smell or see? Their only source of light would
have been fire.
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Now that we have talked about where the Hopewell people lived let’s talk about what
they ate. They were sustainable farmers and hunters. They grew sunflowers, beans,
squash, and other plants. They hunted deer, rabbit, birds, and fished the many rivers and
lakes in Ohio. They also ate many wild plants including Paw Paw fruit, berries, and
plants that produced edible seeds. They grew corn but it was not a staple crop and was
only used for ceremonial purposes.

5. As we walk back towards the museum let’s think about The Hopewell people’s
transportation. How do you think they traveled? The Hopewell traveled by foot on land
and by canoe or raft on the water ways. In this area the licking valley river was a busy
transportation route. The river connects this site and another very important local site.
Can anyone guess what that site is? The site I am talking about is Flint Ridge.

Flint Ridge is a flint quarry that has been used for more than 10,000 years. Flint artifacts
from this source can be found all over the eastern U.S. The flint quarried was considered
a prized resource. One of the many reasons it was so coveted was because it comes in a
wide range of colors. What is something you might find made out of flint? The flint was
used to create many different types of artifacts including ceremonial ornamentation,
tools, weapons like arrow heads and blanks for trade. Here is an arrow made of local flint
to pass around and look at. Please be careful the edges can be sharp.
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6. As we stand outside of the museum I am going to talk about Hopewell artifacts. The most
well-known are their effigy pipes. Here is a picture of a bird effigy pipe to look at. The
pipes were carved of Ohio pipestone. Craftsmen carved the pipes with flint knives and
embellished them with pearls and copper. The pipes represent a variety of significant
animals, and are believed to represent personal spirit guides.

One of the most interesting facts about Hopewell artifacts is the materials they are made
from. The Hopewell people maintained a very large network to get material resources. It
extended as far west as the Rocky Mountains, south through the Appalachians to the tip
of Florida, and to the north around Lake Superior. They acquired many different kinds
resources including cooper, silver, mica, obsidian, quartz, galena, Wyandotte chert,
marine shells, pearls, sharks teeth and grizzly bear claws and teeth. Large quantities of
these materials have been found throughout Ohio. All of this material had to be brought
to Ohio by human muscle power, canoes and rafts. Here is a map of where these different
materials came from.
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It is believed that the collection of these goods was not done by trade, but by long trips
completed by the Hopewell people. Many archeological markers of trade are missing.
Some areas are not populated enough for trade, and others do not contain any Hopewell
artifacts.

One of the artifacts that you can see in the museum is the Wray Figurine. The Wray
Figurine was found in 1881 in Newark, Ohio. It is made from a solid piece of rock that
weighs about 1 ½ pounds. The figure is a person wearing a bear skin complete with the
animal's head. In the figure's lap is what appears to be a human head with the hair
flowing down between the figure's legs. Here is a picture if you cannot stop in the
museum, but I highly recommend that you get an up close in person look at it.
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7. As we wrap up this tour I want to show you this object, does anyone know what it is? It is
an Atlatl. An Atlatl was used with long darts for hunting. The Hopewell Indians used
these tools for hunting right here in Ohio. The Atlatl technology is 17,000 years old it
was used to enhance the skills of Native hunters all over the world. This carved piece of
wood is used with 6-9 ft. long hunting darts. The atlatls extend the length of the hunters
arm to increase the speed, strength and accuracy of their throw. Today you are going to
get the chance to try out an Atlatl and see what it was like hunting thousands of years
ago. I would like to thank you for visiting the Newark Earthworks today and taking the
time to come on this tour. If anyone has any questions I will be here until you done with
the Atlatls to answer them. Everyone please line up and you will get a chance to throw
three darts at a target.
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Learning Objectives:

 The tour group should be able to identify who built the mounds.
 The tour group should be able to identify an Atlatl and describe what it is used for and
how to use it.
 The tour group should be able to relate to some of the difficulties the Hopewell Indians
had to deal with. For example building the mounds by hand and hunting with and Atlatl.
 The tour group should be able to apply things they have learned to other mound sites
around Ohio. For example the Hopewell Indians built them.
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 The tour group should be able to discuss what Native Americans ate in Ohio.

Outcomes of the Presentation: I gave this tour to my husband. We have been to the park many
times, so he was able to imagine the area without being there. He felt the tour was interesting and
had a good balance of facts without being boring. Without being able to visit the site it was
difficult to know if stops and distances were appropriately placed. I felt that if I could have been
standing in the atmosphere of the park I may have been able to come up with more sensory
experiences. Overall I believe that it is a good tour that may take practice to perfect over time.

Buchholz, J., Lackey, B., Gross, M. & Zimmerman, R. (2015). Structure your walk or tour. The
interpreter's guidebook: Techniques for programs and presentations (pp. 161-171). Stevens
Point, Wisconsin: UW-SP Foundation Press

Hart, S. B. (n.d.). The Hopewell Indians of Licking County Ohio.

Hirst, K. K. (2019, May 30). The Technology and History of the Atlatl Spear Thrower. Retrieved
April 24, 2020, from https://www.thoughtco.com/what-is-an-atlatl-169989
Newark Earthworks. (n.d.). Retrieved April 24, 2020, from
https://www.ohiohistory.org/visit/museum-and-site-locator/newark-earthworks