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A Land of History

Ka’Lani Clowers

Dr. Harris Cox

English Composition II Section W15

November 10, 2023

A Land of History

By: Ka’Lani Clowers

I finally made it! After driving over an hour, anxiously waiting to reach my destination, I’m here! A land of history; 54 acres of land to the home of several thousand Native Americans from 1000 A.D – 1550 A.D. The scenery of tree leaves dancing in the wind makes a peaceful wind tone; shamrock green grass covers the borrow pits. Further out, following the main sheen green grass path, which is covered with different types of “Native Grasses” such as “Little / Big / Bushy Bluestem”, “Eastern Gamagrass”, “Switchgrass”, and “Indian grass” that lead to one of the main attractions “Mound A - Symbol of a Chiefdom” to my left and the “Plaza for Ceremonies and Games” to my right. Every step I take grasshoppers fly away while blue dragonflies swirl; every step up the steep staircase the wind roars across my ears and hair. Once I reached the top of “Mound A” and did a 360 view, the butterflies in my stomach faded away. Standing on historic land; possibly the land of my previous ancestors, the Etowah Indian Mounds have an extraordinary view of the whole site, and I can’t wait to explore.

Earlier sitting in the shade under a huge tree, I and other volunteers were helping create bee houses and entertaining the children. A staff member of the Etowah Indian Mounds, Ed, offered to give me a mini tour, which is the beginning tour for all tourists, of the first exhibit of “Etowah’s Wattle and Daub House” that once covered the site between 1250 and 1325AD. The name came from the methods and materials where the “wattle” is composed of cane and the “daubed” is a mixture of red clay, water, and grass which allowed the walls to harden (Georgia Public Broadcasting). From the outside of the red-orange square clay wattle and daub House, the small doorway entry made the house look small; however, when entering, the house was very spacious and tall. What amazed me was how the fire smoke rose and left out through the top of the roof and at the same time around the square perimeter clay wall has an opening where it filters fresh air. While exploring the “Wattle and Daub House”, Ed said, “Did you know the women stayed home while the men hunted in the field; the house and land were the women’s property; if the women kicked the man out, he had to leave…” I laughed after hearing the men must leave if the men get kicked out. I told Ed I learned a lot in 25 minutes and, I didn’t know and haven’t realized how much rights and property Etowah Native American women, Creek and Cherokee Indians, processed (Native American). This made me want to look more into the site and do more background research on Native Americans.

Before I knew it, it was lunchtime for all the volunteers. I walked to the picnic area in front of the Etowah Indian Mounds Museum. While waiting in line, I talked with another volunteer named John. We talked about where we’re from and how long we volunteered at this location. I grabbed a hamburger with lettuce, tomato, cheese, onions, and mayo; a hotdog and bun with ketchup; a bag of cheese sun chips; two oatmeal cookies; one red Gatorade, and one fruit punch Capri Sun. While eating my free lunch, I enjoyed the peaceful wind and leaves blowing in the wind. Once I finished my lunch, I got back to Ed to check, and see if there was any other volunteer work for me to do before exploring deep into the Etowah Indian Mounds, and then I set my journey further into the site.  

Again, when I arrived at “Mound A”, walking up a quarter-mile-long steep staircase, the muscles in my legs started to weaken; the wind blew hard against my face, and my hair flowed in the wind. The first thought that came to mind when reaching the top was “Woo, that’s a lot of stares... I need a quick break to catch my breath.” My second thought was wow this is a beautiful view. I could see most of the historic site from atop; from cut green grass to about 6 ft tall grass; further out I could see numerous dark green trees; and off into the distance the Allatoona Mountains covered with vegetation. “Mound A”, a “Symbol of a Chiefdom” is where a chief resides with their family on top of the mound that stands about 65 feet tall and was once topped by four buildings with a surrounding courtyard. A chief received the right to rule by birth, ruled until his death, and was represented as both a political and religious leader. While residing on top of “Mound A”, the chief could rule his people, perform religious ceremonies, distribute stored food to his people from public granaries in times of need or famine, and have the power to make war or peace. “Mound A” is across from the Plaza which served as a community gathering place for games and ceremonies (Mark).

Next, I made my way down Mound A and visited other attractions such as the 25-foot-tall “Mound B” which is the site of religious rituals with temples, and the 19-foot-tall “Mound C” which is the burial mound that also had a chapel or temple on top. I continued my journey behind “Mound B” and the left side of “Mound C”, is where the “Etowah River” and the “Etowah River Walk Nature Trail” are located. I’ve completed the “Etowah River Walk Nature Trail” and discovered a lot of plants like Yaupon, and Virginia Creeper, and animals such as Turtles, Bluebird, Great Blue Herons, and Groundhog, that were inhabitants and used in their everyday lives.

Once I’ve completed the “Etowah River Walk Nature Trail” I decided to return to the “Etowah River” because I wanted to explore and find more information. I’m glad I looped back around because I gained knowledge and discovered multiple trees that the “Native Americans” used in their everyday lives like the Black Walnut – for food and bark for toothaches, Bitternut Hickory – Nuts for bread, blowgun darts, and arrow shafts, Cottonwood – a tea for fever and dugout canoes, and more trees.

Later walking along the riverside, I kept stepping on numerous small green circular, what I believe, fruit. The fruit officially grabbed my attention when I heard a loud thump next to me. I thought “Wow, this fruit almost hit me on top of my head!” On the riverside, I ran into Donald Watson who worked at the historic site. Mr. Waston explained to me the hard green circular fruit is a walnut. I said “Wow! Are you serious? Why is the walnut big, green, and hard?” Mr. Waston informed me that walnuts will grow in different stages, and then proceeded to pick up different walnuts off the ground to show me examples of the stages,  the walnut is ready to eat once the outer shell is rotten, and how the walnut was one of the main sources of food for the Native Americans.

Afterward, I headed back to the front of the historic site where the “Etowah Museum” is located. I decided to tour the museum, but the exhibit was almost empty due to the artifacts were given back to the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, Thlopthlocco Tribal Town, the Poarch Band of Creek Indians, Alabama-Quassarte Tribal Town, and Kialegee Tribal Town (Etowah Indian Mounds State Historic Site.).

 In the end, I was happy to have an authentic souvenir by keeping a fresh walnut that fell off the tree. I made sure I picked up a fresh green walnut so I could watch the different stages of the walnut transformation. My visit was bittersweet because I was very happy to visit, tour, and volunteer; however, I wanted to have a fully guided tour and be able to see all the artifacts from the many Native American tribes. If I’m able to have time in the future, I would love to come back and visit again.

Citations

Etowah Indian Mounds State Historic Site. Etowah Indian Mounds State Historic 4eA#WsAW33wa3w`3WA44Site | Department of Natural Resources Division. (n.d.). https://gastateparks.org/EtowahIndianMounds

“American Indian Culture at Etowah - Google Arts & Culture.” Google, Google, artsandculture.google.com/story/american-indian-culture-at-etowah-georgia-public-broadcasting/qwVx2UuydyoTIw?hl=en. Accessed 1 Nov. 2023.

“Native American.” The Etowah Valley Historical Society of Bartow County, Georgia, Etowah Valley Historical Society, evhsonline.org/native-american. Accessed 1 Nov. 2023.

Rebecca. “Etowah Indian Mounds Historic Site: Know Before You Go.” Day Trip Queen, 5 Sept. 2022, daytripqueen.com/etowah-indian-mounds/.

Mark, Joshua J.. "Etowah Mounds." World History Encyclopedia. World History Encyclopedia, 10 May 2021. Web. 08 Nov 2023.

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