A System of Symbols: Effigy Mounds

Geertz's religion definition: A system of symbols which acts to establish powerful, pervasive, and long-lasting moods and motivations in men by formulating conceptions of a general order of existence and clothing these conceptions with such an aura of factuality that the moods and motivations seem uniquely realistic.

The effigy mounds of Wisconsin were categorized into the 3 natural realms, air, earth, and water, and then the conical and linear mounds. A theory proposed by R. Clark Mallam says that the "mounds had been built to symbolize and ritually maintain balance and harmony with the natural world." The Native Americans lived off of the land and were closely tied to it; they relied on it for their subsistence and shelter. They shifted with the changing seasons and knew where to obtain food in certain areas and at certain times of the year. They worked alongside nature, not against it. That was the way in which they knew how to live and which kept them alive.

The effigy mounds represent the realms of the Native Americans world. They could not survive without them all. The mounds in the form of animals signified air, earth, and water. Certain animals were attributed to certain realms; these were their symbols. The way in which they presented these symbols and used so much energy to make them into mounds shows their importance. The mounds may serve to show their respect for these realms and, as Mallam says, to maintain harmony with them. This represents their way of life; to respect and work with nature.