Reflection on Indian Mounds

On friday when our class talked about what we thought about "Indian Mounds," a lot of people brought up the point that before having read the book, they didn't understand what was so special about the them. They were just pathetic little hills, almost indistinguishable from the surrounding environment. After having read the book, however, I think just about everyone could appreciate their significance in the history of North America. 

I believe that there are some things that can provoke emotional responses just by being. For example, the redwood forests in northern California are among the most beautiful things I have ever seen, and didn't need any explanation to appreciate them. On the other hand, Indian mounds could easily be missed if you didn't know anything about them. However, when you know the history of the mounds, which goes back thousands of years, they cease to be pathetic little hills. Now, whenever I see or hear of these mounds I'll think not only of a little bump on the terrain but of the culture and people that created them and of the practical and religious importance that they had to these people and would have for their descendants.

This book has also helped to refine my perception of Native American culture in the present and past because it followed the history of the Native Americans as a whole in Wisconsin, focusing on things other than the effigy mounds. Overall, I think that this was an educating and interesting book.