Book

The Iowa Effigy Mound manifestation: an interpretive model

Office of the State Archaeologist, The University of Iowa (9) • Published In 1976 • Pages: viii, 128

By: Mallam, R. Clark.

Abstract
Mallam uses data from previous surveys and his own survey of the effigy mounds in Iowa to propose some interpretive models on the Effigy Mound tradition. Using statistics he was able to place the effigy mounds into four categories and to show that most effigy mounds in Iowa occur within the Driftless Zone and near the confluence of a tributary and the Mississippi River. The mounds were made by different social groups with the mound complexes functioning as territorial demarcators. These gatherings probably occurred during the late spring and early summer so '… activities such as gift-giving, marriages, and alliances [could be] conducted …espcially for the purpose of insuring access to favorable natural resource areas…' (page 57) such as those found within the Mississippi trench. A third hypothesis on the subsistence-settlement patterns (summer gatherings at the mound complexes with people dispersing into family groups during the winter) needs additional data from sites other than mound complexes before it can be fully evaluated.
Subjects
Reviews and critiques
Theoretical orientation in research and its results
Topography and geology
Fauna
Flora
Miscellaneous structures
Miscellaneous facilities
Visual arts
Social relationships and groups
tradition
Eastern Late Woodland
HRAF PubDate
2005
Region
North America
Sub Region
Eastern Woodlands
Document Type
Book
Evaluation
Creator Type
Archaeologist
Document Rating
4: Excellent Secondary Data
5: Excellent Primary Data
Analyst
Sarah Berry ; 2004
Field Date
1973
Coverage Date
Effigy Mound; 1700 BP-358 BP (300 A.D.-1642 A.D.)
Coverage Place
Iowa and Wisconsin; United States
Notes
by R. Clark Mallam
Includes bibliographical references (p. 113-128)
LCCN
76018668
LCSH
Woodland culture