9) What is a burial mound?
This is an Indian cemetery. The Timucuas did not bury dead people in a box. Instead, they had a special place where the whole body, or just the bones, were placed on the ground. Dirt was piled over the dead person to cover them up. The next time someone died, he was laid next to the first person. Another pile of dirt, and maybe oyster shells, was piled over them. This is what causes the mound or hill shape. The Timucuas didn’t dig to bury people. Instead, they built a mound of sand up over the skeletons. Special things were buried with the dead person, like pottery, shells, and arrowheads. The more things you had buried with you, the more important you were in the village. Chiefs had lots of stuff buried with them when they died. Click here, "Dent Mound," to find out about the burial mound on Pelotes Island.