Ancient Sauk, Ojibway and Winnebago Cosmology: Myth, Mounds and Artifacts: A Theory of Ancestoral Diffusion

By J. Price

This text describes Ojibway, Sauk, and Winnebago (Ho Chunk) Creation Legends, Indian Mounds, and artifacts to describe an east-west trade theory that reflects the development of the Sauk Tribe in America, China, and India. It also describes the use of Indian Mounds as astronomical clocks that physically describe their legends.

• Language: English
• Publisher: eBooks2go
• Release date: Mar 4, 2020
• ISBN: 9781545750605

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ANCIENT SAUK, OJIBWAY AND WINNEBAGO COSMOLOGY: MYTH, MOUNDS AND ARTIFACTS: A THEORY OF ANCESTORAL DIFFUSION

The Ancient Cosmology of the Wisconsin Sauk, Ojibway and Winnebago Tribes and Correlating Indian Mounds and Copper Artifacts

J. PRICE Ph.D.

Ancient Sauk, Ojibway and Winnebago Cosmology: Myth, Mounds and Artifacts: A Theory of Ancestoral Diffusion

Copyright © 2000, J. Price Ph.D.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

MUSQUAKIE TERMS

DEDICATION

TEXT: PURPOSE

INTRODUCTION

CHAPTER ONE: SAUK, OJIBWAY and WINNEBAGO CREATION MYTHS

The Sauk Pantheon of Gods; Sauk Origin and Winnebago Creation Sequence, Sauk Gods Before Man Appears, Emergence of the Thunderers and Underwater Panthers, Fire is named; Earthmaker, Early Manitous, Four Winds, Formation of Wisaka, Yapatoe and Man, Fire, Ice and Flood, I-am-oi (giants), 3 World Destructions and The New Earth

CHAPTER TWO: Sauk-e-nuk, Sauk City and Devils Lake: Ancient Sauk Homes

CHAPTER THREE: The Copper Trade: The Sauk-Federation, Illini-Miami Piasa legends

CHAPTER FOUR: Indian Mound Sites: Astronomical alignments, myths and interpretation of Thunderbird, Panther, Bear, Man, Goose, Conical, Turtle, and Elephant Effigy Mounds

CHAPTER FIVE: The Saka in China, India and Turkestan: Legends, copper coins and discs

CHAPTER SIX: Aztalan, Cahokia, Eygpt, Phoenicians and Copper

CONCLUSION

FOOTNOTES

ILLUSTRATION LIST

BIBLIOGRAPHY

MUSQUAKIE TERMS:

Nata-e-qua = the age of gone forever

Push-e-ton-eke-qua = the age to come

DEDICATION

This text grew from a childhood curiosity and fascination with the Wisconsin Indian effigy mounds. I initially presented the Sauk-Satavahana Theory, combined with Ancient Sauk Cosmology, at the 1993 Institute for the Studies of Ancient Cultures’ conference, (I.S.A.C.), in Columbus, Georgia. The study derived from research conducted at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, for the Ancient Earthworks Society. I would particularly like to thank Professor Emeritus James Scherz, University of Wisconsin-Civil Engineering Department, for sharing his years of research with me. Dr. Scherz spent over two decades mapping and measuring Wisconsin Indian effigy mound sites, carefully recording their astronomical placements. His pioneering work allowed for this current interpretation of these ancient sites. I would also like to thank I.S.A.C. founder, the late Dr. Joseph Mahan for his encouragement, the late Dr. Barry Fell for his comments, Dr. Cyrus Gordon, for his interest in Sauk Creation, Sauk Warrior Lawrence Kahbeah, for his insight, the Sac and Fox Nation for their counsel and the State Historical Society of Wisconsin. Additionally, I would like to thank Professor Norubo Yoshida of the Japanese Petroglyph Society and Father Harrie Vanderstappen, University of Chicago, for his Taoist teachings. I would like to thank the staff of the Aztalan, Wisconsin, Cahokia, Illinois, Etowah, Georgia, Poverty Point, Louisana and Spiro, Oklahoma Indian Mound Sites and Museums, for their time. A special extension of gratitude to Wisconsin Indian mound surveyors, Larry Johns and Bill Wenzel, for their assistance. Finally, I would like to thank University of Texas-Brownsville Vice President Dr. Tony Zavaleta for his support, graphic designer Tony Garcia for his assistance, photographer Jose M. Duarte and Maria Sanchez for her illustrations.

TEXT: PURPOSE

Ancient Native American history, of the eastern and midwestern United States, is recorded in the oral traditions of the two hundred and fifty nine Algonquian tribes and within the over fifty variations of the Algonquian language. This epoch of history is associated with artifacts found in burial sites. A close examination of the Native American Sauk, Ojibway and Winnebago tribes’ religion, culture and history explains the imagery of artifacts found in the midwestern United States. The Sauk tribe’s ancient history can be traced through their oral histories, written records and then compared to oral and written records of the other Wisconsin tribes. This establishes an outline of an ancient federation system, and presents an explanation of an ancient nation, one complete with a unique religion and culture, that can be documented through artifacts such as Indian Mound sites, copper plates and carved bone and shells. Through a physical and cultural comparison of the Sauk Tribe, in Wisconsin and midwestern United States, a historical framework can be established which recognizes trade, through an extensive federation system, between the various early Mississippi River Valley cultures. Further, it is through a global comparison of three Tribes; Sauk, Saka and Winnebago, documented by sites and artifacts, a historical framework that recognizes trade between the early Mississippi River Valley culture and the Canary Islands, China, Egypt, India, Ireland and Turkestan, can be established.

INTRODUCTION

The Sac and Fox Nation currently resides in Stroud, Oklahoma, on six acres of land given to the Nation by the United States government, following their surrender in 1832 and subsequent removal from Illinios, Missouri, Wisconsin and Iowa. The Sac are an Algonquian tribe that have been labeled with several names, including Sauk, or Bear, which is the term this text will use. Although the Sauk are initially recorded in 1640 in Western literature, this does not suggest that the Sauk Tribe was non-existent prior to the seventeenth century. Western records label Native American tribes, discovered in the midwest and Mississippi River area as Upper, Lower or Middle Mississippian, Hopewell or Woodland Indians. These archeological titles do not acknowledge the actual names of individual indigenous Native American tribes that had resided in the area for thousands of years.

The Sauk are initially mentioned in western history in Jean Nicolet’s 1643 notes, which were recorded in the 1640 Jesuit Relation under the Heron name Hvattoehronon or People of the Sun. In other Western interpretations, the term Sauk, as derived from Osakiwug, refers to People of the Yellow Earth and the term for Fox, Muswakiwuk, refers to People of the Red Earth. However, these traditional titles are not accurate, as Sauk means bear in their language. The Sauk name refers to the Tribe as the Bear Clan of the Schawano-e, which supports their initial statements made to Isaac Galland that the Sauk claim to be direct descendents of the Schawano-e. The Schawano-e are considered the priesthood of the Alkonquians. Additionally, the un-recognized Yu Chi Tribe keeps an oral tradition of the Sauk, as the Bear Clan of the Schawano-e.

In other recent interpretations, the Sauk are said to label their Tribe asa-ki-waki, which may be viewed as a mis-interpretation of the Yellow Earths. Yet the term asa-ki-waki is significant when examining the Sauk in other countries. According to the Sauk, their permanent home was always located in Sauk-e-nuk, modern day Rock Island, Illinois, placed at the meeting of the Rock and Mississippi Rivers, near Davenport, Iowa, in the upper northwest corner of Illinois. The Sauk had resided here, controlling Mississippi River trade, in prosperity, for nine thousand years. They journeyed to their summer home, near Sauk City, Wisconsin, traveling by canoe, to enjoy the scenic beauty and unique, medicinal vegetation of the area. The Sauk later divided into two bands, which were recognized as the Sauk and Missouri Sauk Tribes.

CHAPTER ONE: ANCIENT SAUK, OJIBWAY AND WINNEBAGO COSMOLOGY

THE SAUK PANTHEON OF GODS: SAUK ORIGIN & WINNEBAGO CREATION SEQUENCE, THE SAUK GODS BEFORE MAN APPEARS:

THE SAUK VISION OF THE WORLD involves many dieties, many realms of Heaven, Earth, Sea, under water and outer worlds that are enveloped in a great cycle of changes. The Sauk consider the world, the earth, in a metamorphic period, one that will eventually disappear in a fiery furnace and then be restored to it’s original pristine state. The Sauk’s conception of the world incorporated many manitous or spirits; both great and small, anthropromorphic beings and ethereal entities. There are many different versions of the Sauk, Fox, Ojibway and Winnebago Creation legends.

IN THE BEGINNING, the Sauk believe that before the earth existed, there was a Great Void, comparable to the Taoist notion of the Great Chaos, a vast expanse of nothingness, until the Earthmaker, or Great Original Spirit, appeared.¹ In the Sauk creation legend, in the beginning, after the Creation, the Universe became inhabited by vast number of supernatural beings, which included the Thunderbirds and Underwater manitous. In the Winnebago version, following the formation of the waters and earth by the Earthmaker, four specific manitous, the four great winds, were created prior to the formation of the Thunderbird and Underwater spirits.²

Shortly thereafter, in Sauk legend, there emerged many polymorphic beings, in the