Remembering the Adena and ourselves - Books by Eric Douglas

As a writer, I always try to blend multiple influences into a single story; historical references and present day events. Lately, I’ve been learning more about the Adena Indians who lived in the Kanawha Valley more than 2,000 years ago.

You know what I’m talking about. The “mound” in South Charleston is the Criel Native American Burial Mound and was probably built around 250-150 BC. Most people know it’s an Indian burial mound, but they don’t realize it predates the time of Christ. It’s amazing to me there was a culture sophisticated enough to build elaborate burial mounds here, and throughout the region, that long ago. (There are some really nice illustrated signs around the base of the mound that offer a basic history, if you’re interested.)

I recently had the opportunity to listen to Greg Carroll talk about Native American history in West Virginia and surrounding areas at a lecture offered by the West Virginia Culture Center Archives and History Library. He made the point that the Adena were “stratified”. He meant there were leaders who were held in great esteem and there were classes of workers below them. He was careful to point out, though, that these workers were not slaves. They were organized in such a way that the leaders could encourage the tribal members to work together, probably for years, to build massive earthen mounds.

The Criel Mound was 33 feet tall and 173 feet in diameter at the base when it was built. (It is the second largest such mound in the state, behind the Grave Creek Mound in Moundsville.) That’s not a weekend project.

In the modern era, there has been a resurgence of people interested in exploring and identifying with their Native American heritage. Carroll noted that there are very few records—little or no proof of Native American genealogy—that people can point to prove their own personal connection. As recently as 100 years ago, the federal government discouraged people from even admitting that they were Native American in census records. Often, stories of an Indian in the family are oral histories passed down from generation to generation, but there’s no documentation.

My own family history has no Native American connection. I couldn’t be more Scotch-Irish if I tried. Still, I think it is important to explore and understand our past, both distant and more recent, Indian or not. We need to capture those memories in a way that future generations will be able to look back at what we recorded and understand. Carroll closed his presentation by telling everyone to “write down those family oral histories” so we can have a clearer understanding of our family. I think that’s great advice.

For now, I’ll keep digging into the Adena burial mounds (figuratively, not literally) to see what I can find. Who knows, they might just show up in an upcoming novel…

Eric Douglas will be offering a presentation on Do-It-Yourself Documentaries as part of the Creators Program at DigiSo in Charleston on Friday, March 1 at 7 pm. Cost is $25. Visit the DigiSo website for more information. (www.digiso.org)