Reinterpretation of ‘Sacred Space’ at The Newark Earthworks and Serpent Mound: Settler Colonialism and Discourses of 'Sacred'

Sandra Garner

doi:10.31261/rias.13857

Published: 2023-08-28

Vol. 16 No. 1 (2023)

Reinterpretation of ‘Sacred Space’ at The Newark Earthworks and Serpent Mound

Sandra Garner

Section: FEATURES

https://doi.org/10.31261/rias.13857

Settler Colonialism and Discourses of 'Sacred'

Abstract

Mound-building was a preoccupation for the original, Indigenous occupants of the eastern portion of North America for at least six centuries. The efforts, from small to monumental, reflect a precision, often reflecting astronomical phenomena and are proliferated across the region. Today many remnants of these extraordinary efforts remain despite the systems of erasure that are characteristic of settler colonialism. Two such sites are the focus of this paper: the Newark Earthworks and Serpent Mound. Both sites are short-listed for UNESCO World Heritage status. Newark, Hopewell, and Serpent are all names given by dominant culture with no relation to the Indigenous architects and builders. They endure and resist, despite a long and complicated history of dominance. This paper offers a brief historical contextualization to demonstrate the ramifications of settler colonialism, which ruptured connections between Indigenous people and this land while simultaneously reinterpreting the sites as distinctly American. This lays a foundation for the web of narratives refashioned and recirculated in today’s contest over World Heritage status. Central to these narratives is ascribing the label of “sacred” to the sites and the vast number of constituents who claim “ownership” of them, including both local and global governmental agencies, historical societies, Native peoples, academics, and golfers. Furthermore, we can include those with religious and/or spiritual claims to the mounds such as the Mormons, new-agers, fundamentalist Christians, and contemporary Native tribes. Many of these stakeholders have come together to work toward the coveted World Heritage Status. But, if and when that happens, whose story will dominate? Who will make decisions? Whose voice will be heard?

Keywords:

Mounds , Earthworks , Sacred Sites , World Heritage , Settler-colonialism

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Garner, S. (2023). Reinterpretation of ‘Sacred Space’ at The Newark Earthworks and Serpent Mound: Settler Colonialism and Discourses of ’Sacred’. Review of International American Studies, 16(1), 87–114. https://doi.org/10.31261/rias.13857

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Sandra Garner

garners2@miamioh.edu
https://orcid.org/0009-0000-6094-7747

Affiliation:

Miami University United States

Bio Statement (e.g., department and rank)

Sandra Garner is an Associate Professor in Global and Intercultural Studies and the Inaugural Chief Floyd Leonard Faculty Fellow at the Myaamia Center (Miami University, Oxford, Ohio). Her broad research and teaching interests focus on culture, in particular the construct of Indigenous identities emergent from settler colonial contexts and best practices of community engagement. Her pedagogical approach seeks to engage students in community outreach through experiential learning activities and the development of community-driven research projects with Native American nations. She serves the Myaamia Center as the faculty liaison outreach specialists and facilitates year long workshops with faculty members on the development of culturally sensitive modules and courses.

Among Garner's publications: To Come to a Better Understanding: Medicine Men and Clergy Meetings on the Rosebud Reservation, 1973-1978 (University of Nebraska Press, June 2016); "Community-Driven Research: From Indian Country to Classroom and Back in Replanting Cultures, Chief Ben Barnes and Stephen Warren, editors, (SUNY Press, 2022); "To Come to a Better Understanding: Complicating the Two Worlds Trope" in Beyond Two Worlds, Joseph Genetin-Pilawa and James Buss, editors, (SUNY Press, 2014); "Aztec Dance, Transnational Movements: Conquest of a Different Sort," The Journal of American Folklore, (Fall 2009); three encyclopedia entries "Black Hills Dispute and Black Hills War," "Shawnee," and "Tecumseh's War," for Multicultural America: A Multimedia Encyclopedia, Carlos E. Cortés, editor (SAGE Reference, 2013); and multiple invited book reviews.

RIAS Vol. 16, Spring—Summer № 1/2023 - cover art: Another Family Reunion by Ukjese van Kampen © 2023

Vol. 16 No. 1 (2023)
Published: 2023-08-29

eISSN: 1991-2773

10.31261/RIAS

Publisher

University of Silesia Press

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Reinterpretation of ‘Sacred Space’ at The Newark Earthworks and Serpent Mound

Settler Colonialism and Discourses of 'Sacred'

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Sandra Garner

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