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The Yamassee

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Ouachita/ Washita Mound

All rights held by the artist, Herb Roe© 2020

Ouachita (Washita)

The Ouachita mound site is the earliest known mound site. It is situated in the northeastern part of the state of Louisana at a place called Watson Brake. It dates back to 5400 years ago. It consist of 11 differently sized raized mounds configured into a semi-circle. It is raized high enough to overlook the Ouachite river. It is believed this sites dates back before the advent of agriculture in North America and there has yet to be any evidince the mounds were used as burial site or contain artifacts. It is possibly the design is purely for defence. During the famous Ouachita expedition led by William Dundar this site and others were passed by because the expedition did not venture far away from the Ouachita river 

Reference:

1491 BY Charles C Mann page 291,292

Hidden Cities by Roger Kennedy page 195, 196

Written by Michelle Evans

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Indigenous Health

In 1491 Charles A Mann notes “ In 1491, Americas were apparently free or almost free of cystic fibrosis, Huntington’s chorea, newborn anemia, schizophrenia, asthma and (possibly) juvenile diabatetes, all of which have some genetic component. Here a limited gene pool may have spared Indians great suffering” 117.

Instead of the absence of these diseases solely being the result of a limited gene is it possibly that the Indigenous people of the time had a lifestyle that contributed to their well being? Is it possible the lack of processed for and sedimentary lifestyle promoted healthy people. After all, the diseases mentioned are found in limited gene pools (confirm) Also these disease have a lifestyle component as well., A life style that could not be supported in North America prior to colonialism.

Written by Michelle Evans

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The Tobacco People

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The Talligewi Mound Buidlers

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Giant Mound Builders

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Serpent Mound

The Serpent mound is the largest effigy mound in N. America. The following are facts about this mound: 

Location: Adams County, Ohio

Age: 1000-1500 AD 

Size:  ~1,300 ft. long

Period: Early Woodland Era

Culture: Fort Ancient Culture (posted at site) or the Adena people that is named after a farm owned by Thomas Worthington (Wikipedia.com).

                (Personal Photo, Copyright, 2020)

Early 19th Century, the ancient Serpent mound builders got the name Adena as mentioned above. The historical site lists the mound builder as Fort Ancient Culture.This name was given because of the type of structures they built and also the location of the structures being near the Hope-well era Fort Ancient site. They are thought to be the descendants of the Late Woodland predecessors. They may be related to the Southeastern-American Mississippian Culture (Fagan, B.M., Ancient North America: The Archaeology of a Continent, 2nd ed., London, 1995). Although researchers do not know exactly the name of these ancient builders, it appears clear that these mound builders are linked to ancient Mississippians (consisting of Africans).  

Written by: Flora M. White-Cooper

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Precolombian America

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Putting Links Together About Ancient Mound Builders

Luzia skull and pelvis date back approximately 11.5k to 12.5k ya. She was found in a Brazilian cave. Scientists believe that she comes from the Pacific Islands. This supports ancient African presence in N. America (Smith, C. 2007. Luzia Woman).

As stated in a previous post (A Possible Link to the Oldest N. American Mound), Homo erectus are thought to have traveled from Africa to the Pacific Islands (i.e., Indonesia). This is a suitable and defendable link to the ancient mounds in Indonesia. This also shows a travel pattern of the ancient Africans coming up through S. America to N. America as another route from the African continent (Note, the aforementioned is my own theory).

Written by Dr. Flora

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The Mounds of Talemico part 2

“On the third day, the Queen disappeared; de Soto sent his guards to find her but she was not to be found (Bourne, 1904, p. 110). Taking advantage of her absence, he entered one of the ancient temple mounds that were scattered about the town of Talemico, the religious and political center of the people of Cofitachiqui.  The temple mound was one hundred feet long and forty feet wide with massive doors.  As he entered through the doors, he encountered paired rows of massive wooden statues with diamond-shaped heads bearing first batons, then broadswords, and then bows and arrows (Hudson, 1976, p. 111).  Like the ancient pyramids of Egypt, these temple mounds contained statues of notable persons of antiquity and chests filled with the remains of the elders. Scattered about the temples were bundles of fur, breastplates, and weapons -- tools for the next life -- covered with pearls, colored leather, and "something green like an emerald" (Bourne, p. 100). 

Reference:

Posted by:Michelle Evans

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The Mounds of Talemico part 1

The mounds of Talemico (Coloumbia, South Carolina) were visited by Herenado De Soto. A member of the expedition, Rodrigo Ranjel describes the mounds of the city

“In the temple or Oratory of Talimeco, there were breastplates, as well as corselets and helmets, made from raw and hairless hides of cows, and from the same [hides] very good shields. This Talimeco was a town of great importance, with its very authoritative oratory on a high mound; the Caney or house of the cacique very large and very tall and broad, all covered, high and low, with very excellent and beautiful mats, and placed with such fine skill, that it appeared that all the mats were only one mat. Only rarely was there a hut, which might not be covered with matting. This town has very good savannahs and a fine river, and forests of walnuts and oak, pines, evergreen oaks and groves of sweet gum, and many cedars."

reference:

Posted by: Michelle Evans

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A Possible Link to the Oldest N. American Mounds

Homo erectus are thought to parent modern humans. They came out of Africa and lived in Asia, Europe, and Pacific Islands up to 6 million ya. They traveled outside these areas and became an essential part of modern ethnic groups and cultures (Potts, Richard. 2010. What Does It Mean to Be Human?).

According to the Smithsonian, the earliest Homo erectus fossil dates 1.89 million years ago. They first lived in Northern, Southern, and Eastern African. Homo erectus were not sedentary. Researchers suggest they traveled to China and Indonesia. Homo erectus is the oldest living human species known in Africa including our Homo sapien species 

(Anton, S.C., 2003. Natural History of Homo Erectus. Yearbook of Physical Anthropology, 46, 126-170).

Homo erectus illustrates early African migration to other continents parenting a new Homo species (i.e., homo sapiens). Early Homo sapiens are linked to ancient mounds in N. America (Britannica.com).

Written by: Flora M. White-Cooper. 

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Timeline for North America Mound Builders Civilizations

5400 years ago the, Ouachita Mound Ring site, Northeastern Louisiana, 11 mounds in a circle

 1700 -1200 B.C.,  several villages with concentric c-shape ridges appears 55 miles from Ouachita Site, most notable is at Poverty Point

 800-100 B.C., Adena Culture flourished, Ohio Valley, part of eastern agricultural complex/ revolution, mounds were mostly burial

100 B.C.-400 A.D Hopewell Culture, sites stretch from Canada to Louisiana, mounds had ritual spaces, grand trade routes, spiritual influence spread

950-1250 Mississippian Culture mostly south eastern region of U.S., East St. Louis Mound Complex, St Louis Mound Complex, Monks Mounds Complex and Cahokia Complex with Sun calendar woodhenge 

Many of these site were inhabited by different ethnic at different time making it difficult to determine the people who first built the mounds

Written by Michelle Evans

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Cahokia

Artist recreation by Herb Roe

Cahokia

Cahokia is one of the most astonishing Mound Civilization sites in North America. It is located near the junction of the Missouri, Illinois and Mississippi  Rivers. It was a port city, traders brought good of copper, mother of pearl, buffalo , elk, and all types of fish. It was a total of 5 square miles and housed at least 15,000 people. The center mound in the city was Monks Mound. All four corners of Monks Mound aligned to the other mounds around the city and many star alignments could be observed from Monks Mound as the seasons changed. Cahokia is not the original name of the city.  The name stems from a later day indigenous group that migrated there after the original tribes had abandoned the city. The raise of Cahokia came with the spread of maize throughout the region.  The land along the rivers were burned and cleared out to make way for maize fields. The flooding plains of Cahokia were ideas for this type of agriculture. Somewhere in the beginning of the 13th century, a devastating earthquake hit Cahokia, destroying the western side of Monks mound, the city’s center point. Unfortunately the city never recovered and was abandoned.

Work cited: 1491 by Charles Mann pages 288, 289, 290, 301, 302, 304

Written by Michelle Evans

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Pinson Mounds

Pinson mounds are located in Tennessee. It is around 1-200CE (WorldHistory.org). Scientist opinion that these mounds were used for 

religious, burial, and temporary living purposes. The largest mound is called “Sauls Mound.” It was named after “John Sauls'' the original property owner (Worldhistory.org).

These mounds date back to the Early Woodland Period (3000 BC). The ancient Woodland people are thought to be the ancestors of the “Chickasaw” people, who owned these lands in the 19th century (Worldhistory.org). 

The Mobilian people (i.e., composed of different groups of people) are thought to settle in early Tennessee. The following groups have no early settlement in Tennessee: Shawnees and Uchees. The Creeks, Chickasaws, and Cherokees were hostile towards the pioneers and raged wars (Garrett, W.R. and GoodPasture, A.V. History of Tennessee, Its People and Its Institution. Brandon Printing Company, 1900).

Written by: Flora M. White-Cooper

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Moundville Archaeological Site

All rights held by the artist, Herb Roe© 2020.

Moundville Archaeological Site is the second largest site of the Mississippian mound building culture. It was a 300-acre complex in the shape of a large rectangle, consisting of over 30 large platform mounds. A large plaza area was in the center with a single large truncated pyramid in the middle. Dr. Greg Little author of The Path of Souls and The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Native American Mounds & Earthworks, tested the solstice alignments from this center mound for the dated 1200 C.E. Dr. Little discover that from that center mound many celestial alignments were observed. For example, during the winter solstice at dusk the constellation of Cygnus was visible over a large truncated mound to the northwest from the center mound. According to Dr. Little the constellation of Cygnus is incredibly important in death rituals and burial ceremonies.