The effigy mounds of Wisconsin served a religious purpose to the Native Americans in the area. They were a series of mounds created that were made in the shapes of different animals. These animals had special significance in the spiritual world of the natives. There were two worlds, the upper and lower worlds. There were many different animals that were associated with these worlds such as the thunderbird for the upper -world and the snake or bear for the lower -world.
These beliefs in an upper and lower world were represented through the creation of these mounds. The effigy mounds were created in shapes that represented the animals that were associated with these worlds. The upper-world was associated with the sky and the lower with water. An upper-world animal such as a thunderbird would be made on a cliff of another high area, and a mound in the shape of a lower-world animal such as a snake would be created near a spring or another source of water.
The creation of these mounds showed a desire to create a connection between people, the land, the animals and the spiritual world. The mounds were a way to create a form of order and understanding of the world around the natives. They symbolized death, as they were usually burial sites. They also symbolized renewed life, as they would be located near springs that represented the renewing of life to these peoples. In conclusion effigy mounds help create a general order of existence by allowing the Native Americans create a physical form of their beliefs.
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