Mound Builders Linked To Africa
By Paul Leslie Gardner
WAN Black History
One of the rich cultures of ancient North America was
that of the "Mound Builders", a society whose
inhabitants have been traced to Africa.
The Mound Builders were North American Indians who
lived on the continent about 7,000 years ago. Carrying
several hundred tons of dirt, stone, and other
materials on their backs, they built mounds which were
used as burial places, platforms, and a place to house
their dignitaries. Thousands of these structures now
stand in the United States and Canada.
Ornaments and other artifacts were placed in these
burial places. Sculptured pipes were one of the more
common artifacts found in the mounds. Historian Ivan
Van Sertima suggests that the "animal totem" designs
that featuring elephants, mantis, frogs, serpents,
alligators, and birds on some of these pipes can be
traced to the Mandingo tribe in Africa.
"The flat base of the monitor pipe and its totem
representations can be seen as a consequence of its
Mandingo amulet," said W.D.W. Jeffrey's in his article
entitled "Pre-Columbian Arabs in the Caribbean". There
were many groups of mound builders who inhabited
valleys like the Mississippi, Ohio, and Great Lakes.
Three of most prominent groups were the Adena and
Hopewell of Ohio, and the Mississippian Culture.
The Adena were the first mound builders in North
America. Located in the Southern Ohio area around the
year 700 B.C., these round-head and broad-shouldered
inhabitants had small villages which housed fisherman,
hunters, potters, jewelers, and possibly farmers. They
used flint and blades as tools and lived in circular
houses made of posts lashed together.
Archaeologists marvel at their burial customs. Their
ancestors were buried in conical mounds, singularly or
in groups. Some were buried and stretched on bark, and
others were placed in shallow pits lined with clay and
covered with logs. Families even at that time opted to
cremate, while others were dissected. Objects like
pottery, blades, drills, awls, goods and other
offerings were often placed in Adena burial sites.
Archaeologists believe that the nobility were placed
in sturdy log vaults. Their bodies were painted with
pigments of ochre or red graphite, and some had
canopies erected over the open tomb. Of key importance
is the fact that many burials took place on the site
of a previous one. This lead to the piling or mounting
character of the structure.
The Adena Grave Creek Mound in Moundsville, WV is the
home of the Great Serpent Mound located near
Hillsboro, OH, resembling a huge snake, is a
quarter-mile long and 70 feet high.
The Hopewell Culture of mound builders followed the
Adena. They inhabited Ohio, Indiana, Mississippi,
Illinois, Wisconsin, and Iowa and amassed more mounds
than their predecessors. These corn and squash
cultivators developed a trade network and obtained
shark teeth, pipestone, volcanic glass, and silver,
materials used as burial gifts.
They cremated their ancestors, placing their ashes in
burial mounds. Included in the tombs were gifts such
as beads, bracelets, pipes, pots, tools, and weapons.
Archaeologists conclude that the Hopewell Culture
believed that the person's spirit would use these
articles in the next world. The largest Hopewell Mound
is the Newark Earthworks in Newark, OH, which has
several large earth structures, and an octagonal ridge
that surrounds about 50 acres. Many of their mounds
were surrounded by ridges.
Following the Hopewell Culture was the Mississippian,
which was located in southern states, especially in
the Mississippi Valley area. They raised livestock,
grew crops, and built some of North America's largest
cities.
Cahokia, which sits in present day Illinois, had a
population of nearly 40,000 governed by a highly
complex form of government. Their mounds were the
foundation for houses or dignitaries. Its Monks Mound
is 100 feet high and 16 acres, and its base is larger
than that of the Great Pyramid of Egypt.
Other mounds include Poverty Point in Epps, Louisiana
which has six octagonal terraces, one within the other
with the largest being 4,000 feet. The Bird Mound, a
600-foot structure near Madison, WI, and the Effigy
Mounds National Monument near McGregor Iowa are both
sites where the indigenous people of America left
their mark.
Sources:
They Came Before Columbus by Ivan Van Sertima
Mound Builders of Ancient America by Robert Silverberg
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--- Nabiha Safriwe <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> This is proof that Africans have been visiting the
> Americas long before Slavery. The existence of
> ancient
> mandingo artifacts testifies to this exciting find.
> "They came before Columbus" by Ivan Van Sertima is a
> very good read.
>
> Visit this web
>
site:http//www.wanonline.com/blackhistory/1999/blackhistory19996009.html
>
>
> =====
>
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