Early Indians

1. Early Indians Prehistoric Peoples of Illinois

2. Little Information • Two reasons for little information about the earliest Indians • 1. Archeology is mainly focused around the Mediterranean Sea shoreline.

4. Little Information Cont’d. • 2. Most archeologists are only interested in discovery. They are not concerned w/. sharing what they find. • Kincaid Mounds dig resumes this summer Koster: Americans in Search of their Prehistoric Past Waveland Press (2000)

5. Some Basic Historical Information • What does B.C. stand for? • What does A.D. stand for?

6. Some Basic Historical Information Cont’d. • B.C. stands for … • BEFORE CHRIST • A.D. stands for … • No, it isn’t After Death • ANNO DOMINI which stands for… • In the year of our Lord-

7. Why Not After Death? • If A.D. meant After Death, there would be 33 years unaccounted in the calendar.-

8. The Earliest People in Illinois • Signs of people in Illinois date back to around 12,000 year ago. • 10,000 B.C.-

9. Paleo-Indian Period • Small Population • Mainly hunters who followed the game • Elk

10. Paleo-Indian Period • Lived near rivers during the summer • Fish & mussels • During the Fall they would move to higher ground in the forests. • Gathering nuts-

11. Archaic Period • 10,000 years ago • Lasted from 8,000 B.C. to 500 B.C. • The Koster Site provides the best evidence of this period. • People lived in communities for several generations.-

12. Two Phases of the Woodland Period • The Early Woodland Phase • The Late Woodland Phase • Divided by the Hopewellian Period-

13. The Woodland Period • 500 B.C. • The first signs of pottery • The first pottery was called Marion Thick

14. The Woodland Period • The people who were around during this time were called the Black Sands people. • These people mainly lived around the Mississippi & Illinois River plain.-

15. The Hopewellian Period • Around 200 B.C. • Hopewell Indians buried artifacts w/. their dead leaders. • They were advanced in their trading. • Goods from all over the U.S. were found among their artifacts. • Hunters, gatherers, & fishermen • Not much on growing crops-

16. The Late Woodland Period • A.D. 400 to A.D. 1,000 • Smaller population & less trade w/. outside groups-

17. The Mississippian Period • A.D. 900 to A.D. 1,400 • The largest town established during this time period was located at Cahokia. • Noted for the large mound formations. • Best known as Cahokia Mounds-

18. Reading 2 Prehistory of Illinois

19. The First People Arrive • The first people to live in the Americas came here from Asia. • They crossed over on the frozen Bering Straits. • The first to arrive were the Paleo-Indians. • No Paleo-Indian villages have ever been excavated in Illinois. • Their artifacts have been found.-

20. The Archaic Indians • Hunted & farmed • Stayed together in one area for generations-

21. Woodland Period • Pottery • Followed by: • Hopewell • Middle & Late Woodland-

22. Mississippian Period • Building of mounds • The largest mound is Monks Mound located at Cahokia. • Larger than 14 1/2 football fields • 100 feet high • The Mississippian Culture ended before the Europeans arrived in Illinois.-

23. The Illiniwek • The Illini Indians had early dealings with the European traders. • Mainly w/. the French • The Illinois Indians were in the Middle Mississippi River Valley to do their trading.

24. The Illiniwek • Their villages were located in the Northeast • They contracted diseases from their European trading partners.-

25. Readings 3 & 4 Prehistoric Indians: The Mound Builders & The Koster Site

26. The Koster Site • Located south Kampsville, Illinois • Near the Illinois River in Calhoun County • One of the largest prehistoric villages ever found • Covers around 25 acres-

28. Carbon 14 Dating • All living things contain carbon at a certain rate. • After they die they start to lose carbon. • The rate of loss is able to be measured. • The measure is accurate up to around 50,000 years.-

29. The Dig at Koster • A dig is the name of an archeological excavation. • The different layers in the earth are called horizons. • Koster is the richest archeological site in North America. • The population was around 10,000.-

30. Audrey-North • Audrey-North is another archeological site that is near the Koster Site.-

31. The Horizons at Koster • There are 14 known horizons at Koster. • Koster was occupied on & off, for around 7,000 years. • The theory is that a lack of firewood is the reason they left.

32. The Horizons at Koster • Horizon number 2 dates back to 300 B.C. • Hzn. 12 is 34 feet below the ground • Hzn. 13 & 14 are below the water table-

33. The Modoc Rock Shelter • Located near the Mississippi River in Randolph County. • Occupied around 11,000 years ago-

34. The Hopewell Indians • They were first discovered by a farmer in Ohio. • M. C. Hopewell • The Hopewell Indians originally developed in Illinois & spread into other areas. Ross County

35. The Hopewell Indians • They utilized Effigy Mounds • Made to look like animals • Actually tombs for hundreds of people-

36. Reading 5 A Pre-Columbian Urban Center on the Mississippi

37. Cahokia Mounds • Located just east of St. Louis • There are 120 mounds located at the Cahokia site.-

38. Monk’s Mound • The largest of the mounds at Cahokia. • Measures 700 x 1,000 x 100 covering 15 acres • Contains 4 levels-

39. Patrick Phase • The earliest part of the Cahokia settlement started around A.D. 600 to A.D. 800. • Pottery found but no evidence of mound building-

40. The Occupation Phase • Around A.D. 900 signs of mound building start to appear. • There are also signs of fancy burials during this time period.-

41. Borrow Pits • Dirt would be dug up using various tools, and placed in baskets. • The baskets full of dirt would then be taken to build up the mounds. • There are 9 known borrow pits around Cahokia. • The largest is 17 acres & 6 feet deep • The pits also served as trash dumps.-

42. Burial Mounds • There are possible signs of human sacrifice at the burial mounds. • Mainly women • The leaders were buried with many valuable artifacts.-

43. Fairmount Phase • The first Woodhenge was built during the Fairmount Phase. • The purpose of the Woodhenge was to mark the various seasons. • The Woodhenge was built a total of five times.-

44. The Moorehead Phase • Moorehead was the last phase in which the Woodhenge was rebuilt. • Cahokia reached its peak during the Moorehead Phase. • Homes were made out of poles & thatch.-

45. Basic Facts on Cahokia • Named a World Heritage Site by the United Nations in 1982. • 65 of the 120 mounds are within the boundaries of the historical site. • 50 million cubic feet of earth was moved to create the various mounds. • 22 million cubic feet of earth was moved to create Monks Mound-

46. Facts on Cahokia • The construction of Monks Mound took around 300 years to complete. • The stockade around Monks Mound was two miles long. • Guard towers were placed every 80 feet. • Mound 72 was filled with around 300 bodies that were ceremonially killed-

47. No-Name Phase • The final phase at Cahokia is called the No-Name Phase. • A.D. 1500 to 1700 • This was around the time when the Europeans were reaching Illinois. • Why did they fade away? • No one really knows!-