When most people think of earthworks, they usually think of burial mounds built by a mysterious ancient culture known only as the "Moundbuilders." In fact, there are many kinds of "mound" and many distinctive American Indian cultures built earthworks over the course of many millennia.
I've had the opportunity to give many tours of Ohio's ancient earthworks to groups from all over the U.S. and from several other countries as well. (And with several of Ohio's sites soon to be considered for the World Heritage List, we expect international tourism to become increasingly important!)
It is a privilege to take people to these sites and share some of what archaeologists have learned about these monuments from decades of investigation. Now, thanks to the combined efforts of many partners, you can purchase a CD, DVD, or download audio podcasts, that will give you a guided tour of ten selected earthwork sites in southern Ohio.
Featured sites include the Hopewell Culture National Historical Park's Mound City and the Ohio Historical Society's Serpent Mound.
Mound City is one of the classic sites of the Hopewell culture built between 100 B.C. and A.D. 400. Serpent Mound is thought to have been built by the Fort Ancient culture at around A.D. 1100.
Unfortunately, I can't join each of you on a personalized tour of Ohio's earthworks, but I think that these audio and video tours are the next best thing to having an archaeologist in the car with you!
The DVDs and CDs are available through the Ohio Historical Society's online "Ohio History Store" at http://www.ohiohistorystore.com/Podcast-Audio-Video-Driving-Tours-C78.aspx.
Audio podcasts can be downloaded (for a fee) at http://www.ohiohistorystore.com/Audio-Podcast-C85.aspx
I hope you enjoy exploring Ohio's ancient American Indian heritage!
And let us know if you like these products! We may expand the series to include sites from across Ohio.
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Saturday, May 17, 2008
HOPEWELL CULTURE NHP SUMMER LECTURE SERIES
Hopewell Culture National Historical Park is pleased to host the summer archeological lecture series. The following is a list of speakers and titles of topics to be presented. The weekly series will begin June 5th and end on July 24th. The programs will be held at the park Visitor Center at Mound City Group and begin at 7:30 PM.
June 5, 2008
Dr. Paul Pacheco, SUNY Geneseo
Living Large on the Bottoms: Current Research on Ohio Hopewell Settlements in Ross County
This talk updates the results of our ongoing archaeological research on Brown's Bottom, a section of low lying Scioto River floodplain located 1.5 kilometers from the Liberty Earthworks, in Ross County, Ohio. Our four years of research on the bottoms has produced a likely contemporaneous pair of classic Ohio Hopewell domestic settlements whose occupation likely overlaps the use of the Harness Mound floor in time. This talk details our excavations at the Lady's Run site. I will focus on the results of new radiocarbon dates, feature excavations, and our excavations in a second large Hopewell house, located less than 100 meters from the first large Hopewell house we excavated during the 2005-2006 field seasons at Brown's Bottom #1.
June 12, 2008
Dr. Bob Riordan, Wright State University
Excavations at the Moorehead Circle at the Fort Ancient Earthwork
The unexpected discovery of a 60-meter diameter circular feature at Fort Ancient through remote sensing in 2005 has been followed by two seasons of field investigations by Wright State University's Field School in Archaeology. The feature, since designated the Moorehead Circle, has been determined to be a woodhenge-type structure, similar to the Great Circle at the Stubbs Earthwork downstream along the Little Miami River. Two trenches across the Circle's perimeter have revealed deeply-set post pits, and a unit at the center has exposed a unique 4-meter diameter pit filled with burned soil and surrounded by pottery deposits. Dr. Riordan will discuss the features and artifacts that have been excavated, and the plans for the upcoming 2008 field season.
June 19, 2008
Dr. Jarrod Burks, Ohio Valley Archaeology, Inc
Imaging Ohio Earthworks: New Techniques and New Discoveries
Ohio is especially rich in prehistoric earthworks, most of which were built between 200 B.C. and A.D. 500. While many of us are aware of the more famous earthwork sites, like the Newark Earthworks, Mound City, and Serpent Mound, there are hundreds more earthworks out there in Ohio’s farm fields, under subdivisions, and in city and state parks that we have not heard about. Many years of plowing and development have nearly erased most earthwork sites from view. However, geophysical survey instruments, like magnetometers and electrical resistance meters, allow us to reclaim Ohio’s ancient past and relocate lost earthworks. In this presentation I tour some of Ohio’s more famous prehistoric earthwork sites using images created with LiDAR data—a laser mapping system that, when flown in an airplane, allows one to rapidly map the surface across entire landscapes. I also explore the geophysical survey results from two Ross County earthworks sites: Shriver Circle and Steel Group. You’ll be quite surprised by the results of these surveys!
June 26, 2008
Paul LaRue, Washington High School, Washington C.H., Ohio
The Gist Settlement Archeology Project
The students in the Washington Senior High School Research History class have been researching and documenting with archeology the Gist Settlement in Highland County. Their teacher, Paul LaRue, will share his students’ findings and the fascinating story of the Highland Gist Settlement; which happens to be the last land in Ohio still in the hands of direct descendants of Samuel Gist’s emancipated slaves.
July 10, 2008
Laura Murphy, University of Kansas
Geoarchaeology of the Burntwood Creek Rockshelter, Northwest Kansas
Illustrates the use of several geological and archaeological techniques in order to ascertain rockshelter formation, site formation processes, and prehistoric Native American subsistence strategies. The Burntwood Creek rockshelter deposits contain stratified Late Plains Archaic and possibly Late Paleoindian cultural materials, including chipped stone, bison elements, and many fragments of bison- and deer-size bone. Late Paleoindian materials may be related to a bison jump and bonebed immediately east of the rockshelter. The bison jump is associated with the Allen technological complex. Rockshelters are found throughout the North American continent and have yielded a wealth of information on prehistory. However, few prehistoric sites have been recorded in rockshelters in Kansas. Furthermore, while bison jump sites are found throughout the west, the Burntwood Creek site includes the oldest documented bison jump in Kansas. Both the rockshelter and bison jump offer new insights concerning prehistoric Native American subsistence strategies.
July 17, 2008
Bill Pickard, Ohio Historical Society
Recent Investigations at Pickawillany, Miami County, Ohio
Or Making Sense of the First Thing to happen in Ohio
The site of Pickawillany is located on a high bluff above the Great Miami River about three miles north of the city of Piqua, Miami County, Ohio. Between 1748 and 1752 Pickawillany was a thriving Miami Indian town and English trade center in what was then the heart of the French controlled Ohio country. In many ways its existence there and the events surrounding its eventual destruction epitomized the nearly century long war for empire between France and England in North America. In 1752 Charles Langlade and possibly his close friend and associate Pontiac led a force of about 350 Ottawa and French coeur d' bois to sack Pickawillany in an all out effort to drive English interests from the Ohio country as well as convincingly remind those Ohio country tribes still doing business with the English that their true loyalties were to France. While it is doubtful, as some writers claim, that the attack on Pickawillany was the actual beginning of the French and Indian War in the American colonies, it certainly put things on a slippery slope from which there was no return.
Except for farming which began at about the mid-point of the 19th century, the site lay relatively undeveloped for more than two centuries. By about 1980 a graveling operation just west of the site combined with other forms of encroachment began to seriously threaten the site. In 1999 the site was obtained by the State of Ohio and incorporated into the Piqua Historical Area State Memorial.
Archaeological fieldwork since 2000, combining a comprehensive metal detector survey with other forms of remote sensing, has identified a number of possible activity areas and located several interesting anomalies that may be Pickawillany related. It is hoped that limited excavations scheduled for this summer as well as future field work will help to make sense of what is a complicated archaeological site and help bring a degree of order to the place of the first historic event in Ohio.
July 24 2008
Dr. Mark Lynott, MWAC
The Dirty Details About Ohio Hopewell Embankment Wall Construction
Careful selection of radiocarbon samples from contexts associated with wall construction activities provide a framework for interpreting the chronology of cultural landscape creation at the Hopeton Earthworks. Middle Woodland people moved more than 30,000 cubic meters of soil, and stripped the topsoil from nearly 40 acres in creating this geometric earthen enclosure. Understanding the internal chronology of individual Ohio Hopewell earthen enclosure sites is essential for developing meaningful models of regional settlement systems and social organization. Comparison of wall construction methods between earthwork sites indicates that although some characteristics of wall construction were likely common to most sites, each embankment site was unique.
For more information, contact Hopewell Culture National Historical Park, (740) 774-1126.
June 5, 2008
Dr. Paul Pacheco, SUNY Geneseo
Living Large on the Bottoms: Current Research on Ohio Hopewell Settlements in Ross County
This talk updates the results of our ongoing archaeological research on Brown's Bottom, a section of low lying Scioto River floodplain located 1.5 kilometers from the Liberty Earthworks, in Ross County, Ohio. Our four years of research on the bottoms has produced a likely contemporaneous pair of classic Ohio Hopewell domestic settlements whose occupation likely overlaps the use of the Harness Mound floor in time. This talk details our excavations at the Lady's Run site. I will focus on the results of new radiocarbon dates, feature excavations, and our excavations in a second large Hopewell house, located less than 100 meters from the first large Hopewell house we excavated during the 2005-2006 field seasons at Brown's Bottom #1.
June 12, 2008
Dr. Bob Riordan, Wright State University
Excavations at the Moorehead Circle at the Fort Ancient Earthwork
The unexpected discovery of a 60-meter diameter circular feature at Fort Ancient through remote sensing in 2005 has been followed by two seasons of field investigations by Wright State University's Field School in Archaeology. The feature, since designated the Moorehead Circle, has been determined to be a woodhenge-type structure, similar to the Great Circle at the Stubbs Earthwork downstream along the Little Miami River. Two trenches across the Circle's perimeter have revealed deeply-set post pits, and a unit at the center has exposed a unique 4-meter diameter pit filled with burned soil and surrounded by pottery deposits. Dr. Riordan will discuss the features and artifacts that have been excavated, and the plans for the upcoming 2008 field season.
June 19, 2008
Dr. Jarrod Burks, Ohio Valley Archaeology, Inc
Imaging Ohio Earthworks: New Techniques and New Discoveries
Ohio is especially rich in prehistoric earthworks, most of which were built between 200 B.C. and A.D. 500. While many of us are aware of the more famous earthwork sites, like the Newark Earthworks, Mound City, and Serpent Mound, there are hundreds more earthworks out there in Ohio’s farm fields, under subdivisions, and in city and state parks that we have not heard about. Many years of plowing and development have nearly erased most earthwork sites from view. However, geophysical survey instruments, like magnetometers and electrical resistance meters, allow us to reclaim Ohio’s ancient past and relocate lost earthworks. In this presentation I tour some of Ohio’s more famous prehistoric earthwork sites using images created with LiDAR data—a laser mapping system that, when flown in an airplane, allows one to rapidly map the surface across entire landscapes. I also explore the geophysical survey results from two Ross County earthworks sites: Shriver Circle and Steel Group. You’ll be quite surprised by the results of these surveys!
June 26, 2008
Paul LaRue, Washington High School, Washington C.H., Ohio
The Gist Settlement Archeology Project
The students in the Washington Senior High School Research History class have been researching and documenting with archeology the Gist Settlement in Highland County. Their teacher, Paul LaRue, will share his students’ findings and the fascinating story of the Highland Gist Settlement; which happens to be the last land in Ohio still in the hands of direct descendants of Samuel Gist’s emancipated slaves.
July 10, 2008
Laura Murphy, University of Kansas
Geoarchaeology of the Burntwood Creek Rockshelter, Northwest Kansas
Illustrates the use of several geological and archaeological techniques in order to ascertain rockshelter formation, site formation processes, and prehistoric Native American subsistence strategies. The Burntwood Creek rockshelter deposits contain stratified Late Plains Archaic and possibly Late Paleoindian cultural materials, including chipped stone, bison elements, and many fragments of bison- and deer-size bone. Late Paleoindian materials may be related to a bison jump and bonebed immediately east of the rockshelter. The bison jump is associated with the Allen technological complex. Rockshelters are found throughout the North American continent and have yielded a wealth of information on prehistory. However, few prehistoric sites have been recorded in rockshelters in Kansas. Furthermore, while bison jump sites are found throughout the west, the Burntwood Creek site includes the oldest documented bison jump in Kansas. Both the rockshelter and bison jump offer new insights concerning prehistoric Native American subsistence strategies.
July 17, 2008
Bill Pickard, Ohio Historical Society
Recent Investigations at Pickawillany, Miami County, Ohio
Or Making Sense of the First Thing to happen in Ohio
The site of Pickawillany is located on a high bluff above the Great Miami River about three miles north of the city of Piqua, Miami County, Ohio. Between 1748 and 1752 Pickawillany was a thriving Miami Indian town and English trade center in what was then the heart of the French controlled Ohio country. In many ways its existence there and the events surrounding its eventual destruction epitomized the nearly century long war for empire between France and England in North America. In 1752 Charles Langlade and possibly his close friend and associate Pontiac led a force of about 350 Ottawa and French coeur d' bois to sack Pickawillany in an all out effort to drive English interests from the Ohio country as well as convincingly remind those Ohio country tribes still doing business with the English that their true loyalties were to France. While it is doubtful, as some writers claim, that the attack on Pickawillany was the actual beginning of the French and Indian War in the American colonies, it certainly put things on a slippery slope from which there was no return.
Except for farming which began at about the mid-point of the 19th century, the site lay relatively undeveloped for more than two centuries. By about 1980 a graveling operation just west of the site combined with other forms of encroachment began to seriously threaten the site. In 1999 the site was obtained by the State of Ohio and incorporated into the Piqua Historical Area State Memorial.
Archaeological fieldwork since 2000, combining a comprehensive metal detector survey with other forms of remote sensing, has identified a number of possible activity areas and located several interesting anomalies that may be Pickawillany related. It is hoped that limited excavations scheduled for this summer as well as future field work will help to make sense of what is a complicated archaeological site and help bring a degree of order to the place of the first historic event in Ohio.
July 24 2008
Dr. Mark Lynott, MWAC
The Dirty Details About Ohio Hopewell Embankment Wall Construction
Careful selection of radiocarbon samples from contexts associated with wall construction activities provide a framework for interpreting the chronology of cultural landscape creation at the Hopeton Earthworks. Middle Woodland people moved more than 30,000 cubic meters of soil, and stripped the topsoil from nearly 40 acres in creating this geometric earthen enclosure. Understanding the internal chronology of individual Ohio Hopewell earthen enclosure sites is essential for developing meaningful models of regional settlement systems and social organization. Comparison of wall construction methods between earthwork sites indicates that although some characteristics of wall construction were likely common to most sites, each embankment site was unique.
For more information, contact Hopewell Culture National Historical Park, (740) 774-1126.
Monday, May 12, 2008
FLINT RIDGE STATE MEMORIAL SUMMER WEEKEND SERIES RETURNS
Once again this summer, Flint Ridge State Memorial near Brownsville, Ohio will sponsor a series of weekend programs that still include the very popular flint knapping demonstrations by highly skilled artisans to be complimented by a fresh series of excellent outside presentations ranging from making dream catchers, to Native American story telling, to prospecting for gold to taking a virtual mound and earthwork tour through Ohio. All in all there should be something of interest for just about everybody. For more information on any of the programs, call 740.787.2476 or 800.283.8707. Admission to the site is $4/adult, $3/child, OHS members get in FREE unless otherwise specified. Flint Ridge State memorial is located just off Interstate 70 between Newark and Zanesville about 3 miles north of Brownsville, or 6 miles south of State Route 16 on County Road 668.
Sunday May 25
Dream Catcher Workshop
Two Classes: 1:00 - 2:00 and 3:00 - 4:00
Nancy Good Heart Swartz of the Lower Ohio Eastern Mekoce will conduct Dream Catcher lessons. The legend states that while a person was asleep good dreams were allowed to slip through the Dream Catcher and into the sleeper while the bad dreams were caught in the Dream Catcher’s web. Join Nancy as she instructs participants in the construction of their very own Dream Catcher. Admission: $3 adult/child OHS member, 7$ per adult / $3child non-member. There will be an additional $3 material charge. Call 740-787-2476 or 1-800-600-7178 to register for one of the classes. Regular site admission otherwise.
Saturday June 7, 2008
Flint, Iron and Wood: Historical Tool Production
Noon-5 p.m.
Join the highly accomplished flint knapper Chris Stricklett as he demonstrates the ancient skill of shaping raw flint into spear points and other tools used by ancient Ohioans while master turner Floyd Anstaett demonstrates the fine art of turning bowls from hardwood. The importance of ironwork as a world-changing skill will be explored by blacksmith Robert Hulett and Spencer Northup will provide examples of modern day Kentucky long rifle reproductions that he will fire as part of his demonstration.
Regular admission.
Sunday June 8, 2008
Archaeology Road Show
Noon-5 p.m.
The public is invited to bring in those Native American artifacts or other curious stone objects that they may wish to have identified. OHS archaeologist Bill Pickard will be on hand to discuss them with you. Flint knapper Chris Stricklet will fashion fine flint points from various types of raw flint and show how point styles changed through the ages. Skeeter Kish will demonstrate how flint tools and weapons were hafted or attached to handles and spear shafts. This will be a fun and comprehensive way to learn about the stone tools used by ancient Ohioans.
Regular admission.
Saturday June 14, 2008
An Introduction to the Making of Primitive Bows and Arrows
1-3 p.m.
Phil Love will discuss the process of making primitive bows and arrows with examples showing the various stages of production. Examples of the different materials used will be available for those interested in learning how to recreate these primitive weapons for themselves.Regular admission.
Sunday June 22, 2008
Native American Storytelling
2-5 p.m.
Nancy Good Heart Swartz, presents a variety of Native American stories in the Flint Ridge Museum. She will also display Native American crafts, jewelry, clothing and moccasins while relating their significance
Regular admission.
Saturday June 28, 2008
A Day of Flint Knapping with Master Flint Knapper Roy Miller
Noon-5 p.m.
Roy is recognized as one of the finest flint knappers in North America. Don’t miss this rare opportunity to watch a true master at work.
Regular admission.
Saturday July 12, 2008
Advanced Flint Knapping Techniques with Ed Moreland
Noon-5 p.m. Regular admission.
Friday – Sunday July 18-20, 2008
Ohio Atlatl Association Practice and Competition
Friday, July 18, 1-5 p.m.
Saturday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
Sunday, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
Experience the fun of throwing a long dart with a tool that dates back thousands of years called an atlatl during three days of practice, competition and fun sponsored by the Ohio Atlatl Association.
Saturday July 19
The Atlatl as an Ancient Hunting Tool - A lecture by Skeeter Kish
2 p.m.
Saturday July 19
Flint Knapping Workshop with Chris Miller and Phil Love
11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. and 1-2:30 p.m. (two sessions)
Participants will be provided flint flakes and pressure flaking tools to fashion flint points as the Ancient Ohioans did. This workshop is open to anyone 12 years and up. There will be a participation fee of $3 for adult / child OHS members and a $7adult / $3 child for OHS non-members. Please call to make reservations, specifying the workshop time. To register, call 740.787.2476 or 800.283.8707. Regular admission otherwise.
Sunday July 20
Flint Knapping in the Archaic Style with Chris Miller
Noon to 5 p.m.
Saturday July 26, 2008
Native American Pottery Workshop with Phil Love
10 a.m.-3 p.m.
Phil leads this beginner's workshop in pottery making using the same techniques of Ohio Native Americans. The class will begin with processing of the clay and lead into each participant's actual construction of a pinch or coil pot. Instructions will be given on drying and firing the pot at home. To register, call 740.787.2476 or 800.283.8707. Workshop fee: $20/participant (adult or child).
Sunday July 27, 2008
Native American Storytelling with Nancy Good Heart Swartz, Part 2
2-5 p.m.
Nancy will return to the Flint Ridge museum to give a delightful and engaging presentation on Native American stories and story telling.
Saturday August 2, 2008
A Reconnection from the Past to the Present: Black Hand Gorge and Flint Ridge
2-7 p.m.
Mark Welsh of the Native American Indian Center of Central Ohio will lead a trail walk emphasizing the spiritual connection of Black Hand Gorge to Flint Ridge and the Newark Earthworks. This will also include the perspectives of a flint knapper concerning Flint Ridge and its rich supply of the colorful gemstone. Following the hike, participants are invited to stay for an optional Native American feast as prepared by Carol Welsh, executive director of NAICCO (there will be an $8 charge for the feast). Reservations are recommended. To register, call 740.787.2476 or 800.283.8707. Regular admission otherwise
Saturday August 9, 2008
Gold Panning & Flint Knapping with Chris Miller and Chris Stricklett
Noon-5 p.m.
Visitors are invited to join Chris Miller for a lesson in gold prospecting. Learn how to look for likely gold deposits, how glaciers affected gold deposits verses ore gold and see how tools of the trade such as a sluice box and digging tools were used. Visitors then get an opportunity to experience hands-on the life of a gold prospector. Miller and fellow flint knapper Chris Stricklett will also demonstrate the ancient art of flint knapping throughout the afternoon.
Regular admission.
Saturday August 16, 2008
Native American Storytelling with Nancy Good Heart Swartz, Part 3
2 p.m.-5 p.m.
Nancy will present a variety of Native American stories in the Flint Ridge museum.
Regular admission
Sunday August 17, 2008
Ohio’s Mounds and Earthworks: A Contemporary Perspective
2-3:30 p.m.
Visitors are invited to join archaeologist Bill Pickard on a virtual tour around Ohio exploring the recent history of some of the state's ancient earthworks. Find out why some mounds, like those at Marietta were preserved while those at Newark and near Chillicothe didn’t always fare so well. A Very Interesting Program. Regular admission
Friday – Sunday, August 29-31
2008 Flint Ridge Knap-In
9 a.m.-5 p.m. each day.
The Ohio Historical Society and the Flint Ridge Lithic Society partner to present this unique gathering of individuals from all over the country who are skilled in the ancient craft of making tools and weapons from flint and other stone materials. It is perhaps the largest event of its type in the country, the "Grand-Daddy" of them all. There is a large selection of flint products for sale and flint knapping and other ancient skill technology demonstrations will be held throughout the event. On Saturday morning and afternoon, an archaeologist and a geologist will be present at the museum to identify artifacts, fossils and minerals and the public is invited to bring in those items they would like to have identified. There will also be long dart competitions sponsored by the Ohio Atlatl Association. Admission: $5/car parking fee. For information, call 740.787.2476 or 800.283.8707. For further information through the Flint Ridge Lithic Society contact Roy Miller 330-359-5590, Ed Moreland 740-625-5868 or Frank Slagle 740-787-2198
Friday, May 09, 2008
THOUGHTS ON NEWARK EARTHWORKS DAY 2008
Newark Earthworks Day was a remarkable event this year – not that it's been unremarkable in past years, but each time we do this I see the site in new ways. This year, the theme was "Newark among the wonders of the ancient world" and, for me, the most remarkable aspect of the program was the juxtaposition of Newark with both Stonehenge and Teotihuacán. It was no surprise that the Newark Earthworks belonged in the company of these World Heritage sites, but, as many of us agreed after listening to all the presentations, it almost seemed as if, despite the unique historical circumstances of each place, they were all the same site. By that I mean that each site seems to embody the most profound aspirations of the human spirit. Each represents a people's attempt to express their beliefs about themselves and their place in the cosmos with almost unbelievably monumental architecture.
I am reminded of what Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote in his essay on "History." He also juxtaposed these sites -- and he came to a similar conclusion.
"All inquiry into antiquity, -- all curiosity respecting the Pyramids, the excavated cities, Stonehenge, the Ohio Circles, Mexico, Memphis, -- is the desire to do away this wild, savage, and preposterous There or Then, and introduce in its place the Here and the Now. Belzoni digs and measures in the mummy-pits and pyramids of Thebes, until he can see the end of the difference between the monstrous work and himself. When he has satisfied himself, in general and in detail, that it was made by such a person as he, so armed and so motived, and to ends to which he himself should also have worked, the problem is solved; his thought lives along the whole line of temples and sphinxes and catacombs, passes through them all with satisfaction, and they live again to the mind, or are now."
"The identity of history is equally intrinsic, the diversity equally obvious. There is at the surface infinite variety of things; at the centre there is simplicity of cause."
A somewhat controversial aspect of Newark Earthworks Day this year was the invitation the event organizers extended to a group of Aztec Dancers to come and dance within the Great Circle. This offended some local American Indians who thought the Mexican ceremonies were somehow inappropriate in this North American setting. Some archaeologists also worried about the confusing educational message such a ceremony might convey to the general public. Might people come away thinking that Aztecs built the Newark Earthworks?
I cannot speak to the spiritual concerns of the few American Indians who objected to the idea, but for me and for everyone I spoke to who actually attended the ceremony, it was a wonderful and moving tribute from one group of indigenous Americans to another. The Aztec ceremony was not an attempt to recreate a Hopewell dance or to make any sort of claim about a direct relationship between the Aztecs and the peoples of ancient Ohio. It was, instead, an opportunity to fill the Great Circle with the sounds of indigenous American ceremony – the ringing call of the conch shell trumpet, the rhythmic drumming, and the dancers' rattles. For a brief time, the magnificent earthen enclosure became, once again, a vibrant, living sacred space instead of a silent, yet still awesome, testimonial to an ancient grandeur.
I speak only for myself, but it seemed clear to me that the Aztec dancers were neither presented as nor taken for surrogate Hopewell celebrants. Their ceremony at this place and time affirmed Emerson's claim that "The identity of history is equally intrinsic, the diversity equally obvious."
I am reminded of what Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote in his essay on "History." He also juxtaposed these sites -- and he came to a similar conclusion.
"All inquiry into antiquity, -- all curiosity respecting the Pyramids, the excavated cities, Stonehenge, the Ohio Circles, Mexico, Memphis, -- is the desire to do away this wild, savage, and preposterous There or Then, and introduce in its place the Here and the Now. Belzoni digs and measures in the mummy-pits and pyramids of Thebes, until he can see the end of the difference between the monstrous work and himself. When he has satisfied himself, in general and in detail, that it was made by such a person as he, so armed and so motived, and to ends to which he himself should also have worked, the problem is solved; his thought lives along the whole line of temples and sphinxes and catacombs, passes through them all with satisfaction, and they live again to the mind, or are now."
"The identity of history is equally intrinsic, the diversity equally obvious. There is at the surface infinite variety of things; at the centre there is simplicity of cause."
A somewhat controversial aspect of Newark Earthworks Day this year was the invitation the event organizers extended to a group of Aztec Dancers to come and dance within the Great Circle. This offended some local American Indians who thought the Mexican ceremonies were somehow inappropriate in this North American setting. Some archaeologists also worried about the confusing educational message such a ceremony might convey to the general public. Might people come away thinking that Aztecs built the Newark Earthworks?
I cannot speak to the spiritual concerns of the few American Indians who objected to the idea, but for me and for everyone I spoke to who actually attended the ceremony, it was a wonderful and moving tribute from one group of indigenous Americans to another. The Aztec ceremony was not an attempt to recreate a Hopewell dance or to make any sort of claim about a direct relationship between the Aztecs and the peoples of ancient Ohio. It was, instead, an opportunity to fill the Great Circle with the sounds of indigenous American ceremony – the ringing call of the conch shell trumpet, the rhythmic drumming, and the dancers' rattles. For a brief time, the magnificent earthen enclosure became, once again, a vibrant, living sacred space instead of a silent, yet still awesome, testimonial to an ancient grandeur.
I speak only for myself, but it seemed clear to me that the Aztec dancers were neither presented as nor taken for surrogate Hopewell celebrants. Their ceremony at this place and time affirmed Emerson's claim that "The identity of history is equally intrinsic, the diversity equally obvious."
Tuesday, May 06, 2008
Ft Ancient Celebration June 7-8
The 18th Annual Ft Ancient Celebration will be held on June 7 (11am-7pm) and June 8 (12pm-6pm). For those who haven't yet gone to this great event click on this link for a really nice introductory video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GGlF60Wdo68
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GGlF60Wdo68
The weekend is chock full of activities that the whole family will enjoy!
Saturday June 7th, 11AM- 7PM
10:00 AM Gates Open
11:00 AM - Celebration officially begins
11:30 AM - Discussion of the Shawnee Language Lead By Morning Sun
12:00 PM - Children’s Songs and Women’s Healing Songs Lead by Deb Tracy
12:30PM - Storytelling by Nancy Swartz
1:00PM - Flute Music by Ken Watson
1:30 PM - Gourd Dance (if Possible)
2:00 PM - Grand Entry for drums and dancers
5:00 PM - Flute Music by Douglas Blue Feather
5:30 PM - Storytelling by Tom Netz
6:00 PM - Silent Auction
6:30 PM - History of Fort Ancient by Jack Blosser
Special Demonstrations
11:00 AM Herb Discussion by Tom Netz (meet at Silent Auction tent)
1:30 and 4:00 PM Pottery Seminar with Gisela McDonald (far right side of the blue and white tent)
3:00 PM Dream Catcher Workshop (next to the limestone shelter house)
Sunday, June 8th, 2008
11:00 AM - Gates Open
12:00 Noon - Shawnee Language by Morning Sun
12:30 PM - Storytelling by Tom Netz
1:00 PM - Flute Music by Ken Watson
1:30 PM - Gourd Dance (If Possible)
2:00 PM - Grand Entry For Drums and Dancers
5:00 PM - Flute Music by Douglas Blue Feather
5:30 PM - Silent Auction
5:30 PM - Silent Auction
6:00 PM - Celebration ends
Special Demonstrations
12:00 - Herb Discussion with Tom Netz (meet next to the Silent Auction Tent)
1:30 and 4PM - Pottery Seminar with Gisela McDonald (far right side of blue and white tent) 3:00 PM - Dream Catcher Workshop with JoAn Hembree
And also through out the weekend
Demonstrations on flintknapping, pottery making and fingerweaving.
Children's Activities including games, crafts, spear throwing and other educational activities.
Children's Activities including games, crafts, spear throwing and other educational activities.
Cost
$8.00 for adults
$4.00 for children
OR
Take advantage of a special 2 day pass
$12.00 for adults
$6.00 for children
For more information about the event contact
Jack Blosser
513-932-4421
800-283-8904
jblosser@ohiohistory.org
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