Georgia's Kolokmoki Indian Mounds
Historic Site
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Georgia's Kolokmoki Indian Mounds Historic Site |
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Swift Creek People and Their Art
1500 Years Ago in South Georgia
Copyright (c) 1987
Frankie Snow
South Georgia College
Douglas, Georgia
Thousands of years after man came to Georgia a distinctive group of American Indians, the Swift Creek people, thrived in a large area of southern Georgia. Within a few centuries following the death of Christ these Swift Creek people had developed an art style that involved the carving of elaborately complex designs into wooden paddles which were then used as stamping tools during the construction of pottery. These designs which were impressed onto their clay pots survive today as broken fragments of ornate vessels and have been reconstructed in a jig-saw puzzle fashion to produce the collection of ancient Indian art illustrated in the following paper.
Design Reconstruction
The tedious process of reconstructing paddle designs involves carefully sorting through pottery fragments searching for design overlaps until as much of the entire design is found as possible. The process is facilitated by using special lighting which enhances subtle design data. As each piece of the design information is discovered it is carefully measured and transferred to paper. Many factors complicate the process. Overstamping, paddle slippage and the practice of obliterating the design on certain areas of the pot by some artisans make the reconstruction of the designs a very slow process.
Where They Lived
The term “Swift Creek” refers to the location where their pottery was first isolated as a kind of Indian pottery. Swift Creek is a small tributary of the Ocmulgee River near Macon. Today, a map of the distribution of Swift Creek pottery reveals that its range extends from near the Fall Line at Macon southward into northern Florida as far as Jacksonville and Tampa. In an east-west direction it has been found from the Georgia coast to the Northwest Florida coast near Pensacola.
Swift Creek Indian Lifestyle
Because Swift Creek people lived in prehistoric times (before written history) we do not know tribal names nor do we know very much about the people themselves. Archaeologist have excavated some of their villages and burial places in an effort to learn more about their lifestyle. Careful excavation has revealed an elaborate ritual associated with the death of their religious and or political leaders. The burial ceremony sometimes included the sacrifice of individuals to assist their dead leader in the next life. Weapons, ornaments, and tools are personal items that are usually placed with their fallen leader along with many specially constructed pieces of effigy pottery often shaped to represent the animals and plants illustrated here as paddle stamp designs. These “sacred” effigy pots were also “killed” by either punching a hole through their bottom or by smashing entire vessels, thereby releasing the spirit of the pot to go to the next life with the dead leader.
The largest and most important Swift Creek site is preserved today at Kolomoki Mounds State Park in Southwest Georgia near Blakely. Many smaller Swift Creek Sites have been found and studied in southern Georgia, northern Florida and southern Alabama. Occasionally, Swift Creek pottery has been found throughout the eastern United States associated with the Hopewell people whose sphere of influence and trade centered on the Ohio River but encompassed distant lands such as Georgia, Florida and Alabama.
The Designs
The wealth and variety of complex and often highly attractive designs created by Swift Creek people are unmatched by other Indian groups in southern Georgia. The intricate and beautifully proportioned combinations of curved and straight lines are arranged to conform to the design field dictated by the rectangular-shaped paddle head. No doubt, each design had meaning to the ancient artisan. Unfortunately, as we look upon them they seem unintelligible. Their meaning, possibly linked to a belief system, has been obscured by the passage of time. However, some designs contain enough naturalistic elements elements to suggest what was being depicted. One abstract design, seen on the introductory page of this paper, is suggestive of an owl in view of two large opposed P-shaped eyes and a beak-like element beneath the four-lined arc across its face. The circular element at the bottom of the beak gives the owl an open-mouth or hooting appearance. Other examples of abstract representations include birds, insects, snakes, flowers and ceremonial human masks.
The designs that were incised into wooden paddles are suggestive of a more widespread woodworking tradition that probably included other wooden utensils and art or religious objects which have decayed through time. Totem poles were possibly carved by these people. Unfortunately these perishable items failed to survive the wear of time. However, at Key Marco in southern Florida a wealth of wooden artifacts were preserved in coastal muck. This rare assemblage of often highly ornate artifacts gives insight into the kinds of perishable wooden artifacts that Swift Creek people may have possessed.
A small sample of the Swift Creek designs discovered in the Ocmulgee Big Bend Region are below and at the top of this page.Join the Kolokmoki Society at: http://www.geocities.com/kolomoki_society/ or study the PDF article at:
http://www.georgia-archaeology.org/SGA/KolomokiPacket.pdf
Take a look at the camping opportunities at http://areas.wildernet.com/pages/area.cfm?areaID=GASPKMS&CU_ID=1
DIRECTIONS TO KOLOKMOKI
From Albany, GA: (Approx. 1 hour) Follow GA Hwy. 62 west through Leary, Arlington, and into Blakely. Make a right onto
US Hwy. 27. Travel 3 miles and turn left onto US Hwy. 27 Business Route. Then make an immediate right onto the Second
Kolomoki Road. The park is 4 mi. north on left.
From Columbus, GA: (Approx. 1.5 hours) Follow US Hwy. 27 South through Cusseta, Lumpkin, Cuthbert, and Bluffton. In
Bluffton, turn right onto Pine St. and follow into town. Past the Post Office, turn right onto Shepard St. Travel 5 mi. south to the park entrance on the right.
From Dothan, AL: (Approx. 1 hour) Follow AL Hwy. 52 through Columbia, AL. (After crossing the Chattahoochee River, this
becomes GA Hwy. 62) Follow into Blakely, GA. Turn left onto US Hwy. 27 Business Route and follow 2 mi. north of town.
Turn left onto First Kolomoki Rd. and travel 4 mi. north to the park entrance.
From Tallahassee, FL: (Approx. 1.5 hours) Follow US Hwy. 27 North through Bainbridge, GA, Colquitt, and into Blakely. At
Blakely city limits, turn right, staying on US Hwy. 27. Follow 4 mi. north and turn left onto US Hwy. 27 Business Route. Make an immediate right onto Second Kolomoki Rd. Travel 4 mi. north to the park entrance on the left.
Located 6 miles north of Blakely off U.S.
Hwy. 27.
Location: 205 Indian Mounds Rd
Blakely, GA 39823
Reservations (800) 864-7275
From Atlanta (770) 389-7275
Office (229) 724-2150
Fax (229) 724-2152
See below for a map to Kolokmoki
EVENTS:
This Native American celebration
includes wild edible plant
demonstrations, flintknapping, hide
tanning, pioneer skills, artifact
identification, arts and crafts, music,
and children's activities. Free.
229-724-2150.
Saturday 10/11/2003 10 a.m.-4
p.m.
Click here for
NORTH GEORGIA
STATE PARKS ON-LINE
Click here for
GEORGIA
STATE PARKS ON-LINE
BIBLIOGRAPHY
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January 1, 2005
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Author:
Originally by Taliesin einion Vawr, Revised by Celtic Church of Dynion Mwyn, Inc. Copyright © 1977, 1992, 2003 by Celtic Church of Dynion Mwyn, Inc. All rights reserved. Revised: 17 Feb 2010 19:59:35 -0500 |
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This Site was Created by Celtic Church of Dynion Mwyn,
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Kolomoki Mounds State Historic Park is an important archaeological site as
well as a scenic recreational area. The seven earthen mounds within the park were built
between 350 AD and 750 AD by prehistoric Woodland Period Native American cultures
identified by archaeologists as Swift Creek (Kolomoki) and Weeden Island Indian cultures.
The mounds include what may be Georgia's oldest great temple mound, two burial mounds and
four other ceremonial mounds. The park's museum is situated to enclose a partially
excavated burial mound, providing an unique setting for viewing artifacts and a film.
Below is an article about the people who built the mounds.
