Copper falcon dancer plate from Missouri.
|
Like the art of later Native American groups from southeastern North America,
Mississippian art is replete with icons and symbolism. Much of this
symbolism is apparently directly relevant to the ideological structure of the
Mississippian world. In general, beings associated with the upper world are
those that fly or soar, whereas beings that burrow, dive, or live in the water
are tied to the lower world. Beings that represent the upper world such as the
falcon, and supernatural Thunderbird , for example, are often also associated
with the four cardinal directions. Similarly, underworld beings such as
serpents, mythical feline-serpents, and horned beings may also be associated
with the four cardinal directions.
Beaver effigy pot, Cahokia Mounds Museum.
|
Although the significance that the cardinal directions had for Mississippians
will never be known in detail, ethnohistorical accounts and the importance of
celestial directions for marking the passing of seasons make some inferences
possible. Death and the afterlife, for example, may have been associated with
the west, while the east may have been associated with life and rebirth. This
is because the west is where the sun, the giver of life, sets everyday, only to
reappear in the east, bathing the earth in light and warmth every morning.
Finally, although no archaeological data are available, Mississippians probably
placed some importance to the constellations of the night sky. Many Native
American groups, for example, identify the Milky Way, which intersects the
earth's horizon in the west, as the "Path of Souls."
[Previous] [Next] [Up] [Top]