“Overlay of William Romain’s 1987 survey map of Serpent Mound onto a recent LiDaR image. (William Romain)”
How often history does get it wrong. I have to say in the past year, learning more about Native American culture has taught me that in most cases of a culture that is non-white, that history is seriously misconstrued, disregarded, or, worse, not written about at all. It has to do with the concept of privilege, which often turns eyes away from ‘minor’ contributions to human life to the ‘major’ contributions. Who defines what is minor and major is often the dominant group – whites of Europe. However, it is my hope, and with articles from Indian Country Today and other resources, I’m seeing a surge in Native/Indigenous research – both scientific and historical. They’re covering everything from the Land Bridge Lie to artifact identification and mounds like the one pictured here from Ohio. The realization that all groups are major contributors to the human story is one of the most important lessons we can learn. Everyone has contributed and all perspectives are important to gain the complete picture.
“What is certain is that ancient Ohioans were not only building extremely sophisticated geometric works that rivaled or surpassed those of contemporary classical Greece, but they were also repairing or renovating them over millennia.”
