Cahokia: A Mound Society (text)

Abstract 

The ancient community of Cahokia was one of the most impressive human habitations in North America. Boasting a population that rivaled Western cities during the same time in history, 120 sacred mounds during its height, and a sophisticated planning system and infrastructure, it truly was one of the greatest communities of its time. The native Mississippians who occupied Cahokia from    700 – 1400 A.D. were accomplished builders and constructed a wide variety of houses and public structures. However, what remains of this powerful community today are the mounds, many of which served as sacred burial sites for this long forgotten culture. Beginning in 1200 A.D., and over a period of 200 years, Cahokia was gradually abandoned for reasons that can only be speculated about today. Using the research available today, we can understand what life would have been like in ancient Cahokia.

About Cahokia

The Cahokian lifestyle in the peak of their society (about 1050-1200 A.D.) is still incompletely known to this day due to the lack of both a written language to provide a record of their dialogue and cultural ideas and a lack of lasting structures (apart from the many mounds in the area). However, scientific research on the composition and contents of the mounds can tell us many things about the people, particularly about their social hierarchy and diet. The diet of the Cahokian people was largely based on maize, squash, fish, deer, and wild plants, relying on subsistence horticulture to supplement more traditional methods of food procurement in North America, (typically hunting, gathering, and fishing). This made Cahokia quite a bit different from other indigenous societies, as horticulture is typically associated with an increased prevalence of social hierarchy (and in the same vein, social injustice). Recent developments in bone structure analysis have shattered the myth that the Cahokian people were a large scale agricultural society.

Examining the remains of mound 72 in Cahokia, we see that, while maize did play a large part in their lives, it was not enough to justify thinking they were wholly dependent on horticulture. However, certain groups of people had more evidence of domesticated maize in their bone composition than others, particularly those Cahokians considered to be “low-status,” or the bottom of social hierarchy. This evidence is seen in the teeth of the Cahokian remains, and status was determined by the health of bone structure and mound placement. The higher status Cahokians ate more protein-based foods like venison and fish. The diet of the Cahokian people offers several theories relating to their disappearance. The population of the city and prevalence of venison in their diet, particularly in the earlier years of Cahokia, lead to the likely depletion of deer in the area. Venison, as a high source of protein, offered advantages to their diet that domesticated corn could not, which may have lead the people to leave the area for areas better suited for their dietary needs. Even further, land improvement was a concept that the Cahokian people were familiar with, evidence of yet another difference from traditional indigenous peoples living in North America. “Slash and burn” methods of land use were utilized to take natural habitats of deer and turn them into areas for farming, not unlike the Western model of land utilization. This theory would also be in line with the astounding population growth Cahokia saw in its peak and decline, as horticultural methods will always produce more food than the typical hunting, gathering, and fishing methods known throughout North America. And when food is increased, population invariably increases as well. Another interesting aspect of the diet of Cahokia was a drink commonly referred to today as “vomit-drink.” It was a highly caffeinated, black beverage made from holly leaves and was used in purification ceremonies. It seemed to induce vomiting, which was the ceremonial aspect of the drink. The prevalence of this drink extended beyond Cahokia, and has been seen in instances with other tribes in the Ohio Hopewell area. However, with the emergence of Europeans in the area, use of the beverage declined, as it was seen as pagan and unsavory.

Apart from diet, the other aspect of Cahokia we know of is Chunkey, sometimes referred to as “America’s First Pastime.” It was played by rolling a stone disk on the ground, and throwing spears or poles at it in the attempt to knock over the disk as it traveled, or come as close to possible, in a horseshoe-like manner. It generally involved two people playing with onlookers wagering on the outcome, often staking all they had on the game. The poles were covered in bear grease and had marks on them corresponding to the points achieved by landing the poles close to the disk. The disk was made of stone and was very valuable. However, no one person owned the disk, as it was the property of the community as a whole. 

Decline & Future

Cahokia began to decline after 1300 AD. It was abandoned more than a century before Europeans arrived in North America, in the early 16^th century, and the area around it was largely uninhabited by indigenous tribes. Scholars have proposed environmental factors, such as over-hunting and deforestation as explanations. Many recent theories propose conquest-induced political collapse as the primary reason for Cahokia’s abandonment. The Cherokee, Chickasaw, and Wichita Nations all claim to have ancestry which can be traced back to Cahokia which would help the theory that the people moved to other surrounding tribes. With no solid evidence beyond anecdotes the descendants of Cahokia will be forever lost to time but this does not mean they will be forgotten. Archeological work on the mounds has produced many possible explanations but with increasing pressure from modern tribes to cease excavations new revelations will be difficult to unearth.  

About the Mounds

Cahokia used mounds for numerous purposes in their society.  There were two types of mounds, platform mounds and conical mounds.  These mounds were most commonly made out of top soil and clay.  Thousands of hours were put into making each mound. This was done by digging out the soil and clay by hand from Borrow Pits.  The soil was then loaded into baskets on workers’ backs and brought to the mound location. There were many different uses for the mounds created.  Platform mounds were flat on top and usually had buildings built on top of them.  Most of the platform mounds had religious and government buildings on top of them, as well as housing for the elite.  Conical mounds were round dome-shaped mounds averaging roughly 5-10 feet in height. These conical mounds were used mostly for burials. When excavating some of the Cahokia mounds, archeologists found hundreds of skeletons suggesting ritual sacrifice and also numerous artifacts from far away tribes, indicating that Cahokia had relationships with these societies.

Monks Mound

Monks Mound (Mound 38) was named after a group of Trappist Monks who lived on another nearby mound. The Monks never lived on this particular Mound but did use its first terrace to garden. Because of its similar appearance to the Egyptian pyramids, it often gets compared to them. But, unlike those Egyptian pyramids which were built from stone, Monks Mound was made in stages and from basket-transported soil. It took fourteen stages to finish the mound. The first stage began in tenth century A.D. and the last stage was finished in the middle of the twelve century. Monks Mound is located within the Downtown Cahokia mound group and spans 14 acres. The exact height and width is not known due to erosion, slumping, and the different measurement starting points that have been used, but it is believed to have been between 86 and 104 ft. in height and 790 ft. wide. Monks Mound, with its four terraces, is the only mound on the Cahokia site that has more than two. The most extensive is the first terrace which rises to 35 ft. in height and extends across the southern end of the mound. One of the unique features at Monks is on the first terrace. This is where a projection which has often been interpreted as a ramp or a stairway by archeologists was uncovered. Excavations by Washington University students in the early 1970’s did find what appeared to be log steps, so it is possible a stairway was used get up and down the mound. Today, several repair projects have taken place to preserve the mound including new permanent steps and horizontal drains to relieve the site from the water that has contributed to the slumping. The mound is still used as an excavation site by numerous archaeologists and students interested in learning of its past. 

Mound 72

Mound 72 is a small ridge top mound located to the south of Monks Mound, standing approximately 10 feet tall, 140 feet long, and 72 feet wide. The mound is oriented differently than most mounds at Cahokia in that its long axis is on a northwest-southeast orientation. It was excavated between 1967 and 1971, and the crews working on it found more than 250 skeletons, supporting the theory that it was used as a burial mound for the elite. One of the burials seemed to be an individual of great importance known as the Bird Man; he was buried with the remains of other individuals on what appeared to be a platform of shell beads in the shape of a falcon. Near him were several retainers with grave goods accompanying them. Most of the burials suggest that many of the people buried in this mound were sacrificed, probably to accompany one or more important individuals. Data recovered from this mound suggests that a distinct social stratification was present at Cahokia along with extensive economic relationships between Cahokia and areas as far away as Oklahoma, Tennessee, southern Illinois, and Wisconsin.

References

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