Effigy mounds in wisconsin are very unique and mysterious, yet they are a "system of symbols" to native american and people today. To me there are many "system of symbols" that the woodland people interject with there belief system. for example many effigy mounds are near large areas of wetlands and springs and other natural features that have spirtual meaning. These symbols such as water resource have an abundence of waterfowl and animal that live near theses watershed like beavers, mink, turtles deer and bear which many of the mounds were made from and also water spirit or panther. Also effigy mounds in wisconsin are regarded as belief system encoded on woodland pottery and art work from the woodland people that reflect the social divison that exsited with the people that lived in the effigy mound region. To me theses effigy mound were a corralation between life and the after life, where the woodland people came to celebrate life even if "life" is referring to death too. A qoute from the book that says it better, "the effigy mounds can be considered as areas of social reporduction; places to which people returned again and again for the pupose of life-way reinforcment and renewal." I beleive that these system of symbols from where the mound are formed to what shape they are formed into are all "conception of a general order of existance"
here is a web site that offers some good informationhttp://www.nps.gov/efmo/
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