Post by Okwes on Jul 24, 2007 10:19:51 GMT -5
Research backs Ho-Chunk claim on mounds
Posted: Tuesday, Mar 13, 2007 - 11:43:04 am CDT
By Julie Becker
Daily News staff writer
But treaties show Chippewa shared land
Stateline Area residents who have seen the anti-Beloit casino television ads paid for by the Ho-Chunk Nation - and with the number of commercials filling the airwaves, there's no doubt most have - may have noticed a recent shift in the campaign's focus.
In addition to touting the tag “wrong for Beloit,” the campaign now features the less threatening message of “born in Beloit.”
In the new commercial a woman's voice explains that the Ho-Chunk were born in Beloit, while images of the effigy mounds and artifacts found scattered across the Beloit College campus flash across the screen.
Local archaeologists say the commercial's message may be based less on opinions than historical facts and physical evidence.
According to research by Beloit College archaeologists, the animal-shaped mounds, which date as far back as 700 A.D., can be traced to ancestors of the Ho-Chunk.
“There are a lot of gaps in our knowledge, but we're using two lines of evidence that seem fairly reliable right now. And it's on that basis that most people assert that connection between the effigy mounds and Ho-Chunk ancestors,” said Dr. Robert Salzer, a former Beloit College anthropology professor and one of the archaeologists conducting ongoing research related to the effigy mounds.
Many factors have been pieced together to lead researchers to that conclusion, Salzer said. One is the shape of the effigy mounds.
“If you use a little bit of wishful thinking - just a little bit - the shapes of the mounds match the animals on the Totem of the Ho-Chunk clan, if you want to make that connection,” he said.
“Another line of reasoning is we strongly think there's a connection between the effigy building type of culture and a certain type of pottery that was found in the area. Radioactive carbon dates support that that style of pottery was made around the same time frame (of the effigy mounds),” he added.
Perhaps the biggest indication is that the Ho-Chunk themselves have claimed their ancestors were the creators of the effigy mounds for more than a century - a claim that no other Indian tribe has made, Salzer said.
Although nothing in archaeology can be 100 percent certain, Salzer said the commercial's claim is not a stretch.
Members of the Chippewa tribe recognize the validity of the Ho-Chunk's historical connections to the Beloit area as well, but are quick to point out the Ho-Chunk is not the only tribe that can prove a connection. U.S. government documents indicate the region around modern-day Beloit was shared by a number of tribes, including the Chippewa.
“No one has ever said the Ho-Chunk didn't have a connection to this area. There is no doubt the effigy mounds are related to the Ho-Chunk. But the Ho-Chunk are saying Beloit is exclusively theirs, and they have yet to prove that,” said Beloit Casino spokesman Joe Hunt.
“The early treaties show there are Chippewa ties to Beloit. No one's making up any history here - we're very sensitive to that. In terms of their ad campaign, all we have are the facts and the approval,” he added.
The Ho-Chunk Nation could not immediately be reached for comment regarding the commercial.
The campaign is scheduled to run on local broadcast stations and cable networks through the end of March. To view both campaign commercials online, visit www.wispolitics.com, and click on “Ad Watch” under the “Features” menu.
For more information on the effigy mounds and artifacts at Beloit College, visit www.beloit.edu/~museum/publicart/publicmounds.htm.
Posted: Tuesday, Mar 13, 2007 - 11:43:04 am CDT
By Julie Becker
Daily News staff writer
But treaties show Chippewa shared land
Stateline Area residents who have seen the anti-Beloit casino television ads paid for by the Ho-Chunk Nation - and with the number of commercials filling the airwaves, there's no doubt most have - may have noticed a recent shift in the campaign's focus.
In addition to touting the tag “wrong for Beloit,” the campaign now features the less threatening message of “born in Beloit.”
In the new commercial a woman's voice explains that the Ho-Chunk were born in Beloit, while images of the effigy mounds and artifacts found scattered across the Beloit College campus flash across the screen.
Local archaeologists say the commercial's message may be based less on opinions than historical facts and physical evidence.
According to research by Beloit College archaeologists, the animal-shaped mounds, which date as far back as 700 A.D., can be traced to ancestors of the Ho-Chunk.
“There are a lot of gaps in our knowledge, but we're using two lines of evidence that seem fairly reliable right now. And it's on that basis that most people assert that connection between the effigy mounds and Ho-Chunk ancestors,” said Dr. Robert Salzer, a former Beloit College anthropology professor and one of the archaeologists conducting ongoing research related to the effigy mounds.
Many factors have been pieced together to lead researchers to that conclusion, Salzer said. One is the shape of the effigy mounds.
“If you use a little bit of wishful thinking - just a little bit - the shapes of the mounds match the animals on the Totem of the Ho-Chunk clan, if you want to make that connection,” he said.
“Another line of reasoning is we strongly think there's a connection between the effigy building type of culture and a certain type of pottery that was found in the area. Radioactive carbon dates support that that style of pottery was made around the same time frame (of the effigy mounds),” he added.
Perhaps the biggest indication is that the Ho-Chunk themselves have claimed their ancestors were the creators of the effigy mounds for more than a century - a claim that no other Indian tribe has made, Salzer said.
Although nothing in archaeology can be 100 percent certain, Salzer said the commercial's claim is not a stretch.
Members of the Chippewa tribe recognize the validity of the Ho-Chunk's historical connections to the Beloit area as well, but are quick to point out the Ho-Chunk is not the only tribe that can prove a connection. U.S. government documents indicate the region around modern-day Beloit was shared by a number of tribes, including the Chippewa.
“No one has ever said the Ho-Chunk didn't have a connection to this area. There is no doubt the effigy mounds are related to the Ho-Chunk. But the Ho-Chunk are saying Beloit is exclusively theirs, and they have yet to prove that,” said Beloit Casino spokesman Joe Hunt.
“The early treaties show there are Chippewa ties to Beloit. No one's making up any history here - we're very sensitive to that. In terms of their ad campaign, all we have are the facts and the approval,” he added.
The Ho-Chunk Nation could not immediately be reached for comment regarding the commercial.
The campaign is scheduled to run on local broadcast stations and cable networks through the end of March. To view both campaign commercials online, visit www.wispolitics.com, and click on “Ad Watch” under the “Features” menu.
For more information on the effigy mounds and artifacts at Beloit College, visit www.beloit.edu/~museum/publicart/publicmounds.htm.