Posted on 05/20/2007 9:20:29 PM PDT by SunkenCiv
In a thick forest of maple, willow and oak trees where 17th century European settlers fought hundreds of American Indians, algae-covered stones are arranged in mysterious piles. Wilfred Greene, the 70-year-old chief of the Wampanoag Nation's Seaconke Indian tribe, says the stone mounds are part of a massive Indian burial ground, possibly one of the nation's largest, that went unnoticed until a few years ago... The firm has hired an archeologist who studied the stones and concluded they were likely left in piles by early European settlers who built a network of stone walls in the area, said company president John Everson... Frederick Meli.. a former University of Rhode Island professor who works with the local Conservation Commission, estimates the area could contain a burial ground spanning at least 230 acres (93 hectares). Already, the Wampanoags call it their version of Arlington National Cemetery... "There's lots of ceremonial stonework there," said Meli... If the findings suggests a burial ground, the tribe would then use that as evidence for a case to try to block Narragansett Improvement's housing project, arguing their land could also contain ancient Indian remains... "What we do know is that it's an important area to a number of Indian tribes. Maybe the piles are related to that (tribal history). Maybe they aren't," said Paul Robinson, Rhode Island's state archeologist. William Simmons, chair of Brown University's anthropology department, said the stone mounds were mysterious but could just as easily have been arranged by European settlers.
(Excerpt) Read more at thestar.com.my ...
Wilfred Greene, the 70-year-old chief of the Wampanoag Nation's Seaconke Indian tribe, stands next to a mound of rocks that local tribal leaders and historians say mark a historic Indian burial ground in the woods in North Smithfield, Rhode Island in this May 16, 2007 photo. (REUTERS/Brian Snyder)
Please FREEPMAIL me if you want on or off the
"Gods, Graves, Glyphs" PING list or GGG weekly digest
-- Archaeology/Anthropology/Ancient Cultures/Artifacts/Antiquities, etc.
Gods, Graves, Glyphs (alpha order)
Think of the size of the casino they could build there!
Plenty of rocks to use for the fireplaces.
“Maybe the piles are related to that (tribal history). Maybe they aren’t,”
If they didn’t keep track of it, it couldn’t be that important... ;)
One of the protesting 'tribes' has only been recognized within the past year...and they already want their own free trade zone?
The only known significance of the site is that local indians lost two major fights there nearly 400 years ago.
No one, including two small tribes living in the area, knew about this 'sacred ground' until someone wanted to build houses.
A tiny band of accidentally (thanks to the Pilgrims) significant indians presumes to have filled up a 230 acre 'national cemetery'.
Unfortunately, once the claim has been made, they can count on the force of US government and lots of grad student experts to support their claims.
I don't have a lot of faith in the idea that digging on nearby private land will prove anything because most of the participants will already 'know' what they will find. What would be interesting would be to learn if there were evidence of similar piles of stone near similarly rocky fields in either England or across the channel.
In Minneapolis, a highway project(Hiawatha Avenue) was stopped because local Native Americans claimed that stately old trees were once the above-ground burial places of Warriors. It was found they dated from the 1860's, far too young to have been used for that purpose.
In this case, the truth will out.
A simple solution would be that the Tribe(if some one is speaking for the tribe) or the individual and his estate(if some one speaks as an individual) should have to escrow an amount that would cover damages from delays. That might spare the taxpayer from Manufactured Memory Syndrome, if, heaven forbid, that's what this is.
“Manufactured Memory Syndrome”
Needs to be part of the common vernacular.
When I was a kid on my Grandfather’s farm one of the jobs he had us kids do was to put rocks on the wagon and then we rode down and threw them in a pile ,lots fun!
Nope, sorry, those rock piles had already been there for centuries by the time you took your wagon ride, and represent the Arlington National Cemetery of whatever tribe lives nearby. ;’)
A simple solution would be that the Tribe(if some one is speaking for the tribe) or the individual and his estate(if some one speaks as an individual) should have to escrow an amount that would cover damages from delays. That might spare the taxpayer from Manufactured Memory Syndrome, if, heaven forbid, that's what this is.Great idea!
Heh...
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
