Post by blackcrowheart on Dec 18, 2005 17:17:28 GMT -5
Ancient Native American Mound Cities of the Midwest
By Laura Market
Epoch Times Chicago Staff Dec 16, 2005
ANGEL MOUNDS: The mound building Native Americans from the Midwest region are often referred to as Mississippian— an Indian culture that lived along the Mississippi River Valley, developing around 700 to 800 AD and lasting until the late 1700's. Unlike the nomadic tendencies that one might associate with Native Americans, the Mississippian Indians were very skilled in agricultural ability, sustaining large communities of people for long periods of time. Angel Mounds
High-res image (640 x 480 px, 180 dpi) "I couldn't believe the view," said Chicago resident, Polyana Wolf after climbing what is known as Monk's Mound— the largest prehistoric earthen construction in the New World. It is one of many ancient Native American mounds covering about 4000 acres in Cahokia, Illinois.
At first glance Polyana wasn't too impressed with the site. "I didn't think all these piles of dirt were all that remarkable," she observed. Later, after standing atop one of the mounds she noticed that they were built with a great deal of care and planning. "It seemed like I could look in any direction for hundreds of miles," she said, mentioning that although she has been on top of the Sears Tower, the view from the mound seemed more vast somehow, "It was like an optical illusion. I got really excited and walked around the site all day, thinking about the passage of time and how people lived here for thousands of years."
Last month was set aside to observe Native American Heritage. It's a chance to reflect upon the people and civilizations that were here long before European settlers set foot in America.
The mound building Native Americans from this area are often referred to as Mississippian— an Indian culture that lived along the Mississippi River Valley, developing around 700 to 800 AD and lasting until the late 1700's. Unlike the nomadic tendencies that one might associate with Native Americans, the Mississippian Indians were very skilled in agricultural ability, sustaining large communities of people for long periods of time.
Another important mound site is Angel Mounds— a State Historic Site on the banks of the Ohio River. Upon entering the site of this fourteenth-century walled-town, it seems like the New World equivalent of a medieval European fortress city. Surrounding the town on three sides, with the Ohio River as the fourth boundary, the stockade walls were originally 6,300 feet long and 16 to 18 feet high. Although not nearly as large as Cahokia, Angel Mounds is one of the best-preserved, pre-historic Native American settlements in the United States and was the largest towns of its time in what is now southern Indiana.
The site was named after the Angel Family who settled and farmed in this location along the Ohio River in the early 1800s. With the help of a magnetometer (an instrument that locates structures below the surface by comparing magnetic readings) and combining it with research done at related Mississippian sites, including information gathered from ethno-historic accounts of early explorers and missionaries, archeologists were able to reveal the mysteries of this timeless fortress.
The site features a total of 11 mounds and houses made of mud, clay and cane using a building technique called wattle and daub. People often mistake these mounds for burial sites, but they were in fact used for religious, political and trade centers for people living within a 75-mile radius.
A replica of the town's original layout can be seen at the Angel Mounds site. The chief's 644 by 415 foot mound lies in the center of the town and is believed to be where the chief performed rituals to direct the Sun across the sky, for the well being of the people and their crops.
In these mound cities, family gardens were planted near the individual homes, while larger fields of corn, squash, and beans were cultivated were located outside the stockade in the river bottomlands.
Surprisingly, in excavations of Mississippian-era sites the swastika has been found along Ohio valley. This symbol, well known in ancient Far-East Asia, was also widely used by many southwestern tribes, most notably the Navajo. Outside Angel Mounds, a pin with a canoe and a white swastika was found at an antique store. The lady at the counter thought that it meant "peace," to a certain Indian league.
It is not entirely clear why the Mississippian people left; deserting this area completely by 1450. With no evidence of war or famine, some archaeologists suggest that since a large population lived in this area for so long, game, firewood and other natural resources became scarce. Later, some Mississippian gathered 30 miles to the west of Angel Mounds but their way of life disappeared entirely before European settlers arrived.
In its heyday, the ancient Cahokia city was thought to have a population of about 20,000. "It's incredible that people could build something so sophisticated without any modern tools, said Polyana, "they didn't even have the wheel."
By Laura Market
Epoch Times Chicago Staff Dec 16, 2005
ANGEL MOUNDS: The mound building Native Americans from the Midwest region are often referred to as Mississippian— an Indian culture that lived along the Mississippi River Valley, developing around 700 to 800 AD and lasting until the late 1700's. Unlike the nomadic tendencies that one might associate with Native Americans, the Mississippian Indians were very skilled in agricultural ability, sustaining large communities of people for long periods of time. Angel Mounds
High-res image (640 x 480 px, 180 dpi) "I couldn't believe the view," said Chicago resident, Polyana Wolf after climbing what is known as Monk's Mound— the largest prehistoric earthen construction in the New World. It is one of many ancient Native American mounds covering about 4000 acres in Cahokia, Illinois.
At first glance Polyana wasn't too impressed with the site. "I didn't think all these piles of dirt were all that remarkable," she observed. Later, after standing atop one of the mounds she noticed that they were built with a great deal of care and planning. "It seemed like I could look in any direction for hundreds of miles," she said, mentioning that although she has been on top of the Sears Tower, the view from the mound seemed more vast somehow, "It was like an optical illusion. I got really excited and walked around the site all day, thinking about the passage of time and how people lived here for thousands of years."
Last month was set aside to observe Native American Heritage. It's a chance to reflect upon the people and civilizations that were here long before European settlers set foot in America.
The mound building Native Americans from this area are often referred to as Mississippian— an Indian culture that lived along the Mississippi River Valley, developing around 700 to 800 AD and lasting until the late 1700's. Unlike the nomadic tendencies that one might associate with Native Americans, the Mississippian Indians were very skilled in agricultural ability, sustaining large communities of people for long periods of time.
Another important mound site is Angel Mounds— a State Historic Site on the banks of the Ohio River. Upon entering the site of this fourteenth-century walled-town, it seems like the New World equivalent of a medieval European fortress city. Surrounding the town on three sides, with the Ohio River as the fourth boundary, the stockade walls were originally 6,300 feet long and 16 to 18 feet high. Although not nearly as large as Cahokia, Angel Mounds is one of the best-preserved, pre-historic Native American settlements in the United States and was the largest towns of its time in what is now southern Indiana.
The site was named after the Angel Family who settled and farmed in this location along the Ohio River in the early 1800s. With the help of a magnetometer (an instrument that locates structures below the surface by comparing magnetic readings) and combining it with research done at related Mississippian sites, including information gathered from ethno-historic accounts of early explorers and missionaries, archeologists were able to reveal the mysteries of this timeless fortress.
The site features a total of 11 mounds and houses made of mud, clay and cane using a building technique called wattle and daub. People often mistake these mounds for burial sites, but they were in fact used for religious, political and trade centers for people living within a 75-mile radius.
A replica of the town's original layout can be seen at the Angel Mounds site. The chief's 644 by 415 foot mound lies in the center of the town and is believed to be where the chief performed rituals to direct the Sun across the sky, for the well being of the people and their crops.
In these mound cities, family gardens were planted near the individual homes, while larger fields of corn, squash, and beans were cultivated were located outside the stockade in the river bottomlands.
Surprisingly, in excavations of Mississippian-era sites the swastika has been found along Ohio valley. This symbol, well known in ancient Far-East Asia, was also widely used by many southwestern tribes, most notably the Navajo. Outside Angel Mounds, a pin with a canoe and a white swastika was found at an antique store. The lady at the counter thought that it meant "peace," to a certain Indian league.
It is not entirely clear why the Mississippian people left; deserting this area completely by 1450. With no evidence of war or famine, some archaeologists suggest that since a large population lived in this area for so long, game, firewood and other natural resources became scarce. Later, some Mississippian gathered 30 miles to the west of Angel Mounds but their way of life disappeared entirely before European settlers arrived.
In its heyday, the ancient Cahokia city was thought to have a population of about 20,000. "It's incredible that people could build something so sophisticated without any modern tools, said Polyana, "they didn't even have the wheel."