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1000 years of local history |
| Effigy Mound FAQ: |
When Euro-American settlers entered the Midwest in the mid-19th century, they found tens of thousands of mounds across the landscape. Many of these are round, dome-shaped mounds, called "conicals", and some are flat-topped rectangular-shaped platforms.
With only a few exceptions, the effigy mounds were found only in what is now southern Wisconsin and the immediately adjacent portions of northern Illinois, northeastern Iowa, and southeastern Minnesota. At one time there were several thousand effigy mounds in this region, but most were obliterated by farming, town and city development, and road building before laws were finally enacted to protect them in the late 1980's.
| Who built the Effigy Mounds? They were constructed by Native Americans which archaeologists call the Effigy Mound Culture. This culture likely is ancestral to several Midwestern tribes, and almost certainly that of the Ho-Chunk (Winnebago), who continue to reside in this region. When were the Effigy Mounds built? The Effigy Mound Culture dates from around A.D. 800 to 1050, so most effigy mounds are about 1,000 years old. Most conical mounds are older than the effigy mounds, representing Early and Middle Woodland cultures dating back to around the time of Christ. The flat-topped platforms were constructed by the Mississippian Culture, which began around A.D. 1000, and lasted in the southeastern United States into the period of Spanish exploration in the 1500's. No effigy mounds are known to have been constructed after A.D. 1100, when the people became more agriculturally oriented and more commonly buried their dead in village cemeteries. |
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| What do the Effigy Mounds mean? The exact meaning of the effigies is only beginning to be understood by archaeologists, largely through information provided by Native Americans. It has long been suspected that the thousand year-old animal shapes represented clan symbols, and recent studies have recognized patterns that compare with clans associated with the sky, earth, and underworld. For example, in some mound groups birds (perhaps representing the Thunderbird or Eagle clan) were built higher on the land than bear mounds. These clan groupings had specific duties in tribal society. Even today, the Great Seal of the Ho-Chunk Nation places the Eagle (who carries a peace pipe) above the Bear (which holds a war club). The underworld, is often told of as a water spirit or panther, and the Mauston mound is one such example. It is interesting that this panther mound is oriented so that it appears to be emerging from the adjacent river. |
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| Why were the Effigy Mounds built? Effigy Mounds undoubtedly served several purposes. Many of the mounds that were excavated in the late 1800's and early 1900's were found to contain a few burials, but some effigy mounds did not. Based on their placement on the landscape in some areas, these mounds also served to mark social territories. The shapes and patterns, like the clan-spirit symbols, also likely represented the world-view of the groups with earth, sky, and underworld represented. The act of constructing the mounds also reinforced social bonding through shared efforts, and it is probable that during these gatherings other social events, such as courtships and marriages, also occurred. |
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Archeology FAQ:
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Do archaeologists dig up dinosaurs? |
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What are the artifacts worth? |
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Do archaeologists get to keep what they find? |
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Can I conduct an archaeological dig in my own backyard? |
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What do I do if I find an arrowhead? |
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What do you do if you are on a dig and find human remains? |
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What is the difference between a prehistoric artifact and an historic artifact? |
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How do you know how old an artifact is? |
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How does an archaeologist decide where to dig? |
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Once an archaeologist finds an artifact what do they do with it? |
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How do archaeologists spend most of their time? |
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Why teach archaeology? |
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How many college and universities in the United States offer a degree in archaeology? |
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What jobs and career paths are open to individuals with an undergraduate degree in archaeology? |
Archeology FAQ courtesy of MVAC
Effigy Mound Region Map and Effigy Mound Paintings courtesy of the NPS