PREHISTORIC GATEWAY PRESENT-DAY ENIGMA A tra'\Teling exhibition pret:!ented by the Oklahoma Museum of Natural History (formerly Stovall Museum of Science and History) and the Oklahoma Archaeological Survey Powers Fort \ The Mound builders of North America circa A.D. 900-1500 Spiro Mounds Prehistoric gateway. Present-day enigma The mou nd~ Pl Spiro, Oklahoma. arc nmong the nowned In 80utheastem North America between most lDlp<.lrlant ArchaooJoglcal remains In the A.D. 900 and Circa 1400. ""hen Spl r o'~ inhabitantll United State~. A remarkable a~sem b lage of art;. de"elo~d political, re li~ iou s and economiC in­ fneU! from the mOllnds ;;howe that prulu,l.(lI"ic Spiro $titutiun ~ with for_reaching influence on societie.. people crelltoo P 80phiRticalcd cultu re which in­ from the Plains and the Mis~i8slppi v-..Jlcy to much f1uented theentireSouthaast. There ...asan e:rlen­ of whal Ii now the 8Outhea;t.cm l"mled Sialel'. si\'1l trade ne~'\Irk. a hill' hly dcwloped rebgiouR B~au"" SpiroonR maintained such praclieet a~ Ii center, und a political system which controlled the mound con~ t ruct i on, leadernh'p of pr i e>rt·chi ef~, reKion. Locl\ted on a bend of the Arkansas River, horticul~ure (of corn, beanR and sqUlIJ'lh l, and Ii the si te was a nplurn] gate"'&,1o' between lIOCictie<l UI reh~oUlltrad i tion (the "Southern CuIC) common the (!alIl and the ...-cst, a gatc ..'oy a l whIch Splm to the Sou thea~t. they were an example of what people c:<erted their influence. Yet much of the arehaeologilb ha~·e lermed the MIUISllippian cut· SPIn) cullnr ... i! sl ill a my,teT),. incl uding the rea­ tural dC~'clopme n t in America ~on8 fOT the decline and abandonment orlhe ~lte, Spiro ".a.~ known locally us a prehi.loric Indian TheIr ol6ect3 remain mlngumg, and pique the ere· HI lc 3 S early ;u the late nineteenth century. otlve th,mghUl of pmfei!SIOnel and Layman alike. Howc"er, it ,,-a.. DOt until 1933 that the Spiro Today. the SPIro si\.(' and Ilrtlfact5 are among Okla­ Mounds attTacted natIonal and "'-orld .... ide atten­ homa's riche$t cultural reooou",c8, ond the ail.<l iM tion. In that yenr . a If'roup of tl'ellJ'lutC hunte .... Ok lahoma's only National Hm.uric Landmark and iC<lEed the sile and began excavating the largest arehaeologtrnl park. mound They disco.ered rich tro"1!111 or spectacular This arcftat'Olo¢cal Hite Indude.; the remaiM or arIifact.e, mcluding ob.)E!C"L! of wood, cloth, ooppcr, a villalie and eleven earthen mound!. Although ~hell, basketry and stone. Unfortunately, the dig­ variou~ group" of people had camped on or ncar the !;crs were only concerned with finding and se llin~ Spiro prea ,,"00 ellrly prehistoric time" the loca_ the rehel!, not with pr ese ..·; ng or re<:ording their tion di d not borome II permanent ""uJement unlil Significance or their oonlexi. (;on~uen ll y, n{Ol approxlInately AD. 600. SPiro Mounds w .... re- {Only were lmpDrtanl preh.i~l.Onc Brtllacli 100100 .?> Pot hunters digging Craig Mound, 1933 Robert E. Bell Works Progress Administration controlled excavations, 1936-1941 Robert E. Bell s and sold out of Oklahoma, but, like pages ripped vage important information from areas threatened from a rare book, irreplaceable information about by construction and development, archaeologists Oklahoma's past was lost forever. recognized an unparalleled opportunity to docu­ In an effort to prevent repetition of the tragedy ment and explain the rise and decline of a remark­ at Spiro Mounds, the Oklahoma legislature passed able prehistoric society. Thus, for the past 20 years, the state's first antiquities preservation law in archaeologists have re-examined the WPA rec­ 1936. At the same. time, state leaders worked to ords, studied newly excavated sites and patiently initiate ajoint research venture by the University of Oklahoma, the Oklahoma Historical Society, .~ and the University of Tulsa to scientifically ex- ~ cavate the Spiro Mounds site. Between 1936 and < 1941, Works Progress Administration (WPA) ;:91i workers, under the supervision of University of a Oklahoma archaeologists, conducted a systematic ~ excavation of the remainder of the Spiro Mounds. ~ The WPA crews and archaeologists excavated and l recorded the stratigraphy (sequence of deposit), burials, crematory pits and other features which ~ remained in the largest and most severely dam­ aged mound. Called the Craig Mound, this earth- § work was 33 feet high and 400 feet long. Study ~ revealed that Craig Mound, which was actually :::E four joined mounds, had been constructed between <.> '8 A.D. 800 and circa 1350 to cover the graves of the .b society's most important leaders. Besides the Craig ~ Mound, WPA workers excavated the remains of ~ other mounds, the locations of several prehistoric 5 houses, and other features at many nearby village sites. Since 1964, the Spiro Mounds and other related sites in eastern Oklahoma have become points of renewed interest to archaeologists. Spurred to sal- pieced together artifacts to determine the lifeways of these prehistoric Oklahomans. The new findings show the Spiro site as one of the premier trading and religious centers of pre­ historic America. Situated in a narrow valley of the Arkansas River, the Spiroans were in a strate­ gic position to control traffic, trade and com­ munications along this waterway, especially be­ tween the small villages scattered among the 0 ~ Ouachita Mountains to the south and the Ozarks to ~ ""-"-"~.-.L the north. Both of these regions were rich in raw materials favored by the Spiro people. Not only did 1 Spiro become an important center for Caddoan­ speaking residents of eastern Oklahoma, but it also began to playa significant role in controlling trade and information between bison-hunting Plains farmers to the west and the numerous set­ tled horticultural tribes in the Southeast. This de­ velopment was enhanced by Spiro's "gateway" po­ sition between the rolling grassy Plains and the wooded Southeast, as well as by the initiative of Spiro leaders. As certain Spiro inhabitants became political and religious leaders, they also became com­ mercial entrepreneurs. To help identify their growing status in the community, these leaders Tennessee, quartz from central Arkansas and flint accumulated exotic goods which they wore as sta­ from Kansas, Texas, Tennessee and southern Illi­ tus markers or used in special ceremonies. Among nois. Spiro artisans fashioned many of these mate­ the most favored exotic goods were conch shells rials into elaborately decorated ornaments, cere­ from western coastal Florida, copper from the monial cups, batons and other symbols of status Southeast and other regions, lead from Iowa and and authority. Among the prehistoric societies, Missouri, pottery from northeast Arkansas and such objects were a sign of wealth, and Spiro's 1 priestly leaders were among the most affluent of Oklahoma natives could easily launch forays into the time. Elaborate artifacts of conch and copper neighboring regions from these sites. Utilizing were more numerous at Spiro than at any other canoes, parties were sent out to hunt, trade, raid or prehistoric site in North America. complete diplomatic missions. The Spiro site reached its peak as an inhabited Between A.D. 900 and 1350 Spiro was clearly an ceremonial center between A.D. 900 and 1200 important political/religious center. It was also the when the village and public buildings covered home of artisans who influenced the ideas and nearly 100 acres, with a sizeable village occupying works of many southeastern peoples. Conch shell an upland ridge and portions of the adjacent bot­ and copper were favored materials for Spiro arti­ tomlands. During this time, two sets of earthworks sans. They used a variety of techniques including were constructed: one on the upland ridge which engraving and embossing, depicting elaborate contained a ring of eight mounds erected over the scenes of dance, gaming, warriors, and mythologi­ remains of burned or dismantled special buildings, cal creatures. Among the latter were winged ser­ and one on the bottomlands where three mounds pents, antlered serpents, spiders, and catlike were built. monsters that later became important in the In contrast to other mound centers along the mythologies of historic southeastern tribes. At Mississippi, Ohio and Tennessee Rivers, the Spiro Spiro, however, the animal figures favored by ear­ site was never fortified by either moat or palisade. ly artisans were later replaced by humanlike fig­ Despite their wealth and influence, the Spiroans ures. apparently had little fear of outsiders. Archaeolo­ For two or three centuries, Spiro and its satellite gists assume that they felt secure with their mili­ centers flourished. Around A.D. 1250, they began tary control of a most strategic site. The Spiro to change their way of life. Frontier settlements inhabitants depicted themselves as fierce warriors were abandoned, some people completely left in engraved images on shell cups and gorgets (pen­ northeast Oklahoma, and others began congregat­ dants worn at the throat). It is clear that Spiro was ing along the Grand and Arkansas Rivers. From the most powerful of a group of at least 15 political­ A.D. 1200 to 1400, a large community developed on religious centers in northeast Oklahoma. All of the uplands and terraces around the Spiro site; these centers were located at strategic frontier however few , if any, people were actually living at points along navigable waterways in the area, thus the site itself. Apparently, they only visited the allowing Spiroans or their allies to monitor all mounds periodically for certain rituals and cere­ traders, travelers, or potential enemies coming monies. Mound construction continued, and many into their sphere of influence.