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Temple Mound at the Grand Village
of the Natchez Indians
Courtesy of the Mississippi Department of Archives and
History |
These three platform mounds, an adjacent ceremonial plaza and
associated habitation areas mark the political and religious capital
of the Natchez Indian chiefdom of the late 17th century and early
18th century. A number of French colonists who witnessed the use
of the mounds at Grand Village recorded their observations. These
18th-century accounts offer a rare firsthand glimpse of mound
ceremonialism, by then a nearly extinct holdover tradition from
the precontact period.
The paramount chief of the Natchez, called the Great Sun, lived
at the Grand Village. The French accounts describe both the Great
Sun's house, which stood on Mound B at the center of the site,
and a ceremonial temple, which stood on Mound C, the southernmost
mound of the group. Within the temple, a sacred perpetual fire
was kept burning day and night. Foundation remains of both the
Great Sun's house and the temple were discovered during 1962 archeological
excavations of the mound. Mound A, at the north end of the site,
apparently was no longer in use by the time European chroniclers
arrived. The mounds, which stand about eight feet high, rose in
several stages as the structures that stood on top of them were
demolished and rebuilt in accordance with ceremony.
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Rotating images of the Natchez
Powwow, a two-day annual event showcasing American Indian
dancers and crafts, and a reconstructed Natchez Indian house
Courtesy of the Mississippi Department of Archives and
History |
Elaborate funeral ceremonies for the Natchez elite were conducted
on the mound plaza. These rituals included the sacrifice of relatives
and servants of the deceased. Natchez pottery vessels, as well
as European trade goods obtained from the French, accompanied
the dead. Two of the burials may have been those of the Great
Sun, whose death in 1728 is mentioned in the historical sources,
and his brother and war chief Tattooed Serpent, whose 1725 funeral
was recorded in detail by the French.
Increasing French confiscation of Indian lands led to rapid deterioration
of Natchez-French relations following the death of the Great Sun.
The Natchez attacked nearby Fort Rosalie in 1729, killing most
of the French garrison there. In response, the French organized
a retaliatory expedition in 1730. They and their Choctaw Indian
allies occupied the Grand Village, using the location to lay siege
to the Natchez, who had withdrawn into stockaded fortifications
to the south. During the siege, French troops used the central
mound, formerly the site of the Great Sun's house, as an emplacement
for their artillery. This confrontation marked the beginning of
the destruction of the Natchez as a nation. Although the siege
failed to force their surrender, the Natchez permanently abandoned
their traditional territory as a result of it. Fewer than 300
of the Natchez eventually were captured by the French and sold
into slavery in the West Indies. The remainder escaped to join
other tribes as refugees. Today, people of Natchez descent live
among the Creek and Cherokee Indians.
The Grand Village of the Natchez Indians, designated a National
Historic Landmark, is maintained as a park by the Mississippi
Department of Archives and History. The museum exhibits artifacts
excavated from the site and sponsors public education events and
activities.
The Grand Village of Natchez Indians, is located in Natchez.
Turn east off US Hwy. 61/Seargent S. Prentiss Dr. onto Jefferson
Davis Blvd., just south of the Natchez Regional Medical Center.
Proceed on Jefferson Davis Blvd. a half mile to the entrance gate
on the right. It is open Monday-Saturday 9:00am to 5:00pm, and
Sunday 1:30pm to 5:00pm, free admission. Visit their website or call 601-446-6502
for further information.
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