Mounds of Belief

Although it is uncertain what the effigy mounds in Wisconsin are there for and what they mean, you cannot possibly believe that they were just built for fun. Possibly, that unexplainable religious urge that we all seem to have is responsible for these structures. But who built them? There is also uncertainty there. However it is clear that whoever built them had a fascination and possibly a dedication to the natural world - specifically the world of animals. These mounds are quite possibly symbols of the world around them - a dedication to the animal world, much like what is seen in the caves at Lascaux. The animal world around these people was everything to them; it was their order, and making these mounds helped them express the and harness the spiritual power that the mound builders felt the animal world held. Such as Clifford Geertz says in his definition of religion: "Religion is a system of symbols which acts to establish powerful, pervasive, and long-lasting moods and motivations by formulating conceptions of a general order of existence."

It is also possible that these mounds are simply burial sites, as there have been human remains found in the mounds. There have also been pottery, tools and other funerary items found along with the human remains suggesting a belief in the afterlife, suggesting a belief in religious type systems of belief. The animal world being a huge part of their belief, it seems that if these mounds were used as burial sites it makes sense that they are in the shape of an animal. Whatever these mounds are here for and and no matter who made them, it is clear that they are symbolic in a system of belief.

This photo is from Randy Roberts' blog: http://randyroberts.wordpress.com/2008/08/11/effigy-mounds/