After years of speculation, the contents of the Nikwasi Mound may finally be revealed.
Scientists and members of the Cherokee Preservation Foundation met at the mound in downtown Franklin recently for the opportunity to use a ground-penetrating radar unit to glean information from the ancient tribal mound. Blair Tormey, professor of geology at Western Carolina University, said that a ground penetrating radar unit is one of the best ways to discover what may be there.
“It’s non-invasive,” said Cherokee Preservation Foundation member Bill Evans.
Tormey pushed the machine up and over the mound to create a cross-section image from various angles. The unit used penetrates eight feet of depth, reflecting images through radar technology. He then started creating a grid by 10-foot spacings.
“We hope to map the upper eight feet,” he said. The 10-foot grid will outline areas of interest to zoom in and map closer.
Tormey said that the earth looked “disturbed” versus “natural” under the mound, perhaps due to packing. Eight or nine boulder-sized objects were visible on the screen. The objects, he said, could be stones or post holes from a former structure and are located within the top two feet of the mound.
Anne Rogers and Bill Dyar of the Little Tennessee Land Trust look on as geologist Blair Tormey from WCU explains the visuals on the screen of the ground penetrating radar unit used Wednesday to look inside the Nikwasi Indian Mound, built circa 1100 A.D.
Evidence suggests however that the mound may extend further out than is still visible. “One thing is, we can see where the mound starts and ends,” said Tormey.
Tormey said he will likely spend two days at Nikwasi. In a few weeks, he should have a map for viewing.
Tormey said he will use scenes collected from the unit to create a three-dimensional image on his computer. The software can interpret between the 10-foot spacings.
“We will scope out the object for a best guess,” he said.
The crew will also use the unit at other mounds in Macon County. Tormey said the Nikwasi Mound will be used as a type of test mound for the procedure because it is so well defined, free of trees and of well known history.
Objects may even be easier to see at mounds than are more flat due to the level of penetration. Once objects are noted on the screen, they can be flagged to help discern the limits and proportions of possible structures or random objects.
The Nikwasi Mound is protected, so it is unlikely that any excavating would occur. Anne Rogers, with the Department of Anthropology and Archaeology at WCU, recalled attending a Nikwasi dedication ceremony years ago.
She said that after local politicians spoke at the ceremony, Cherokee speaker Robert Bushyhead walked past the microphone and climbed the mound to address those assembled. Bushyhead spoke in Cherokee. Rogers said suddenly the clouds parted and the sun illuminated him. “I had an appreciate for this as Cherokee land,” said Rogers.
It is speculated that the Nikwasi Mound was built around 1100 A.D. and that a tribal council house once sat at the top, where a depression is still visible. Rogers said it is thought that the building of mounds was a type of social control to organize the men and keep people busy when they were not farming.
The Cherokee Preservation Foundation aims to inventory and preserve culturally significant sites.
“We’ve got to study our history now,” said Foundation member Sam Greenwood. No such work has been previously catalogued in the area.
“It’s a neat project,” said Tormey. “I am excited to be a part of it.”
(with thanks to Coldrum for finding this)
http://www.maconnews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4815&Itemid=87
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