▁the ▁area ▁and ▁were ▁covered ▁with ▁sand ▁and ▁other ▁min er als , ▁the ▁earth work ▁took ▁its ▁" dist inct ive ▁m ounded ▁appearance ". ▁Most ▁of ▁these ▁remains ▁were ▁laid ▁to ▁rest ▁during ▁the ▁late ▁St . ▁Joh ns ▁period , ▁after ▁A . D . ▁ 8 0 0 . ▁The ▁remains ▁were ▁oft ent imes ▁buried ▁with ▁their ▁most ▁pri zed ▁poss essions . ▁A part ▁from ▁human ▁b ones , ▁items ▁found ▁after ▁the ▁site ▁was ▁analyz ed ▁included ▁ut ens ils , ▁Indian ▁be ads , ▁Spanish ▁trad ing ▁be ads , ▁and ▁pot tery ▁sh erd s . ▁ ▁A ▁char nel ▁house , ▁a ▁structure ▁used ▁to ▁store ▁bodies ▁prior ▁to ▁bur ial , ▁was ▁located ▁near ▁the ▁Or mond ▁M ound . ▁These ▁structures ▁were ▁separate ▁from ▁the ▁village ▁and ▁were ▁used ▁by ▁the ▁St . ▁Joh ns ▁people ▁to ▁prepare ▁the ▁corps es ▁of ▁mostly ▁high - ran king ▁and ▁important ▁people ▁for ▁the ▁after life . ▁The ▁dead ▁were ▁laid ▁out ▁on ▁wooden ▁ra cks ▁and ▁allowed ▁to ▁de compose . ▁A ▁char nel ▁house ▁att endant , ▁usually ▁a ▁high ▁priest ▁or ▁a ▁b one picker , ▁would ▁carefully ▁remove ▁the ▁flesh ▁from ▁the ▁b ones ▁as ▁they ▁decom posed . ▁The ▁job ▁of ▁a ▁b one picker ▁was ▁known ▁throughout ▁the ▁community ▁as ▁one ▁of ▁the ▁most ▁pr estig ious ▁jobs ▁to ▁have . ▁ ▁After ▁the ▁bodies ▁d ried ▁away , ▁the ▁char nel ▁house ▁priest ▁would ▁end ▁up