The Archaeology of Ritual Elizabeth Bollwerk, Museum of Culture and Environment, CWU

What We Will Cover…  What is ritual?  Why is it important?  How do archaeologists find it?  Example: Archaeological evidence of Mississippian communities’ ritual activity  Activity – Material remains of our rituals

Ritual What is ritual?

Ritual  Ritual is a practice that follows a set of prescribed rules and has certain materials associated with it  These practices are often repeated

Why are rituals important?  Rituals are an important part of the social fabric of communities  create social connections  maintain equilibrium and social order

Types of Evidence  Mortuary practices  Landscapes  Structures  Iconography and ethnographic texts  Artifacts and ecofacts

Mississippian Tradition AD

 Tennessee, Cumberland, and Mississippi River Valleys  Large platform mounds  Town plazas  Stratified social organization  Major sites: Cahokia, Moundville, Spiro, Etowah

Mortuary Practices  Burial configuration  Primary or secondary burial  Sex and age profiles  Studies of nutrition and disease

Landscapes - Cahokia

 AD 850 – 1100  Area of 6 square miles  Massive palisade around town: 15,000 logs  Up to 120 mounds

Landscapes - Cahokia

Landscapes - Moundville  AD 1000 – 1500  Black Warrior River, AL  3000 people, 300 acres, 24 mounds Map by Karen Carr

Structures

Cahokia’s Woodhenge

Iconography – Southeastern Ceremonial Complex Images courtesy of Frank McClung Museum Eagle Dancers Weeping Eye Mask Falcon Man

Iconography – Southeastern Ceremonial Complex

Artifacts – Chunkey Stones

Chunkey Game  Originated around 600 AD in Cahokia  Involved spiritual preparation, including ritual scratching of skin  Played in huge arenas as large of 50 acres  Associated with bird/falcon man

Ecofacts - Faunal Material  Faunal assemblages – collections of mammal, bird, and fish bones  For Cahokia fish were important, deer were secondary source of food

Ecofacts - Botanical Remains  Nuts: Hazelnut, chestnut, walnut  Seeds – goosefoot, maygrass, and knotweed  Maize (corn)

Activity What are the material remains of our rituals?

Types of Evidence  Mortuary practices  Landscapes  Structures  Iconography and Ethnographic texts  Artifacts and Ecofacts